A Winter's Date

by Sasha Brümmer

  He chuckles, much like Noah’s chuckle, and steps forward, grasping my hand with both of his. “Yes, she’s quite the looker.”

  I can’t help but smile and look at Noah. He seems relaxed at the moment, his storm well at bay for the time being, as he winks at me.

  “I wanted to share some of my life with you, and the easiest way I could do that was to bring Heather with me and have you meet her too.”

  Ellery’s smile lights up when she watches Noah speak of me with such respect and love. I think I’m swooning over my Greek god.

  “Noah, Heather, will you please join us inside? I’d love to show you around after breakfast. Will you be staying here tonight? But please, don’t feel obligated. I have one of the guest rooms made up for the both of you. Oh . . . listen to me ramble. I apologize . . . I just simply don’t know where to start.”

  Noah’s watching his mother eagerly talk. His storm vanishes in this moment, and his grin sets my heart on fire.

  “That hug was the seamless place to start, Ellery.”

  She covers her mouth in an attempt to stop her tears, but it only lasts for half of a second, “Come inside, please.”

  We follow behind them and walk just inside. Their home is warm and inviting and smells of apples and cinnamon. I feel his hand at my lower back and it eases my nervousness just a tad.

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t know what you’d like for breakfast so I made a few things,” Ellery says nervously as we follow them into the kitchen.

  I have to stifle a giggle because this sweet woman has gone overboard. Their breakfast nook is completely covered with food.

  I hear Henry laugh and kiss her temple. “Honey, you’ve made enough for a small army.”

  She pulls out chairs for us to sit and hurriedly makes her way to the refrigerator, pulling out a carafe of orange juice. “You didn’t need to go to all of this trouble, Mrs. Somer,” I say politely and sit down in the chair adjacent to Noah. He places his hand on my thigh, and I know that he needs the connection. He’s still nervous as hell, and I don’t blame him.

  Even though his mother and father are radiating happiness and love, it’s still a tense situation. Henry’s voice startles me and brings me back from my thoughts.

  “So, Noah, how is the studying coming along? Your email said you were preparing for the bar exam.”

  He lifts up his cup of black coffee and takes a drink before answering. “It’s going well. I’m excited that I get to take it this time around, but studying for it is all consuming. It’s a lot to digest in a small amount of time.”

  Henry nods with a smile. “It’s a hell of an exam, the way I hear it.” He laughs and stops abruptly when Ellery smacks him on the shoulder as she joins us at the table.

  “Henry, watch your language,” she scolds, and then looks over at me. “I apologize, honey; I’ve been trying to get him under control for years.”

  My eyes quickly find Noah’s, and he’s looking right at me. I’m pretty sure we’re thinking the same thing at the moment: Noah is just like his father.

  My smile broadens and Henry interrupts, “What can I say? I’m hardheaded.” They both laugh at their own little banter and we all seem to relax a little.

  Noah nods, grinning when he says, “I think we have that in common. It’s a long and tedious test, but it will be worth it. I’d like to practice family law, and I’m hoping that I’ll get to stay in the city, especially after asking Heather to move in with me. That and I’ve got my eye on a few firms right now.”

  Oh yes, his storm is nowhere to be seen.

  “That’s wonderful,” Ellery replies and hands Noah a beautiful ceramic serving bowl full of scrambled eggs. “Have as much as you’d like, honey, there’s plenty here.” She starts filling her plate and is about to hand Noah a basket filled with pastries when she stops. “Oh, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t even ask. Do you like eggs, dear?” Her look is full of worry, and I want to just go over there and hug her. She’s just like I remembered, so kind and caring, bless her.

  Noah gets up and walks around the breakfast nook to her. She puts the platter of pastries down when he reaches her, and he pulls her into his arms, hugging her again. “You could serve me snails, and I’d eat it because you made it, and I love all breakfast food.”

  I think my ovaries have just exploded. Watching Noah interact with his birth mother is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It makes me miss my mom even more, but I’m so happy at the same time. Ellery bursts into tears again, and I hear Henry chuckle.

  “She’s been a torrent of tears these past few days; I don’t know how she has any left, to be honest.”

  That makes me grin, and I sip at my orange juice while Noah and his mom have a moment together.

  They let go of each other, and she smiles lovingly up at him. “Okay, let’s eat.”

  “Thank you for going through all of this trouble.” He sits down beside me again and reaches for the bacon on my plate. The bastard. There is plenty of bacon in the dish, but for some reason, he wants it off of my plate.

  I suppose that little bit of playfulness from him is good. It tells me that we aren’t leaving anytime soon because he seems to be comfortable. A few moments pass, and I think I’ve put one of everything on my plate. I know I won’t eat all of this, but she went to so much trouble preparing it all. Ellery is all smiles at the end of the table, and I can see that Noah has become even more comfortable. I listen as Ellery tells us about her nursery business. That would explain her impeccable lawn. Noah is completely focused on the two of them as they discuss how they fought over what to name it.

  Henry wanted it to be something witty, while she just wanted it to be their last name.

  Henry chuckles and explains, “I caved and it’s now called Somer’s Nursery, and I’m rather fond of it. Apart from owning a nursery, I am a physician, a podiatrist to be precise.”

  Noah looks knowingly at me, squeezing my thigh underneath the table before Henry continues, “I own a private practice that accepts only referrals. Heather, I noticed your boot. I’ll need to take a look at that before you leave for the city. But enough about us old folks: we’d like to know some more about the two of you. So tell us, what do you do, Heather?”

  My smile that was there seconds ago has now vanished.

  Oh no. I’m not ready.

  “Oh, thank you. I have an appointment to see a physical therapist on Monday, but I haven’t seen a podiatrist here in the States yet,” I reply and pick at my lemon Danish.

  Ellery looks at me and asks, “Yes, Heather, what do you do?” I take in a quick breath, and my eyes find Noah’s. I’m searching for any answer he can give me silently.

  Noah nods almost imperceptibly, telling me that he’s okay with my telling them who I am.

  Am I okay with it?

  Oh God, I don’t know how this will go. I clear my throat and try to speak, but my throat is suddenly dry. I reach for my orange juice that Noah just nudged toward me and lift it to my lips. Ellery seems to do the same thing and sips on her juice while she waits for me to answer her. “I’m . . . um . . . I’m a professional ballerina.” I speak a little softer than I intended and set my glass down. My eyes search Noah’s, and he’s watching his parents carefully.

  I look over at Ellery, and she smiles. “Oh, that’s lovely, darling. I love the ballet. We knew a little . . .” She’s about to set her glass back down when she stops talking.

  Yep, here we go.

  I look at her directly, and she’s staring at me with her mouth agape. Her hand is in midair, holding the juice when Henry speaks for the first time.

  “Heather?”

  I look over at him, and he’s looking at me with a dazed stare. My heart rate has picked up tremendously, and I’m finding it hard to breathe. Suddenly there’s a loud crash, and orange juice spills and splatters everywhere. I look over quickly at Ellery, and she’s dropped her glass and is still staring at me. The moment is chaotic, and Noah pushes back from the table to grab the paper towels fr
om the marble countertop.

  Only when Noah starts cleaning up the spilled juice does Ellery blink and stand up quickly to help him. Henry places his hand on Ellery’s to stop her. “Why don’t we move this into the sunroom and we can clean this up later?”

  I stand and watch Noah as he moves his mom’s hands out of the broken glass. “I’ve got this, Ellery. Don’t cut yourself,” he says with a great reverence for his mother. I stand there nervously, waiting.

  She nods and goes to wash her hands off, then turns quickly to look at me. “Heather . . . oh darling, you’re so grown up.” She dries her hands quickly and hurries back over to me, pulling me into her heartfelt embrace. “I don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner.”

  My lips thin into a line and I reply. “Oh please, no, that was a long time ago, Mrs. Somer.” I quickly rub and pat her back.

  Henry stands up and walks over to pull me into his arms next. “Heather, for those three months you showed us what it would have been like to have our son, and now you’ve brought him to us. What an incredible day this has turned out to be.”

  I can’t hide the tears that well up and spill over, but I try regardless. I don’t even know what to say to them. None of this was my doing. Ellery is behind me, and I can hear her blow into a tissue.

  “Oh my goodness, what a morning!” she exclaims happily.

  A small laugh escapes me, and I pull back from Henry’s embrace. Ellery’s voice is almost ecstatic when she speaks. “Come, come let’s sit outside. Noah, honey, put that down, you’re a guest. I won’t have you cleaning up my mess.”

  He sets everything down and walks up to me, pulling my body into his arms. I sigh and nuzzle his chest. Ellery sighs happily and leads the way out onto their lanai.

  “Who would have thought that this could be remotely possible?” I hear Henry ask, as he follows his wife and sits down in a cushioned chair. Noah laces his fingers with mine as we take the loveseat across from them.

  “Heather, honey, Noah, would you like some more juice? Or a mimosa? I know I could use one right now,” Ellery asks.

  Noah looks at me first as if asking me the same question. I nod because I could really use one too. “I’m fine with my coffee right now, but I think Heather would be more than happy to have one with you. Thank you.”

  She scurries back inside, and Henry watches her retreat. He turns to us and beams. “I haven’t seen my wife this happy in thirty years.” He turns to look out at his yard and rubs his jaw thoughtfully. I smile because Noah has the same mannerisms as his father, and we can finally see it—together.

  NOAH

  I’ve just spent an entire day with my mother and father. My earlier reservations about this encounter have been gone since breakfast. This has been one of the most amazing and memorable days in my life, and I will never forget it, no matter what the future brings for me. Heather hasn’t left my side, just as she said she wouldn’t, and I intend on showing her just how much I appreciate that.

  I’m currently sitting in the back of my father’s S Class Mercedes, listening to him tell Heather a story about my grandmother. I feel a smile play at my lips when I think back to his first mention of her at dinner.

  “Your grandmother wanted to be here to meet you, Noah, but she’s off on a month-long cruise to Europe right now with her . . . uh . . . boyfriend. She’s quite the pistol, my mother. I’m sure you and her will get along just fine.”

  I feel the car come to a stop, and I’m pulled from my thoughts. We’ve parked out back of their home and everyone is getting out. Heather has bloomed this evening and opened up to them about her past. They’ve been more than polite about their questions, which I’m grateful for. I know it was a hard time for her, and it seems they’ve gracefully come to terms with her moving away. I get out, shut the door, and follow behind Heather and Ellery as we walk back into their home.

  I’m taking everything in: this morning, day, and now evening. I think back on how worried I was and almost laugh at myself. They couldn’t be more perfect, my parents.

  “Noah?” I hear Henry say my name as the ladies walk into the sitting room. I turn my head in his direction.

  “Yes, sir?”

  He chuckles and sets his car keys in a bowl that looks as if it’s made from driftwood. “Please call me Henry.”

  I nod in agreement.

  “Have a drink with me out by the fire? It’s been requested that I turn it on. Your . . . Ellery wants to make Heather her famous hot chocolate.”

  I laugh and watch him grab two beers from the refrigerator and hand me one. “Yeah, I’d like that,” I say and follow him back outside through a different set of doors.

  Shit, what am I going to talk to him about?

  I step outside and close the doors behind me. When I turn back around I’m standing in the middle of a Tuscan oasis. Damn. Their backyard is a landscaper’s masterpiece, something you’d see in a professional magazine. I watch as Henry walks over to a fire pit with multicolored glass rocks in the bottom and flips a switch.

  “Fire’s ready.” He laughs and holds his beer up, then takes a drink before sitting down in a single chair next to it.

  I smile and follow suit.

  “Ellery hates firewood. She says it’s nice to look at but hates the smell of smoke it leaves on your clothes, hence the gas fire.” He nods at it and takes a drink. I know he’s trying to make small talk to make me feel comfortable.

  “It’s pretty nice out here,” I reply and take a drink. “Did she design it?”

  He laughs and leans back, crossing his ankle over his knee. “She did. It took her almost two damn years to get it how she wanted it,” he says, nodding to my right. “That koi pond has been moved twice.” He laughs. “If you can’t tell yet, she can go overboard with details.” He then looks over his shoulder at the double doors as if he might have been caught. “Don’t tell her I said that.” We both laugh and it feels good . . . normal.

  “How long have you been living in Southampton?”

  I watch as he inhales on a deep breath and puffs his cheeks out when he exhales. “Ah, well . . .” He nods his head back toward the double doors that lead into the house. “When Heather left, Ellery decided she needed to leave the city. So I promised her we’d move and try to start fresh. There were too many difficult memories in that home.”

  I nod, imagining them with my ballerina. “So you’ve been fostering kids here?”

  He shakes his head and takes a drink from his beer. I won’t lie—I’m a little shocked. “No, Heather was the only one we fostered. We found it was too painful when she left and knew it wasn’t for us.”

  “Damn, I had no idea. She thinks there were others after her. She said she was with you for three months before Dani, her sister, was legally allowed to be her guardian. Did you get to meet her?”

  “Yes, we did. Dani and Heather were remarkably close from what I can remember.”

  “They still are. I’m sorry you had to go through losing both of us. I know it must not have been easy on either occasion.”

  “No, it wasn’t easy, but today has made up for everything, I believe.”

  I raise my beer to him and nod. “Yeah, today has been really good. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this calm. Believe it or not, I just asked Heather to move in with me.” I shake my head slightly as I recall asking her. “I didn’t think she was going to agree to it, but she did.”

  “Ah, there is nothing in this world like coming home to the woman you love, son. You better take care of her. She’s a good girl—I can tell she still is, even though years have passed since we last saw her. Now tell your old man: are you two just moving in together, or is there a possibility for more?”

  I chuckle because I’m stunned. Fuck, I want so much more with my ballerina, but I don’t think she’s there yet. I know she told me she was when I went skydiving with Coen, but that could have easily been the adrenaline coursing through her stubborn veins.

  “I’d like more. I’d like a lot
more, but I acted like an ass a while back, in London. I won’t get into the details, but I don’t think she’d be interested in a ring from me.”

  “Now, now, you listen to me . . . I’ve been with you two for a day, and it’s plain to see that you can’t be apart from each other. In fact I bet—with my back to the doors—that she’s looking at you right now. That is a woman who is solely in love with the man who has her heart. Heather didn’t have to come out here today, and I don’t think she did it for me and Ellery, or herself for that matter. She’s had years to reconnect with us. Son, she did this for you.”

  I look up and my ballerina is looking back and forth from Ellery to myself. “I love her. I’ve never questioned her being the one, but I’ve made her question it more than once.”

  I chance a look at him, and he’s smiling simply because he was right. Fuck, this conversation seems to be headed in a direction I’m not quite comfortable talking about with him. I suddenly feel like he’s Heather’s father, and I should be asking him if it’s okay.

  I clear my throat, searching for a change of subject, when he moves his ankle from his knee and groans as he stands up. He bends down and pats the side of my knee as I sit there looking up at him. He chuckles, a shit-eating grin on his face. “I’ve been in trouble with that little woman in there more times than I can count. But one thing is for certain: she knows how much I love her. And I know that Heather knows how much you love her. Call it a father’s intuition.”

  He winks at me when he hears the double doors open, and Ellery’s soft voice calls out, “Honey? Can we come join you?”

  “Come on out; we don’t bite.”

  My eyes fly to Heather’s, and I see her sly grin as she walks toward us. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, ballerina. I do bite.

  Heather joins me on the loveseat, and I reach out to take her hand. “How’s the hot chocolate?”

  Henry and Ellery are both watching us interact with each other. Ellery is beaming, and Henry has a grin plastered on his face.

  “Just like I remembered,” she says, smiling, and we lace our fingers together. I feel her thumb rub against my hand, and I know it’s her way of calming me. She’s gauging my mood, and I couldn’t love her more for it. This woman knows me better than anyone ever has and I know now, in this moment, everything is going to be impeccable. I have her, I have my parents . . . everything is seamless.