“And brownies!” the twins said in unison.
Steve’s stomach rumbled at the mention of the food. “Sounds like you had a good time. Are you okay with going there each day after school?”
Four heads nodded without hesitation. Seeing all his boys on board with this newest change in their lives lifted a weight from Steve’s shoulders. Though he would have had to keep sending them to her place even if they hadn’t liked it, it made it that much easier that they’d had a good time.
Chapter Five
By Friday night, Steve was in awe of the angel who had shown up on his doorstep and rescued him and his boys. Yes, that’s how he viewed her now. An angel. That’s the only possible name for someone who had not just taken the boys into her home, but she’d helped them with their homework and fed them. Who did that with children she hadn’t even known a week? An angel, that’s who.
A note had come home in Kenton’s backpack that day stating that the teacher had seen a marked improvement in his grasp of a few of the subjects he’d been struggling with. The teacher had just wanted to encourage Kenton to keep up the good work. Tristan’s teacher had also included a note with the papers she sent home each week of what they’d done, also commenting on how much better he was focusing.
All in all, Emily McFadden had stepped in to help them out in more ways than one. Though Steve hadn’t spoken to her since that night she’d come to his doorstep, he planned to make good on his part of the deal and show up at her house tomorrow to help her out with a few repairs. And even though he’d sent money earlier in the week to help with the cost of food, he planned to give her more for the next week.
His kids had definitely eaten better than he had each night. Something told him that was one hundred percent his fault. If he hadn’t made the ridiculous comment about not needing a wife, she would likely have sent food home for him as well. Served him right.
It was just after nine the following morning when Steve gathered the tools he thought he would need and put them in his toolbox. The boys were disappointed they couldn’t go with him to the McFadden home, but there had already been a plan in place for them to spend the day with their grandparents who’d come into town for that express purpose.
Deciding to walk instead of drive since it was a short distance, Steve was half a block away when he spotted two figures staring at the front of a house. He recognized the one as Emily and figured the other must be one of her kids. They obviously hadn’t heard his approach because they didn’t turn around when he walked up behind them.
“Mom, the book I got from the library said we should use a drill,” the boy said. He leaned forward and pressed on a fresh piece of wood that looked very out of place between the older more weathered steps. “This wiggles.”
“Well, all we have is a hammer and nails,” Emily stated with clear resignation. “How about we add more nails. That might help it wiggle less.”
“Maybe you’d better hammer this time.” The boy shuffled his feet. “I didn’t mean to hit your hand.”
Emily’s arm went around the boy’s shoulders, and she pressed her cheek to the top of his head. “I know you didn’t, Ben. And I’m fine. Really. Actually, you can go back inside if you want. You’ve been a big help, but I can finish this myself.”
Ben shook his head, pulling his shoulders back. “No. Dad always said I was supposed to be the man when he wasn’t here. This is stuff men do, right?”
“Ah, sweetie, you don’t have to worry about being the man. You just be the best ten-year-old boy you can be and that will be perfect.”
Emotion tugged at Steve. He cleared his throat and said, “How about I give you a hand with that?”
Both of them swung around to stare at him. While Bennett had dark hair, his blue eyes were as bright and clear as his mother’s. Although hers looked a little bit like a storm was brewing.
Emily flicked her ponytail of blonde curls over her shoulder, crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to carry out my part of the deal.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed, and Steve realized that while she was a tiny little thing, what she lacked in size, she definitely made up for in determination. And maybe a good dollop of stubbornness.
“You mean the deal you turned down?” Emily asked as she arched a brow at him. “Very rudely, I might add.”
Steve knew he had to give her that. “You’re right and I’m sorry for what I said. Though technically, I didn’t turn down the deal. You rescinded it.”
Emily waved a hand at him. “And yet…here you are.”
“Are you Kenton’s dad?” The boy’s question had both Steve and Emily turning toward him.
“Yes, I am.” Steve held out his hand. “I’m Steve.”
The boy’s hand was small, but he gave him a firm shake. “Bennett.”
“Nice to meet you, Bennett. Kenton has talked a lot about you.”
The boy’s face lit up and confirmed for Steve that even though Kenton hadn’t come right out and said that he had a new best friend, it appeared that he did. It just reinforced the peace Steve felt at the decisions he’d made recently.
“Ben, why don’t you go inside and watch cartoons with the others? I’ll be in in a bit.”
Bennett looked between them before turning to his mother, his expression serious. “Mommy, we need his help.”
Emily reached out and brushed his thick dark hair back from his eyes. “I know, sweetie. Just let me handle it. Okay?”
Bennett stared at her for a moment then nodded. With one last glance over his shoulder toward Steve, the boy climbed the steps, careful to avoid the newly installed one.
Steve bent to set his toolbox on the sidewalk and then straightened and put his hands on his hips. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to since Bennett had pointed out the obvious, and Emily hadn’t denied it.
She tilted her head, lips pursed as she apparently held some sort of conversation with herself. “You already pay me for watching your boys. You don’t need to do this.”
Steve shook his head. “The money is for the food they eat. This is as repayment for your time. And when I’ve done all you need me to, I’ll pay you for that too.”
Emily’s brows drew together. “You don’t have to do that.”
“You didn’t have to help me out with the boys but you did, so let me do this.” Steve suddenly found himself hoping she wouldn’t turn down his offer. Yeah, he did this kind of work five days out of the week, but it seemed important that he do this for her. She needed help with this as much as he’d needed it with his boys.
Her shoulders slumped a bit when she said, “Okay. I’d be a fool to turn down your help, and my dad would disown me for being that kind of fool.”
Steve grinned. “How about you show me around and let me see what needs work?”
She nodded then turned to the steps. “Well, you know about that already, but there’s more inside.”
“How old is the house?” Steve asked as he followed her across the porch to the screen door. He could see that she needed to have the screen replaced if not the whole door.
“Built in the 1920’s, I think. My aunt left it to me three years ago when she passed away. Renters were in it until we moved here after my husband passed away.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Steve said, surprised, because for some reason he’d just assumed she had an ex like he did. Although, if he’d been thinking straight, he’d have realized that since she still wore a band on her left hand, a divorce was less likely.
She glanced over at him and gave a quick nod of acknowledgment as they walked down a short hallway.
The house was very common for its time. The rooms were all sectioned off, not like the more open floorplans builders tended to favor recently.
“This is the living room,” Emily said as she stepped into a large room to the right of the hall. It had a bay window that looked out on the street and was narrow with lots of dark wood. “Hey, guys
. This is Mr. Callaghan. He’s Kenton, Gabe, Mitch and Tristan’s dad.”
Three pairs of bright blue eyes swung his way. A boy about the size of the twins got to his feet and came toward them. Steve wasn’t sure what was going through the little guy’s head, but when he suddenly smiled, he figured he’d just passed some test.
“That’s Ryan,” Emily said as she rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder. So this was the young man who had started the ball rolling by befriending his boys.
“I’m glad to meet you, Ryan,” Steve said, holding out his hand.
Like his brother, Ryan didn’t hesitate to shake his hand. “I like Mitch and Gabe. And Tris, too.”
“I’m glad. They like you too.”
Ryan’s bright smile got even brighter. “Are they here with you?”
Steve shook his head. “Sorry. They’re spending the day with their grandparents.”
Before Ryan could respond to that, Emily pointed to the two girls seated on pillows on the floor in front of the television. “That’s Makayla and Sammi. She’s our baby.”
The look Makayla gave him was assessing and not altogether friendly, but Sammi more than made up for it with a big smile like Ryan’s. She gave a little wave which Steve found himself returning. None of the kids had Emily’s light blonde curls, so he assumed that they took after their father in that regard.
As they continued through the house, Steve pulled out a small notebook and began to make notes of things he saw that needed his attention. There was nothing really major though there were enough small jobs that he could understand why Emily was a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of tackling them all.
When they got to the kitchen, he took in the large old table that had nine chairs around it. One end was pushed flush with the wall and there were four chairs on each side and one on the other end. He had no trouble imagining his kids around the table with Emily’s.
“Thank you for the baked goods, by the way,” Steve said when his mental picture of her cooking in the kitchen reminded him of the things she’d brought him that first night. “They were excellent.”
Emily gave him a quick smile. “You’re welcome.”
“So the other night you said you work at the school?” Steve asked when he found himself unable to keep his curiosity in check.
“Yes. I work in the office Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week. I job share with another woman. Sammi is in the daycare at the school like Tristan for after school care.”
“Every day or just the days you work?”
Emily sighed. “I leave her there every day. It makes it a lot easier for me to be able to use my days off to run errands or set up appointments. And I think she’d rather be there with her friends than here at home with me.”
“That certainly makes sense.” Steve motioned to the table. “Can we sit for a minute and go over what I saw that might need to be repaired and then you can add to it if I missed something?”
“Sure. Have a seat.” Emily moved toward the counter. “Would you like something to drink? A cup of coffee? Juice? Water?”
“If you have some coffee, that would be great.”
“I’ll just put on a pot. It shouldn’t take long.”
Steve watched as she reached up into a cupboard to grab a can of coffee and then replaced the filter in the coffee maker. She moved gracefully in her blue jeans and loose light green sweater. It had been awhile since Steve had allowed himself to notice a woman in that way, but he found that it was nearly impossible not to admire Emily. Her appearance played a role in it, but he was also drawn to her because of how she cared for her own children and had extended that care to his boys.
Emily turned to look at him, her cheeks flushing when she caught him watching her. “Uh, do you take anything?”
“Take anything?”
She lifted a mug up for him to see. “In your coffee?”
“Oh. Nope. Just black. The stronger, the better.”
“Sorry, this won’t be too strong.” She gave him a quick grin over her shoulder. “That’s the kind of information I need before I make the coffee.”
Steve cleared his throat, not real pleased with the way his mouth had gone dry at the teasing look she’d given him. “I’m sure it will be just fine.”
Chapter Six
They fell silent again as the coffee continued to fill the carafe. Emily pulled a plastic container from the fridge and put something on a small plate. She slid it into the microwave for a short burst then set it in front of him.
The smell of cinnamon filled his senses as Steve realized what it was. She set a fork next to the plate then poured two cups of coffee. After setting one in front of him, she got a small container of cream out of the fridge and liberally added it to her mug. That was followed by two heaping teaspoons of sugar.
“Like a little coffee with your sugar?” Steve asked with a smile.
Emily’s brows rose as she reached in front of him to snag the plate with the warm cinnamon bun on it. Steve captured her wrist and held it. “Oh hey now, that’s just mean.”
A strange expression crossed Emily’s face as she stared down at where he held her wrist. Her gaze met his for a moment, totally unreadable, but then she gave her hand a light tug. He released her right away.
“No teasing me about my coffee.”
Steve took his notebook and flipped to a new page, and as he wrote, he said, “No teasing Emily about her coffee flavored sugar.”
That got a laugh out of her as she sat down across from him. “Okay. What’s the bad news? Lots of stuff to fix, eh?”
“Nothing major. It’s mainly small things like that front step.”
Emily paused as she lifted her cup to her lips. “That’s a small thing? Sure didn’t feel that way when Bennett and I were trying to fix it.”
“You just have to have the right tools and the skill,” Steve told her. “This cinnamon roll is proof that your skills definitely lie in a different direction. You did make this, right?”
Emily nodded. “I enjoy cooking and baking. House repairs? Not so much.”
“Well, you’re in luck. I like house repairs but cooking and baking? Not so much.” He took a bite of his cinnamon bun and then a sip of the hit-the-spot coffee. “I wanted to thank you again for taking on my boys. They’ve had nothing but positive things to say about being here. And two of their teachers sent home notes with comments about how much better they’ve done this week. That’s all because of you.”
Color crept into Emily’s cheeks. “Your boys are just wonderful. It’s been no trouble to have them here especially since I’m already doing homework with kids in their same grades.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that. I know that they can be a handful sometimes, but I like to think they’re good kids.”
“They are, Steve.” She paused then asked, “Do you have full custody of them?”
Steve nodded. “Their mother walked out about two years ago.” He glanced toward the opening to the hallway to make sure no little ones were within earshot. “She decided they were more than she wanted to handle. She wanted her parental rights terminated. They’re all mine.”
He wasn’t surprised at the gasp that came from Emily, but when he looked up at her, he hadn’t expected to see a wash of tears in her eyes.
“How could a mother think that about her children?”
Steve wasn’t sure why he felt the need to spill his guts, but he figured it came from wanting Emily to understand what his boys had been through and why her care for them was so important.
“I don’t know, but she went so far as to ignore them if she saw them in the small town where we lived. That was particularly hard on Kenton. The final straw was when we found out she was pregnant a few months ago.”
“What?” The fact that Emily was outraged by that revelation was clear on her face. “Why would she want another child after abandoning her others?”
“No clue,” Steve confessed. “But I knew there was no way I could stay there and have the bo
ys see their mother love another child after she rejected them. That’s why we moved here.”
“I think you made the right decision,” Emily said. “You said they were with their grandparents today?”
Steve nodded. “Yes. Her parents.”
“So you let them take the kids for visits?”
“As long as they come here, I don’t have a problem with it. They are as confused by their daughter’s behavior as we are. Unfortunately, her father is a former mayor of the town, so we were all fairly well known. Having them come here just makes it easier for them to enjoy being together without the stigma of everything that happened.”
“How often do they come?”
“Well, we’ve only been here a few weeks so this is their first visit. Sue said she hoped they could make it in once a month to spend time with them.”
“That’s generous of you.”
Steve shrugged. “They only have one set of grandparents. My folks passed away before the kids had a chance to get to know them. How about your parents?”
“They live in Vancouver. They wanted us to move close to them, but I knew I could never afford to live there. I had this house that would allow me to basically live mortgage free, so in the end, it was a no-brainer to come here. Even though I really don’t love the winters.”
“How about their dad’s parents?”
Emily frowned. “They live in Washington D.C. His father is a politician. Unfortunately, they never really approved of him marrying me. I was young—just out of high school when we met and married. They thought he should have married a woman who would be an asset to his military/political career. They’ve never met Ryan and Sammi, and have seen Bennett and Makayla only once.”
“Mommy?”
Steve glanced over to see Makayla walk into the kitchen. She spared him a scowling glance before looking at her mom.
“Can we please have a snack?”
“Sure. How about some fruit?” Emily got up from the table.
Makayla shook her head. “Popcorn?”
Emily sighed but nodded. “Go get the popcorn maker from the closet.”
Love Blossoms: 7 Spring-Fresh Christian Romances Page 4