A New Kind of Bliss

by Bettye Griffin

  “Now, the fact that he’s a rich, successful doctor is more of a bonus. He’s still a good catch for you, Emily, even if he dug ditches for a living, because he treats you well.”

  I couldn’t dispute that, but she had to be kidding with that example. What mother in her right mind wouldn’t object to her daughter marrying a ditchdigger?

  “Ooh, and just wait til I tell Mavis. She’ll turn green as a peapod.”

  “Mom, you can’t do that. Aaron’s kids don’t even know about it yet. This is really important, okay? You can’t tell anyone until after his family knows.”

  “Of course, dear. I won’t do anything to give it away. But when do you plan on telling them?”

  “We’re having dinner over there tomorrow night.”

  “So Beverline doesn’t know yet, either.”

  “No.”

  Mom smiled in a manner that suggested she should be holding a pitchfork in one hand. “Oh, I wish I could save the expression on her face when she finds out for posterity. Wouldn’t it be great if she picked up and left rather than live there with you, the mistress of the house?”

  “It would be wonderful, but I think she’d rather stay on and stay in my hair.”

  I was careful to remove my ring before leaving the house the next morning. I hated to put it away, but it really wouldn’t be fair for anyone at work or any of my friends to learn about my engagement before Aaron’s family knew about it. As Mom said, I’d be mistress of the house.

  That gave me an idea. If I was going to be the lady of the house, I might as well claim my position now.

  Friday morning I dialed Aaron’s home to put my plan in motion. I hoped Shirley would answer. I didn’t want to speak with Beverline.

  “Good morning; Merritt residence.”

  “Hello…Shirley?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is Emily.”

  “Hello, Emily. How are you this morning?”

  “I’m good. I suppose Dr. Merritt has told you my mother and I are coming for dinner tonight.”

  “Yes, he did. I just made up place cards, as a matter of fact. I always do them when the doctor has extra guests for dinner.”

  I laughed nervously. “That’s exactly why I was calling. I know this is going to sound like a strange question, but where do you plan to have me sit?”

  “I put you to the right of the doctor, like I usually do. Is that all right?”

  “Actually, I’d like you to put me at the opposite head of the table.”

  Shirley’s uncertainty came through as loud as a sonic boom. “That’s where Mrs. Wilson usually sits.”

  “Go ahead and place her on Aaron’s right. And I’d like my mother to be on my left. Billy can be between my mother and his grandmother. And of course, Kirsten and Arden will sit next to each other on the other side.”

  Shirley didn’t respond, and I realized she was concerned about taking orders from me. “If you’re worried about any repercussions, don’t be. I’ll clear it with the doctor.”

  “I’d appreciate that, Emily.”

  “I know this seems a little strange to you, but you’ll understand after dinner.”

  “Oh!” she exclaimed, sounding as if she’d put two and two together and gotten an engagement. “Very well, Emily. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”

  Already she sounded as if she was ready to take instructions from me. It felt rather good.

  I reached Aaron afterward and told him about my request. In the few minutes in between conversations I became nervous. Had I really done the right thing, or was I being too eager to move into my new role?

  Aaron was busy, as usual, but he did take time to listen to my concern. “Sure, I don’t have a problem. It’ll probably be a little difficult for Beverline, but she’s going to have to get used to it sooner or later…so why not sooner?”

  I sighed in relief.

  When we went to sit at the table, Aaron escorted Beverline, leading her directly to her new position.

  “What’s this?” I heard her say as I led Mom to her seat. “I don’t normally—Aaron, what’s going on? Why am I sitting here?” She looked at the opposite head of the table just in time to see me stand behind the chair. “And why is she standing there?”

  “Humor me, Beverline,” he said calmly as he pulled out her chair and seated her.

  She cast a tight-lipped stare at me. Aaron then darted over to the opposite end of the table and pulled out my chair. I couldn’t actually hear what she said, but from the movement of her lips it looked like her familiar, “I see.”

  Beverline pretty much guessed something out of the ordinary was going on. “Well, this is certainly nice, Aaron, having Shirley make us this wonderful dinner, and having company to share it with.” She nodded at Mom and me.

  It was all I could do not to blurt out our engagement. I was getting tired of Beverline and her continued efforts to make me feel like I didn’t belong. Maybe Mom could be considered company, but I’d eaten at this table on a semiregular basis for months now.

  “Yes, Aaron,” Mom spoke up. “What’s happening in your life? Have you been promoted at work?”

  I made a mental note to tell her when we were alone what a wonderful performance she was giving.

  “No, Mrs. Yancy, something even better than that.”

  “What happened, Daddy?” Arden asked.

  “I know. We’re going to Orlando,” Billy said hopefully.

  “All right, all right. There’s no easy quick way to say this.” Aaron paused dramatically. “Emily has consented to be my wife. This dinner is to formally announce to all of you that we’re engaged.”

  Ten seconds wasn’t a long time, but it certainly could seem that way when a room containing seven people suddenly became completely graveyard quiet.

  Billy was the first one to recover. “Emily, you’re going to be our new mother?”

  Nothing like starting in first with the tough questions. “Actually, I’m going to be your friend. But if you want the technical term, I guess stepmother fits as good as any. I’ll never take the place of your own mom. No one can do that. And no one should. But as a part of the family—as your stepmother—I’ll help your father take care of you. And I hope that we can all learn to love each other.” I glanced at Aaron to see how he reacted to my explanation. His beaming face told me he approved.

  Then I looked Beverline’s way. She was putting up a good front, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, which clearly showed fear and anxiety.

  Mom clapped her hands, looking almost childlike. “Well, I must say that I’m thrilled to hear this. I just know you two will be very happy together.”

  Maybe Aaron’s kids believed that our engagement came as news to Mom, but I knew her performance didn’t fool Beverline.

  Billy piped up again. “Does this mean I’m going to have a little brother or sister?”

  I chuckled, joined by Aaron and my mother. Beverline still looked shell-shocked. “Probably not, Billy,” I said. “I’m not a young woman anymore.”

  “So why are you getting married?” Arden asked.

  “Let me put it this way,” Aaron began. “It’s always a good idea to be married when you have kids. I’m certainly expecting that from all of you. But you don’t get married just because you want to have children. Emily and I love each other, and we want to share our lives together.”

  I felt I needed to say something. “Arden, I hope you don’t think I’m trying to take your mother’s place,” I added.

  “I think it’ll be nice to have a lady around all the time again,” Billy said cheerfully.

  Kirsten turned on him. “Have you forgotten Mom already?” Her voice broke.

  Aaron held out a hand. “Kirsten, you have to realize that Billy doesn’t have the memories of your mother that you have. You and Arden are older. You have a lot more to remember.”

  “Of course I remember Mommy,” Billy said indignantly. “But she’s in Heaven, and she can’t come back. All
my friends have mothers. I’d like to have one again, too.”

  I got out of my chair to give Billy a hug. He seemed comforted as he embraced me. I returned to my seat.

  Beverline cleared her throat and spoke for the first time. “Well, this explains a few things, Aaron. Like why you took down Diana’s portrait.”

  “I didn’t take it down, Beverline; I moved it to the girls’ room. Don’t make it sound like I stuck it in the garage or something.”

  “This certainly is a surprise,” she replied, ignoring his remark. “I suppose I should have seen it coming. When do you plan to get married?”

  Mom and I exchanged glances. No doubt Beverline wanted to know how much time she had to bust us up.

  “We’re not really in a hurry,” Aaron replied. “We both feel it would probably be best to wait a while and give everyone a chance to get accustomed to the idea.”

  Beverline openly checked out my bare left hand. “Aaron! Did you actually propose to Emily without a ring?”

  “Of course not, Beverline. But that’s not the way we wanted to tell you our plans. It wouldn’t be right for you to learn about our engagement by noticing her wearing it, would it?”

  “It’s at home in my jewelry box,” I explained. “I’ll start wearing it tomorrow. It’s certainly too beautiful to be sitting inside a dark box.”

  At Aaron’s suggestion, I took to joining him and the family for dinner just about every night after we got engaged. “It’ll help the kids get used to the idea of you and me being married,” he explained. “Plus, it’ll also help Beverline get accustomed to sitting someplace other than the opposite head of the table. I’d like you to get involved more in the household, Emily. It should be your job to approve Shirley’s menus, for instance.”

  “Do you do that now?”

  “No, Beverline does it.”

  I hid my wicked smile. “I’d love to take it over.”

  I also started spending the night in Aaron’s luxurious master suite, instead of in the guesthouse, on Friday and Saturday nights without the discretion we used to employ. No more tiptoeing down the stairs and across the driveway. I respected Aaron’s wishes to shield the kids from our sex life, but I always hated the sneakiness involved in my slipping in and out of The Big House. Now that we were officially engaged, he saw no reason for us to hide. He pointed out that we’d be going to Sag Harbor soon, and we’d be sharing a bedroom there as well. So now I woke up when I woke up, not at the crack of dawn with assistance from an alarm clock, and instead of returning to the guesthouse I usually went downstairs to have breakfast. Like I belonged here.

  Which I did.

  “I do wish you wouldn’t be so brazen about sleeping with my son-in-law,” Beverline said to me one morning. Neither Aaron nor the kids were up yet. “This puts me in a very embarrassing position. What am I supposed to tell his children?”

  My bagel popped up out of the toaster, and I calmly began spreading cream cheese on it. “I would hope that Kirsten and Arden, at thirteen and sixteen, are old enough not to have to ask, or else you’ve got a much bigger problem on your hands. As for Billy, if he asks you why I’m sleeping in his daddy’s room on the weekends, I suggest you refer him to Aaron.” I added sweetly, “After all, it was Aaron’s idea that I stay with him. There’s no reason for you to feel like you’re in a tight spot.”

  She let out her breath loudly and left the room with her coffee in a huff.

  I giggled as I added lox to my bagel.

  “Good morning, Teddy,” I said cheerfully as I took my place behind him on line at the lobby coffee shop.

  “Hey! I haven’t seen you in a while.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “Have you been avoiding me again?”

  “I was never avoiding you before,” I lied. “It’s just that we’ve both been busy. How’s the new place coming along?”

  “I’m enjoying it,” he said with enthusiasm. “Of course, it’s not like that palace Aaron has, but it’s all mine.” In response to the face I made, he said, “What?”

  “Nothing.” I hated it when Teddy compared himself to Aaron. Teddy had done pretty well for himself. “I’m glad you’re liking your place.”

  “It makes a difference when those four walls belong to you permanently, not just for the next thirty days. So why haven’t I seen you?”

  “We’ve probably been getting in at different times in the morning.” The truth was that since our last lunch I’d deliberately been parking in the back, and the times I did see him pull in I hung back for five minutes, giving him a chance to get his breakfast at the snack shop in the lobby, so I wouldn’t run into him. The man simply radiated sex appeal, a fact that despite my best intentions I simply couldn’t ignore. I’d made a commitment to Aaron, and I was going to keep it. Of course, the very fact that I felt I couldn’t trust myself in Teddy’s company didn’t say too much for me, but I chose not to probe further into that little detail. My future was with Aaron. I loved Aaron.

  I was saved from further interrogation by an impeccably dressed man wielding a briefcase who dashed into the elevator just as the doors were closing. He had the look of a salesman who was late for an appointment.

  “What floor are you going to?” I asked politely while he straightened his tie and ran his fingers through his windblown thinning hair. Normally I didn’t volunteer to be the elevator operator, but I felt kind of sorry for the guy. We’ve all been there. Important appointment, everything goes wrong, and you show up late. Even five minutes can make or break you when you’re trying to sell products or services to busy doctors.

  “Six, please.”

  I reached out and pressed the button and was startled when Teddy suddenly grabbed my hand. Too late, I realized he’d seen my diamond. This wasn’t the way I wanted him to learn of my engagement.

  “What’s this?”

  “What does it look like?” I countered.

  He frowned, then set a determined stare on me. “Lunch. You and me. Today. Twelve-thirty. I’ll call for you,” he said as the elevator doors opened on my floor.

  I yanked my hand away and stepped out. He had a hell of a lot of nerve, practically ordering me to have lunch with him. Who did he think he was?

  Even as I tried to be indignant, I knew Teddy did deserve an explanation. Sure, it was true I’d never made him any promises, but I had slept with him, and he did demonstrate that he had feelings for me, albeit unrequited.

  I didn’t relish spending an hour listening to him try to talk me out of my engagement.

  We’d barely sat down when Teddy started in on me. “I just want to know one thing. Why are you marrying Aaron?”

  “Because I love him,” I replied, my voice strong and sure. “And I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

  Teddy seemed taken aback by my unwavering confidence. “So where does that leave me?”

  “Where it’s always left you, Teddy. An eligible bachelor, and a catch for just about any woman. But not for me.”

  “All right, so tell me this. If you’re so much in love with him, why did you end up in bed with me?”

  I wanted to remind him that he’d asked me that question before, but I decided to share more details with Teddy instead of singing the same old song. “Like I told you before, we were having a little…friction. Aaron has a home life that isn’t particularly conducive to his dating anyone. He has three children, including two teenage daughters who were very close to their mother and were devastated when she died, plus he has his wife’s mother living with them as well. As you can imagine, none of them is happy with having me in the picture.”

  “He’s a widower?”

  “Yes, for a few years now.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “It’s not the type of thing you mention to people during a casual conversation,” I pointed out. “Teddy, the last time we had lunch you said you just wanted me to be happy. If you really meant it, I need for you to stop trying to create something between us that never really existed.” I saw pain fla
sh in his eyes, and I suddenly realized how difficult this was for him.

  I felt like crap.

  Chapter 27

  I slowly began to feel comfortable with the idea of being Mrs. Merritt and living in The Big House…and being a mom to Billy. I was determined to forge a good relationship with Aaron’s youngest child, the one who made no secret that he wanted a mother. It was May, and we were on the fringes of summer. When it was warm enough we used the pool. When Kirsten and Arden chided him for splashing them, I came to the rescue, and we swam laps in a race, sometimes beating the girls. He and I frequently bowled together in the basement, and we went bicycling as well. I understood Billy. I remembered what it was like when I was young, being in an entirely different age group from my siblings. Kirsten and Arden saw him as a nuisance, and that sometimes hurt his feelings. I knew all about that, too.

  Aaron loved his children, but the wealthy lifestyle he provided took up quite a bit of his time. I tried to fill in.

  Kirsten earned her driver’s license, and Aaron gifted her with a used Volkswagen Bug.

  There was something else I wanted to do, but I kept putting it off, not wanting to appear too forward. But one night I found my nerve.

  “Aaron, I was wondering if it would be all right if I invited a few of my girlfriends over for lunch on Saturday.”

  “I think that’s a great idea. This is going to be your home, Emily, and I want you to be comfortable here. Sure, go ahead and do a little entertaining. Ask Shirley if she can come in that day so she can prepare the food.”

  “Really? Do you think she’d do it?”

  “Well, you might have to change your date if she’s got plans, but sure, she’ll do it. All you have to do is tell her what you’d like to serve and she’ll take care of it. If you want something that’s out of her range of expertise, just call a caterer.”

  It floored me to think that all I had to do was hand the housekeeper a list of menu items, and if it contained something she couldn’t make, I could call for more outside help. I felt like I’d stumbled into a whole other world—a world where the streets were paved with dollar bills.