Annie nodded and showed her daughter the books. “Which one would you like me to read?”
While Kara studied the books, Annie glanced over at Ian, who was nodding his approval as he leaned against the bookshelves. She didn’t allow herself to look at Elena Lamb, who’d inspected Annie’s apartment the day before. Although there was nothing about Annie’s apartment that didn’t pass inspection, the caseworker appeared to dislike almost everything Annie had done, or had it been her imagination? Elena was probably glaring at her right now.
Melody and Tami pulled up chairs from the adult section and sat down. Kenneth continued to stand and hold Spencer, who had looked up to see what his sister was doing.
Success? At least he wasn’t crying anymore.
Kara handed Annie a book. “I want this one.”
Annie took the book about a pigeon and a bus and began to read. Kara laughed as Annie put as much animation into her voice as she could muster. The sound of her daughter’s laughter warmed Annie’s heart. Now if only Spencer would join in the fun. As Annie finished the book, she glanced over at her son. Although he wasn’t clinging to Kenneth as he had been before, the little boy still showed no interest in coming to her. Would another book help?
Annie looked at Kara. “Would you like to choose some books from the shelves?”
Kara jumped up. “Where do I look?”
Annie took Kara’s hand and showed her the children’s books. “Here.”
While Kara took book after book off the shelf and examined them, Annie stood nearby. She looked over at Spencer. “Spencer, would you like to help Kara pick out some books?”
The little boy shook his head, but he didn’t seem quite as attached to Kenneth. Annie wished she knew what to do. While she considered her options, Ian plucked a book from the shelf. Holding the book open, he moved closer to Spencer. The toddler looked at the book with interest as Ian turned the pages.
Kara scampered toward Ian. “I want to see the book, too.”
“Okay.” Ian hunkered down next to Kara. “My mom used to read this to me when I was your age.”
As soon as Ian showed Kara the book, Spencer squirmed to get down. “The book is mine.”
Ian stood. “Spencer, would you like to sit on the sofa with me while I read it?”
Spencer nodded, and Kenneth set the child on the floor. The children joined Ian as Annie gave up her spot, choosing to sit on the arm. Ian had saved the day. She could have leaned over and kissed him for more than one reason. He’d broken the ice with Spencer.
When Ian finished reading, he looked over at Annie. “Would you like to read another book?”
Annie wasn’t sure. Would Spencer retreat if she took Ian’s place? “Let’s ask Kara and Spencer.”
“What do you think, kids? Should your mom read another book?”
As Kara nodded, Spencer jumped up from the sofa and ran across the room. Annie’s heart sank, but her fears were unfounded. Instead of heading toward Kenneth, the little boy grabbed a book from the table and brought it to Annie. “This one.”
Kara reached across Ian and pulled Annie onto the love seat. Ian scooped Spencer into his lap. The four of them sat squished together. The cozy arrangement had Annie’s heart racing. She took a calming breath before she started reading. Everything was going to be okay, at least, for now. She had the children’s rapt attention as she read with pronounced expression—the way her grandma used to read.
When Annie finished, Spencer looked over at her. “Another one.”
The room filled with laughter as Tami handed Annie another book. “They love to listen to stories. They love this one.”
“Thanks.” Annie took the book.
Spencer pointed to the cover. “He’s a monster.”
Annie smiled. “I think he’s silly looking.”
“Me, too.” Kara giggled.
Annie finished the story and closed the book with satisfaction. “Okay, kids, would you like to see your room?”
“I do.” Kara hopped up and tugged on Annie’s arm.
Annie glanced around. “Should we walk or drive?”
“It’s a beautiful afternoon. Let’s walk.” Melody headed for the door. “You can show the kids the fountain. It’s decorated for a birthday.”
Tami touched Annie’s arm. “We have the children’s things in our car. It’s better if we drive over.”
Elena stepped forward. “I’ll show them where to go.”
“Thanks.” Annie forced herself to smile at the caseworker. When the woman returned the smile, Annie almost let her jaw drop, but she smiled again instead.
“Everyone ready?” Ian opened the door.
“Let’s see that fountain.” Annie held out her hands to her children and prayed that they would grab hold. When they did, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though the children held her hands, Annie feared they might balk when the Websters headed to their car. Thankfully, Ian had their attention focused on the fountain where purple water bubbled from the top and cascaded down each tier. Purple balloons bobbed in the spring breeze.
“It’s purple,” Kara yelled. “Purple is my favorite color.”
Smiling, Annie glanced down at her daughter. “I think I could tell that as soon as I saw you today. Your ruffles match the fountain.”
Kara held out the flounces on her shirt. “I know. What’s your favorite color?”
Annie wasn’t sure. It had been a long time since she’d thought about something as simple as a favorite color. She’d been surviving, not really living. Today felt like she was living again. “Do you think my favorite color could be purple, too?”
Kara squinted up at Annie. “I guess it’s okay if you have the same favorite color as me.”
“Thanks.” Annie gave Kara’s hand a little squeeze. “Spencer, do you have a favorite color?”
“Boys don’t have favorite colors.” Kara wrinkled her nose. “But he loves his blue truck, so blue must be his favorite color.”
Annie glanced over at Ian, who was walking on the other side of Spencer, just in time to see Ian stifle a laugh at Kara’s know-it-all statement. “Spencer, is Kara right? Is blue your favorite color?”
“Orange. I like orange.” Spencer looked up at her, his brown eyes wide. “Do you like orange?”
“Very much.”
“But not as much as purple. It’s a better color.” Kara looked around Annie at her brother.
A little sibling rivalry couldn’t hurt, could it? At least this was better than Spencer not wanting to have anything to do with her.
When they reached the fountain, the children raced around it as they watched the balloons dance in the sunlight. Stopping, Kara looked up at Annie. “Is it okay if I touch the water?”
“You can put a finger in it.” Annie went over and placed her index finger in the water and pulled it out. She held up her finger. “It didn’t turn purple.”
“I wouldn’t want a purple finger.” Kara wrinkled her nose. “I can’t reach.”
“I’ll lift you up.” Annie put her arms around Kara.
“I wanna be up,” Spencer bellowed.
“Sure, little buddy.” Ian scooped Spencer up in his arms and let him touch the highest level of the fountain. “Was that fun?”
Spencer nodded but squirmed to get down. Ian set the little boy on the ground and looked at Annie. “We’d better head to your place so we’re there by the time the others arrive.”
Ian looked down at Spencer. “How about a piggyback ride?”
“I want one, too.” Kara pouted.
Annie glanced at Ian. “You take Kara, and I’ll take Spencer since he’s smaller.”
“Good idea. What do you think, Kara?”
“That’s good.” Kara clapped her hands.
&nb
sp; Ian put her on his back. “Hold tight while I help Spencer up.”
After Spencer was settled on Annie’s back, the foursome trotted across the quad to Annie’s apartment building. In the distance, Elena and the Websters were waiting. Annie hoped the final transition would go well.
After everyone was in the apartment, Annie showed the children to their room. Kara raced to the bed with the pink coverlet and a purple stuffed bear gracing the pillow. Annie had forgotten about the purple bear. God must have been guiding her when she’d picked that out.
Kara hugged the bear and smiled up at Annie. “My favorite color.”
In a moment of a panic, Annie searched the area around Spencer’s bed. Was there something orange on his side of the room? He would think she was playing favorites if he didn’t find something orange. Then Annie spotted it. The orange foam ball sitting next to the blue-and-orange toy basketball hoop. She picked up the ball and handed it to the little boy. “Do you want to shoot a basket?”
Spencer grabbed the ball from Annie and stationed himself a few feet in front of the hoop. He threw the ball, and it went in. Applause filled the room. Spencer smiled and clapped, too. The adults laughed. Annie was feeling good. Why had she worried?
After the children had inspected the room and found a place for their belongings, they looked over the rest of the apartment. Finally, the moment of reckoning arrived. The Websters and the caseworker were ready to leave. Annie would be alone with her children for the first time in over a year. How would they react? How would she? The future stretched out ahead of her, and she didn’t know what it held. Only God knew, and Annie was glad He was on her side.
Annie shook hands with the caseworker and the Websters and thanked them for caring for her children. She held her breath as the children gave hugs and goodbyes to their foster parents. She finally breathed when no tears or hysterics ensued. After giving Annie a hug, Melody left along with the other three.
Only Ian remained. He looked at her as the door closed. “Are you going to be okay?”
Annie nodded. “Absolutely.”
“If you’re good, I’ll be going.”
This was it. She was going to be on her own. That panicky feeling churned her stomach. “Thanks for everything. You’ve been a big help.”
As Ian opened the door and stepped into the hall, he looked at her again. “You’re sure you’re okay? You look a little rattled.”
Annie released a sigh and lowered her voice. “I’m a little nervous, but we’ll be fine.”
“If you need help, call me.” He quietly closed the door behind him.
Annie turned to find the children staring at her. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m hungry.” Kara wrinkled her nose, obviously her signature expression.
“Do you like hot dogs?” Both the children nodded, and Annie breathed another sigh of relief. “You can color at the table while I fix them.”
“I don’t like to color.” Kara wrinkled her nose again.
“Oh, okay.” Now what did she do with the kids while she tried to fix them a meal? “How about watching something on TV?”
“I like Sofia.”
Annie only had basic cable in the apartment. She had a bad feeling that she didn’t get the program Kara wanted. Why had she mentioned TV? Annie hunkered down in front of Kara. “I’m sorry, but my TV doesn’t get Sofia. Let’s go to your room and see if we can find some toys to play with until I get your food ready.”
“I want to watch Sofia,” Kara bawled.
As Spencer started to wail, too, Annie counted to ten and prayed. “Not tonight. We’ll see what we can do about it tomorrow. Okay?”
Kara scowled at Annie. “We had Sofia at Ms. Tami’s house.”
Annie forced herself to stay calm. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to do with what I have. Sit here on the sofa while I look for a game.”
Not waiting for her daughter’s response, Annie headed for the children’s bedroom and quickly found a couple of electronic gadgets that Doreen had given her. The brightly colored games helped children learn letters, numbers and colors. As Annie came back down the hallway, she saw the kids sitting on the sofa, their little legs sticking straight out, their backs pressed against the sofa. They looked frightened. Annie’s heart ached. She hadn’t meant to scare them. Had her tone been harsh? She had to make it up to them. What would they tell the caseworker? Was she already making a mess of things?
Annie quickly sat between them and tried to make her voice cheerful as she turned on the games, their lights flashing. “See what I found. One for each of you.”
Kara reached for the bigger one. “Ms. Tami had one like this. I like it.”
Thank You, Lord. Annie glanced down at Spencer. He didn’t seem to know what to do with his. She punched at couple of buttons, and the gadget played a catchy tune. “See what you can do with this?”
Finally, the children occupied themselves with the games, and Annie rushed to prepare the hot dogs and a microwave vegetable dish. She really needed those cooking lessons. The microwave beeped and Annie extracted the hot dogs and put in the vegetables. She put the hot dogs in buns and put them on plates. When the vegetables were done, she called the children to the table.
They settled in their seats as Annie put their plates in front of them. “Would you like ketchup with your hot dog?”
Both of the kids nodded, and Annie took the ketchup bottle and squirted some on their plates.
“That’s not the way Ms. Tami does it. She puts it on the hot dog.”
Annie was tired of hearing Ms. Tami this and Ms. Tami that. But maybe she should take a clue from Ms. Tami and do some of the things the other woman had done. After all, the children were used to that routine. It would probably make the transition easier. She had to remember to be grateful for the Websters, who had been willing to take in her children. For the most part, her kids were happy, and she owed this couple a debt of gratitude.
They managed to get through supper without another episode of discontent. They played with their games, and she played a short game of hide-and-seek with them. Spencer didn’t exactly get the concept, but he had fun even though he chose the same hiding place every time.
An hour later with the children tucked into bed, Annie cleaned up the kitchen, then got dressed for bed. She couldn’t believe how tired she was. She hadn’t realized how much the emotions of the day had taken out of her. Slipping into bed, she reached for her Bible. She read the chapters on the reading list she had from her study group, then picked up the thriller she’d checked out from the library. Engrossed in the story, she jumped when she heard the click of the door. She looked up to find Kara standing in the doorway.
“Mommy, I can’t sleep. Spencer is crying.”
Annie’s heart leaped into her throat as she launched herself out of bed and headed across the hall. The light coming through the doorway spotlighted Spencer sitting up in bed. Tears streaked his little face. He sobbed.
Annie sat on the bed beside him, worry crowding her mind. “Spencer, what’s wrong?”
“I want my mommy.”
“I’m here, Spencer. Mommy’s here.”
“I want Ms. Tami.”
A pain she couldn’t describe shot through Annie’s heart. She wanted to cry, too. What was she going to do with Spencer? Annie picked Spencer up in her arms and held him close, rocking him back and forth. Lord, please help me.
“It’s okay, Spencer. We’re living with our real mommy now,” Kara said.
Annie closed her eyes as she rocked Spencer and reached out to draw Kara close. “Thank you, sweet girl.”
“Why are you thanking me, Mommy?”
“Because I love you.” Annie’s voice cracked. “I love you so much, and I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“Me, too.” Kara snuggled close
r, warming Annie’s heart.
Annie rocked and rocked with Spencer until the little boy’s sobs subsided. He snuggled close, and Annie’s worry subsided, as well. When she finally heard his steady breathing, she managed to get him back into bed without waking him.
“Will Spencer stop crying now?” Kara looked up at Annie as she tucked the little girl into bed.
“He’s sleeping, so we can hope so.”
“If he starts crying again, should I come and get you?”
Annie nodded as she kissed Kara on the cheek and brushed back her hair from her face. “You’re such a good big sister.”
Kara smiled. “I am a good big sister.”
“Good night, my sweet girl.”
Annie stood in the doorway for a moment and looked at her children. Spencer slept soundly, and Kara closed her eyes. As Annie traipsed back to bed, she took in the reality of having her children back. This wasn’t going to be easy if she was going to do it right. She definitely had to rely on God, and she thanked Him for giving her the support of the people here at The Village.
Tomorrow was an introduction to the day care here on campus. How would the kids deal with that? Could she help them cope with all the new things in their lives? She longed to have a partner to share this responsibility. She wanted to share her life with Ian again, but the same questions haunted her. Would they be good for each other? Could he forgive her completely? Would he be willing to take responsibility for another man’s children? She still had no answers.
Chapter Ten
After Ian finished his talk and video presentation to his dad’s congregation, he joined his dad on the front pew. He looked up to the stage where Annie was taking her place behind the pulpit. A chuckle emanated from the congregation as one of the elders gave her a box to stand on and adjusted the microphone to her petite height. Ian’s heart beat in double time as he watched her. Every time he’d been with her in the past few days, he couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of a renewed relationship with her. Did he have a self-destructive wish?
Once Annie was settled, she looked out over the congregation. “My name is Annie, and I’m a recovering substance abuser. Ian has already talked to you today about the ministries of The Village of Hope. I’m here to put a face to one of those ministries. The women’s ministry helps women in all kinds of circumstances—some who are fleeing abuse and some like me who need help transitioning from a substance abuse program to a productive life. The Village has provided housing, a temporary job and legal assistance in my quest to regain custody of my children.”
Second Chance Reunion Page 13