One Big Happy Family

by Andrea Edwards

  Suddenly, the noise of a car horn outside broke through and they pulled apart. Feeling like she’d just woken up from a deep sleep, Sam took a deep breath, then looked out the window.

  “It’s Fiona and Alex,” she said, her voice ragged. “They’re back.”

  “Sam!” Her father’s voice came up the back stairs.

  “We’re coming!” she called back.

  She and Kevin came down the stairs and hurried out the front door, her father following. Fiona was already out of their car, but instead of rushing to meet them, she opened the back door; and then stood aside to let two beautiful children—a girl about five and a boy who appeared to be about three—step out. The two kids were tightly clutching each other’s hand. The look in their eyes was one Sam was all too familiar with from her own childhood.

  “Everybody.” Fiona knelt down and put her arms around the children. “This is Jennifer and Michael. They’ve agreed to come live with Alex and me and be our kids.”

  Their kids? Sam almost screeched out the question but didn’t say a single word, didn’t even flick an eyelash. Instead, she moved forward and squatted down before the two little ones. “Hi, guys. Welcome to the family.”

  The children murmured soft greetings but, after a quick glance at Sam, looked over at her father, their new grandfather.

  “So, Dad,” Fiona was saying. “Think you got room for two new grandchildren?”

  “Always. You can never have enough.”

  The children, especially the girl, seemed to relax noticeably.

  Sam’s father smiled at the two kids. “You guys like chocolate-chip cookies?”

  “Yes, sir,” Jennifer replied.

  “How about you, young man?” her father asked the little boy.

  “Yes, sir,” his sister answered for him. “He does, too.”

  “Then let’s get in the house and have some before these—” he indicated the others with a flip of his head “—big kids do. They’ll eat everything if you don’t watch them.”

  Sam watched the three of them walk hand in hand toward the house. The kids seemed happy and relaxed in her father’s presence. He had that kind of effect on children, she thought, remembering back to the first time they’d met.

  A lump rose in her throat. He’d offered Cassie, Fiona and herself chocolate-chip cookies, too.

  Sam knew they would love his cookies. Dan Scott’s cookies were the greatest. He said they were a special recipe for calming a little kid’s worries. Her eyes clouded up. They didn’t work too badly for big kids either. Why in the world should she want to find out about her biological father when she already had the best father in the world? She shook her head and turned toward Fiona and Alex.

  “So,” she said briskly. “What in the world is going on?”

  Fiona and Alex looked at each other. Sam stared in wonderment as they reached out to hug each other.

  “We have a family,” Fiona said.

  “I gathered that.” Sam went over to their car and leaned against it. “Are these your cousin’s kids?” she asked Alex.

  Alex nodded. “There were no other relatives who could take them.”

  “It must be tough for them, losing their parents and moving to a new home,” Kevin said slowly. His arms slipped around Sam’s shoulders. “But I guess you guys know what they’re going through.”

  “Actually they only lost their mother,” Fiona said slowly. “But their father has cancer. He’s been spending more time in the hospital than out of it and knows he doesn’t have much time left. He thought it would be better if they went with us now.”

  “Wow,” Sam murmured. “That must have been tough for him.” She leaned back into Kevin’s arms, needing his security around her.

  “He loves them so much,” Fiona said, her voice cracking with emotion. “He wanted them to start healing and said they’d be much better off with us.”

  Alex nodded. “He’s hoping to see the kids when he’s able.”

  “The kids’ll need it as much he will. And then his parents want to stay in touch, too. So we’ll be taking them back there for visits.”

  They had it all worked out, Sam thought. Everyone was so willing to share the kids, so willing to give them everything they needed.

  “Do the kids know what happened?” Sam asked.

  “We told them,” Alex replied. “Although we’re not sure how much of all this Michael is comprehending. He’s not quite three yet.”

  They fell silent and Sam thought back to her own childhood. She didn’t know what Michael would remember, but she was sure that Jennifer would remember enough to be bothered by the things she couldn’t recall.

  “Well, let’s see how our troop is faring,” Alex said and took Fiona’s hand.

  She laughed. “You just want some of those chocolate-chip cookies,” she teased, but allowed herself to be led up to the house.

  Sam just watched them for a long moment, not moving out of Kevin’s arms. Something was happening inside her that she didn’t understand. She felt she was four years old again and her parents had just died. She felt a rush of that old fear that nothing would last, that even the strongest of foundations was only made of sand.

  “You okay?” Kevin asked.

  She forced herself to pull away from him and smile. “Sure, why not? I just got myself a new niece and nephew! Everything’s great.”

  Chapter Nine

  “They want to take pictures of the bridal party now,” Sam told Kevin. “Why don’t you stay here with my brothers?”

  They were in the bed-and-breakfast’s backyard. Tables were set up across the expanse of lawn while the house was bedecked with garlands of white roses. Cassie and Jack had been married a few minutes ago in a remarkably touching ceremony.

  Kevin had never been quite so moved by someone else’s wedding, and he’d been to a number of them over the past twenty years. Cassie and Jack were obviously in love, and their family was so happy for them, that Kevin couldn’t help but see again just what a precious gift love was.

  After the birdseed had been thrown and well wishes had been given, Sam took him over to the table where her three brothers were sitting. He’d met them and their wives earlier, but the women were all off somewhere and the men were just sitting back and relaxing, nursing their beers.

  “You know everybody here, right?” she asked.

  “Yes, I know everybody.”

  “This is Bobby, he’s the oldest,” Sam said as if he hadn’t spoken. “This here is Adam. And that’s Larry.”

  Did she know him well enough to know that he had gotten the names mixed up in his head? Scary thought. “Is there going to be a test?” he just asked.

  She made a face at him. “I have to go. I just want to make sure you’ll be all right.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Sam.” It was Bobby who spoke.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of him.”

  “Yeah, if anyone tries to kidnap him, we’ll pound on them.”

  “You guys are a barrel of laughs,” Sam grumbled. “I don’t see how your wives can stand you.”

  “On account we’re so purty.”

  The brothers laughed heartily and Kevin had to smile as he sat down. It was a perfect wedding in a lot of ways—the weather, the love, and the relaxed, friendly atmosphere that pulled even a stranger like himself into the family.

  “I’ll be right back.” She patted him on the shoulder, then was charging off to be photographed. His eyes followed her across the yard, unable to deprive his heart of the joy of watching her. She was so full of life. So full of energy and wonder that it splashed onto everyone nearby, like the warm waters of a Hawaiian waterfall.

  “You know, she’s really a nice kid.” This time it was Larry talking. “But there are times when she can drive a person flat out of his gourd.”

  “Hey, hey. Let’s have none of that,” Bobby said.

  “We’ll never get Sam married off with that kind of talk.”

  Kevin just smiled, seeing
what Sam meant about her older siblings wanting to manage her life. “I’m not sure if Sam wants to get married off,” he said.

  “All women want to get married.” The other brothers murmured agreement.

  Kevin said nothing. Certainly many—maybe most—women wanted to get married. But he was sure that they wanted to choose the time and man. Not leave it up to their brothers.

  “Beautiful day,” Kevin said, trying to steer the conversation onto a more innocuous track.

  “I’ll say,” Bobby agreed. “We’re lucky the rain held off.”

  Kevin took a deep breath and savored the late summer day. A few of the leaves had colored but it would be another couple of weeks before they came into their full glory. Still, it was beautiful.

  “This is a nice place for a wedding,” he said. “Nice big lawn. Pleasant view.”

  “Yeah, Fiona got married here, too.”

  “Well, not really here,” Adam corrected. “On the other side of the lake, in Clements Woods.”

  “Oh.” Kevin nodded. “Well, that’s a nice—”

  “Yeah,” Bobby said. “If you can’t bring the swans to the wedding, then you bring the wedding to the swans.”

  “The swans?” Kevin stared dumbly at the brothers as they chuckled knowingly. “I don’t understand.”

  “You mean Sam hasn’t told you the great swan story yet?” Larry asked.

  “Yeah,” Adam added. “They saved their lives.”

  “Who saved whose life?” Kevin asked.

  “The girls saved the swans’ lives. One of them—the female, I think—was stuck in some trash in the lake. The girls cut them free.”

  “Yeah, and now they’re responsible for them.”

  Kevin looked quizzically from one brother to the other.

  “Don’t worry, she’ll tell you.”

  “Unless she doesn’t want to.”

  “Well, that’s how we’ll know if he’s in.”

  “Hey, that’s right.” Bobby turned toward him, smiling. “Once you hear the swan story, you might as well set the date.”

  Kevin wasn’t sure that he cared for the direction the conversation was going in—again. He and Sam did not want that kind of relationship. He leaned back and let his eyes take in the yard. He could see where Sam had planted the day lilies. Come next spring, they would provide a nice swatch of color in all that surrounding green.

  “Sam says you went to Indiana University.”

  Kevin brought himself back to the table and turned toward the trio of brothers. “Yes, I did.”

  “What part of Indiana are you from?” Larry asked.

  “Actually, I’m from Illinois,” Kevin replied. “The Chicago area. But my late wife wanted to go to IU, so that’s where I went. Besides, they gave me a track scholarship.”

  “You’ve been married before?”

  Kevin nodded. “Yes, my wife died a couple of years ago.”

  The three of them murmured condolences.

  “What was it—an accident?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Cancer.”

  “That’s tough.”

  “For a young woman to go like that.”

  “It’s tough at any age,” Kevin said.

  A silence fell on them. Normal, when a conversation turned to such topics, so Kevin just let it ride out. The laughter coming from the wedding party as they posed for pictures made them turn in that direction. Cassie’s husband had twin daughters who had also been in the wedding party and the girls seemed prone to fits of giggling. Fiona’s new additions—Jennifer and Michael—were off to one side, but giggling along with the twins. Obviously, they were all sharing some secret joke.

  The photo group appeared to be dissolving and Sam was now hurrying over in Kevin’s direction. He smiled. She had the ability to light up the darkest night. How was it that she bothered with him?

  “I’m a Purdue grad, myself.” It was Adam who spoke. “But my boss graduated from IU.”

  Kevin nodded, his attention still on Sam. Her dress was a deep red, like the leaves on that old oak in his backyard would be in another few weeks. But there was nothing of autumn about her. Her glow was all springtime and life.

  “What year did you graduate?”

  Sam was drawing closer and Kevin could feel his smile growing—as well as a certain tension that made his senses seem sharper and his hungers deeper. He only barely heard Larry’s question.

  “I was in the class of ’78,” Kevin replied.

  “Nineteen seventy-eight!”

  Kevin turned from watching Sam and looked at her brothers as she stepped into their midst.

  “Hi, all.”

  “Hi!” Kevin replied.

  “You guys been behaving?” she asked.

  “Oh, sure.”

  But the brothers said nothing. Slowly, it dawned on Kevin. They were doing the subtracting and didn’t like the answer. Having their “baby” sister going out with an “older” man obviously was not to their liking.

  “Boy,” Sam said, “am I hungry.”

  “Hungry enough to eat a horse?” Kevin asked.

  “Not really,” she replied. “But I’m ready for some chicken.”

  Kevin looked around and noticed that her brothers still seemed rather tight around the edges. Well, that was too bad. Sam was a big girl and she could make decisions on her own. And if they wanted to start anything, that was just fine and dandy with him.

  “Doesn’t Cassie look pretty?” Sam asked. “She’s just glowing.”

  Not nearly as brightly as Sam, Kevin thought. She outshone every woman at the wedding.

  “We need a meeting,” Bobby said to his brothers as the last of the wedding guests pulled out of the driveway.

  Cassie and Jack had left hours ago and Kevin had just departed, so it was only family remaining. Jack’s twins were playing with Jennifer and Michael while Aunt Hattie was sitting down near the lake, keeping an eye on them. Fiona and Alex were putting the wedding gifts in the house while the brothers’ wives were helping Dad package up the remains the caterer had left. The brothers themselves were stacking the folding chairs in the rack the rental service had provided.

  Sam had kicked off her shoes and was taking the garlands off the porch rail near where the boys were working. She was tired. It had been a long couple of weeks, and the last thing she wanted was a serious discussion on anything. And judging from her oldest brother’s voice, he was definitely thinking serious. Big time.

  Sam stretched her legs out and wiggled her feet. “What do we need a family meeting for?” she asked. “Fiona’s taking care of Cassie’s dog. And if something comes up, we’ll go over and get Ollie.”

  “This has nothing to do with Cassie’s dog.”

  Lord, Bobby could be so annoying at times. She didn’t care what was bothering him. She was relaxing this evening, even if she had to bash a few heads and kick some butts to do it.

  “Well, we don’t have to do anything with her store,” Sam said. “Burt’s in charge while Cassie is gone.”

  “Damn it, Sam,” Larry protested. “This has nothing to do with Cassie. She’s married.”

  She looked from one solemn face to another and her tiredness faded away as anger flared. “Back off, you big lugs. My life is my own. So stay out of it.”

  Their faces tightened up, like the three of them were controlled by the same string.

  “I mean it,” she said. “I can manage my own life.”

  “Do you know how old that banker fella is?” Bobby demanded.

  That banker fella? Didn’t they know Kevin had a name?

  “What’s Kevin’s age got to do with anything?” she asked. “He’s a very competent banker.”

  “He’s a lot older than you are,” Adam replied.

  “Hasn’t hurt his banking any.” And she doubted it hurt anything he did, but she thought it wiser not to get into that right now.

  Although she was tempted. Sam could feel her ears grow hot as her anger grew. Too bad Cassie had left so
soon. She’d always been better when it came to beating up on their brothers.

  “He’s fourteen years older than you,” Larry said.

  “Thirteen,” Sam snapped.

  She had no sooner spat the word out than her whole face felt on fire. She felt like some stupid little kid, arguing about something that was none of anybody’s business but her own.

  “Fiona and I have to go over and pick Ollie up,” she said, standing. “He’s probably chewing the house up by now.”

  “Sam, please listen.”

  Bobby had swapped his mad look for a sincere one, but Sam was still irritated. These guys had always been butting into her life. She didn’t need it. She didn’t want it. And she wasn’t going to have it.

  “The meeting’s over, Bobby.”

  She was about to slip her shoes back on but decided the hell with them. Her feet hurt enough already. The people cleaning up the yard could just take them and throw them out.

  “Sam.”

  “It’s really none of your business who I go out with!” She caught herself, suddenly aware that she’d been shouting. A few more words and their father would be coming over. There was no need for that. This had been a happy day for him as well as Cassie, and Sam wasn’t going to spoil it.

  “I can take care of myself,” she said quietly.

  “Sam!”

  She wanted to get away but Bobby’s voice was so loud that she was sure Dad would think something was wrong. So she paused, but she didn’t turn to look at her brothers.

  “He’ll be fifty years old when you’re just thirty-six.”

  Sam spun on her heel. “Kevin’s wife didn’t make it to thirty-six.”

  They stared at her.

  “No one knows what’s going to happen in the future,” she said. “So it’s rather stupid to pretend that it’s all cast in stone.”

  “Look, Sam,” Larry said. “I know we’re not talking absolutes, here. But the probability of—”

  “Mom was nine years younger than Dad,” Sam said softly. “And now he’s all alone.”

  She waited for a reply. She dared them to say anything. But nobody did. Sam turned and stomped away from them.