Now she jogged down the steps, pausing to give me a vague smile as she passed. I followed her into the kitchen in time to see her greet Jenna.
“Hey, Jenna. I didn’t know you were coming tonight.” She sounded pleased, so that was something. “Oh, cool, Franco’s. Did you get me a cheesesteak?”
“Of course.” Jenna pushed the still-wrapped sandwich across the table. “No onions, just sautéed peppers. On a wheat roll.”
“Perfect.” Becca scraped out her chair and dug in. Jenna glanced at me, biting the side of her lip, and I noticed she hadn’t even touched her own sandwich yet. Knowing my girl, she wouldn’t be able to eat until we’d gotten this out of the way. Me, I could go either way, but I didn’t want to see her sit there suffering. I decided we needed to rip this bandage right off.
“So, this is a special treat, having Jenna here on a school night,” I began. “Pretty cool, right?”
“Uh huh.” Ollie wasn’t really paying attention to me. He was focused solely on the sandwich he was currently stuffing into his mouth.
Becca glanced up at me, though, her eyes suddenly cautious. “Yeah. I thought you said we had to eat, like, regular food during the weekdays. No Franco’s ‘til Friday, remember?” Next to her, Ollie smirked.
“Yeah, that’s what we said. But tonight is kind of a special occasion.” I cleared my throat. “Jenna and I wanted to talk to you both.”
Oliver shoved another huge bite into his mouth, but Becca laid her sandwich down, her gaze shifting between Jenna and me, waiting and watchful. I thought with a pang how far my daughter had come since we’d moved to Burton. She wasn’t the timid little girl anymore, almost afraid of her own shadow and worried about anything that could possibly go wrong or be dangerous. Whether she knew it or not, at least some of the credit for that change had to go to Jenna, who’d subtly guided her along a path she herself was walking at the same time.
“What’s going on?” Becca’s voice was filled with the same trepidation I saw on her face. A tic jumped in Jenna’s cheek.
“Well, the thing is . . .” I hadn’t actually planned the words I was going to say, and now I was regretting that. In the pressure of the moment, I was liable to blurt out something inappropriate, like Jenna and I are having hot and wild sex as often as we can, fucking like bunnies whenever you guys are away from the house, and now we want you kids to know and be okay with that so we can do it more frequently. I wasn’t parent of the year by any means, but even I knew that wasn’t the way to go about this.
As if she’d sensed my stall, Jenna picked up the baton and ran with it. “We wanted to talk to you both about something important. But first, your dad wants you to know and remember that you guys, the two of you, are his highest priority. You come first in everything, in every decision he makes and in every plan he has.”
Two pairs of eyes swung to me, and being the articulate guy I was, I nodded, smiling as my head bobbed up and down.
“And we didn’t necessarily plan for this to happen. Your father and I started out as work friends, and then friends beyond work, too. All of you were so great to me this summer, and we had fun, right? Hanging out and getting to know each other.”
Becca didn’t answer, but Ollie swallowed his last bite and grinned again. “Yup. And cookies, too. Don’t forget the cookies.”
“I never could, Ol.” Jenna winked at my son. “Well, anyway, your dad kind of became my best friend. I had a tough time a few years ago, and your father cared about me enough to help me get over that. I’m a better person now, thanks to him.” She met my eyes, and the love that shone there took my breath away. I wondered how the kids didn’t see it and guess right away.
“Are you going somewhere?” Oliver lost his grin, suddenly looking worried. “Are you moving, Jenna?”
“No, honey, I’m not.” Jenna glanced at me. “Kind of the opposite. Your dad and I are, um, we’re a couple. We’ve been dating for a little while.”
I suddenly found my voice again. “Yeah, we are. We weren’t hiding it from you, but we didn’t want to say anything until we were more, uh, sure about everything.”
“What?” Becca hissed out the word. “Seriously? Is this some kind of joke? You’re dating? What’s that supposed to mean? Like, you’re going to the movies together? Or . . .” An expression of utter distaste filled her eyes. “Are you sleeping together? You’re having sex?”
Jenna’s face went first red and then white as I hurried to respond, even I really had no idea what to say to that. “Becca, that’s a private question, and it’s really none of your business. What Jenna and I want you to understand is . . .” I took a deep breath. “We’re in love. This isn’t something casual or temporary. I want Jenna to be part of our lives, and not just here for dinner now and then or over to watch a movie with us. We’re making this permanent, and we wanted to talk to you two so you understand.”
“Well, I don’t understand.” Becca stood up and shoved her chair into the table, where most of her sandwich lay, uneaten. “I thought Jenna was being our friend because she liked us and wanted to—I don’t know, just be like a big sister to me. That’s what you said.” She swung accusatory eyes my way, and guilt nibbled at me.
Shit. I had said that, way back right after the Fourth of July.
“I understand that, Bec, but like Jenna said, we didn’t set out for this to happen. Jenna and I did start out as friends, and we’re still friends. But now we’re friends who love each other, too, in a romantic way, and we want to be together.”
“So are you getting married?” Oliver sat back in his chair, seemingly unaffected. “Are you going to have a wedding? My friend Stuart back in Canton, his sister got married, and he had to wear this fancy suit and be in the wedding. If you have a wedding, I just want to wear my jeans and my boots.”
“Shut up, Oliver.” Becca shot her brother a furious look. “That’s not even important. They’re not getting married.” She swung on us. “Are you?”
I shrugged. “We haven’t made a definite plan yet, but if you want me to be honest . . . yeah, I hope Jenna and I will get married, eventually. Sooner rather than later, if I have my way.” I reached across the table to take Jenna’s hand in mind. Hers was clammy and shaking a little, and I was suddenly and hugely annoyed with Becca for her hostility. I was trying to be understanding, but couldn’t she see that she was breaking Jenna’s heart?
My daughter stared at our joined hands, and her bottom lip trembled. “This is disgusting. It’s wrong. And you’re never going to be my mother.” She threw the hateful words at Jenna, who flinched. “I had a mother, and I remember her. You’re not going to make me forget.”
Ah. The truth began to sink into my feeble male brain. Here I’d been worried that Becca would see Jenna as competition for my attention and affection, when in reality, she was afraid Jenna was going to try to replace her mom.
“Bec, that’s not even a worry—” I began, but Jenna interrupted me.
“I’d never think I could take your mother’s place, Becca. I’m not a mom. And I didn’t know your mother, of course, but I’ve heard about her, and I know you and Ollie—and you’re both so amazing, I can’t help thinking of how incredible she must have been. I don’t expect you to call me Mom or treat me that way. Nothing has to change between you and me. We can still be friends, the way we have been.”
“If you were my friend, you wouldn’t be sleeping with my father.” Becca’s tone went even harder. “I’m going upstairs. I don’t want to talk to you, and I don’t want to see anyone else tonight.” She paused in the doorway to the hall, glancing over her shoulder at me, venom in her eyes. “If you’re going to do this, then I’m moving back to Texas with Gramma and Grampy. I’m not staying here if she’s going to be around all the time.”
With that parting shot, she stomped up the steps. A few seconds later, we all jumped when her door slammed.
Around the table, silence stretched. Jenna dropped her head into hands, her shoulders slumped. I didn’t
know what to say to make this better. I’d expected that Becca might a little surprised, but I hadn’t thought that she’d be so upset and—shit, downright mean. Cruel. It troubled me that my daughter could treat anyone this way.
“Hey, if Becca’s not going to finish her sandwich, can I eat it?” Ollie picked up the food, glancing hopefully between Jenna and me.
It was just what we needed. Jenna glanced at me with a watery smile, wrapped one arm around my son and squeezed him to her. “Oh, Oliver, you’re priceless. Never change, bud. I love you.”
“Yeah, I love you, too.” Ollie took a bite of his sister’s sandwich as Jenna looked at me over his head. I was pretty sure we were both thinking the same thing.
One down, one to go.
I just hoped the second performance went better than the first had.
If there was one thing I knew for sure that my daughter had inherited from me, it was stubbornness. That trait had served me well in recovery, once I’d determined that I wasn’t going to let booze beat me, and it had kept me going in the years since Sylvia’s death. But just now, when I would have cheerfully wrung her slender neck, I didn’t so much appreciate the child’s tenacity.
She’d stayed in her bedroom, as she’d promised, for the rest of the evening. Jenna had gone upstairs before she went home, knocking on the door to tell Becca good night, but my daughter had remained silent. When I woke up Friday morning, she’d already eaten breakfast and retreated back into her room, where she remained until the very minute we had to leave for school.
The ride to school was filled only with Oliver’s chatter. The kid was a morning person, which I didn’t always appreciate, but on this day, I was grateful for his cheeriness. It seemed like the more he talked, the darker his sister’s mood grew.
When I pulled up in front of the building, Oliver gave me my regular fist bump, but Becca jumped out and slammed the door without so much as a backward glance. I sat there for a few moments, watching her go, back stiff and movements jerky. She wasn’t going to give in any time soon, at least not without some kind of intervention. I thought about Bridget Evans, who’d become Becca’s best friend over the summer. She and her parents, along with her baby sister, were still out on the Reynolds’ farm as Ali helped with the autumn harvest and the last burst of busy days at the farm stand, but since Bridget was homeschooled, Becca hadn’t seen her as much since school had begun. I knew that the Evans family would soon be moving back to New York for the winter, but I wondered if maybe some time with Bridget might be good for my daughter.
I headed out to Oak Grove and got to work. Since when it rains, it pours, we’d run into a few snafus this week; there were some issues with a leak in the new piping, and some of the wallpaper that we’d ordered was suddenly out of stock indefinitely. It wasn’t anything that I hadn’t dealt with before, but I was busy all that morning, working with the plumber and texting with Jenna about a replacement pattern for the wallpaper.
She’d called me earlier, saying she wasn’t coming over to the plantation until later, since she’d had a staff meeting that morning at the historical society. Her voice had been subdued and worried, no matter how much I tried to jolly her out of it. I hated that she sounded so sad, knowing that Becca’s reaction only made Jenna more anxious about what was going to happen tomorrow, when we talked to her family.
I had just finished getting a report from the plumber when my phone rang again. Glancing at the screen, I frowned when I saw the readout there; it was Doris calling. My gut clenched; if Becca had made good on her threat and telephoned her grandmother last night, this had the makings of a very unpleasant conversation.
I stepped outside, walking toward my truck, as I answered. I didn’t need my ever-curious crew to overhear me talking.
“Hey, Doris. How’s everything in the Lone Star State?” I answered with a casual cheerfulness I wasn’t feeling and braced myself for her response.
But my former mother-in-law sounded downright chipper as she answered me. “Hey, there, honey! Well, everything is just fine here. Hank and I are fixing to head into Dallas tomorrow to see that Hamilton show, the traveling performance of the play, you know? I can’t wait.”
I chuckled. “And how does Hank feel about that? He never was a big fan of anything where he had to sit still for more than a few minutes.”
Doris laughed, too. “Oh, you know Hank. He’s complaining like it’s going to kill him, but just the other day, I drove his truck to the food store and dang if he didn’t have the music from the show on his CD player in there. I told him he was busted, like the kids say!” Peals of merriment came over the phone lines. “You know, Linc, I do love that man. He makes me crazy half the time, but he’s mine, and I’m blessed to have him. This summer, we’ve been getting used to having an empty nest again. There for a while, I thought it might break my heart, all that quiet, but Hank has kept me busy and entertained, and now, I’m actually enjoying it. Oh, don’t get me wrong, you know I love my grandbabies, but I like having my peaceful mornings and the house all neat and tidy, too. Life has a rhythm, and it’s meant to flow that way. When we have little ones, we’re busy caring for them, but that’s a season, not a lifetime. There comes a time when we have to look to our own happiness, not just to our children’s, and them understanding that is part of growing up. They have to know that their feelings aren’t the only ones that matter.”
It dawned on me as she spoke that Doris wasn’t just making small talk. She was telling me something, and if I were reading her right . . . hmmm. “I take it you had a phone call from Becca.”
She sighed. “Yes, she called last night, all full of teenage angst and drama. Lord, she isn’t even twelve yet. What’re we going to do when she really is a teenager? Anyway, she went on and on about how you and Jenna were, uh, involved, and how wrong it was, and how much she hated it.” Doris paused. “She started to say how much she hated both of you, but I put an end to that fast. You know I don’t hold with people hating each other, and I told her I’d march all the way to Georgia to wash her mouth out if she used that word about any human being. Anyway, she told me that if Jenna moves in with you all, she wants to move back to Texas.”
I tensed, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “And what did you say?”
Doris spoke crisply. “I told her to stop being ridiculous. I said she belonged with her daddy and her brother, and if she were lucky enough to have someone like Jenna in her life, too, then she should be thanking the good Lord instead of making all this silly fuss.”
“Really? You did?” Shock wasn’t an adequate word for what I felt.
“Of course I did. Lincoln, honey, I might be an old lady now, but my vision is still twenty-twenty. When Hank and I were out there to see y’all, I could tell you were sweet on that little gal. I told Hank, if Lincoln lets her get away on account of worrying over his kids, that’ll be a darn shame. Why, all the time Becca and Ollie were with us, it was Jenna this and Jenna that. Any fool could see that she’s good for all of you.” There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds. “Lincoln, I miss my Sylvia every day. It’s not natural for a child to go before her parents, and I’m never going to get over losing her. I think of her all the time, and six years later, I still pick up the phone to call her now and then. But I understand that life goes on. You’re a young man still, and I hope you have years ahead of you. It would be a tragedy if you spent them alone. You’re a good daddy, and you deserve some happiness, too.”
A lump rose in my throat. “Doris, you never fail to amaze me.” I swallowed hard. “You know . . . I don’t know if I ever said how grateful I am for what you did for the kids and me. You raised them when I couldn’t. You stepped in when I walked away. I’ll never forget that.”
“That’s what family does, Lincoln.” Affection filled her voice. “We do for each other, and there’s no thank you necessary. As long as I live, you’re part of my family, and I hope no matter what happens, even after you marry Jenna, I’ll still be your mot
her-in-law.” I could practically hear her smirk. “It isn’t every man who gets to have two mothers-in-law at once. You ought to count yourself lucky.”
“Believe me, I do,” I said with feeling. “Speaking of which, tomorrow we’re telling Jenna’s family that we’re together. Any words of advice?”
“Oh, Lord, honey, not one. Just be honest and tell them how much you love her, and they’ll come around. Why wouldn’t they? You’re a catch, Lincoln Turner. You remember that.” She paused. “And try not to worry about Becca. Leave her be, and she’ll get glad soon enough.”
Soon enough, apparently, was not that day after school, or that evening during our regular pizza date with Jenna, or the next morning when I made my special Saturday morning pancakes. Becca stayed silent, a sullen expression on her face, even as we all talked and laughed around her.
Jenna had stayed for a while on Friday night after Oliver went to bed—Becca had already been upstairs for a few hours at that point. We snuggled on the sofa, and I told her about my conversation with Doris earlier that day.
“So if my parents disown me tomorrow night, will Doris and Hank adopt me?” She was joking, but I heard the tension and worry beneath the humor.
“Sure. But that’s not going to happen. Doris says they’ll come around, because I’m a catch.” I grinned and kissed her forehead. “Try not to stress about this, babe. This time tomorrow night, everything will be out in the open. I promise, it’s going to be fine.”
“I hope you’re right,” Jenna sighed. “I wish I had your confidence.”
Actually, I wished I had my confidence, too. I talked a good game, but if I were honest with myself, I was nervous about facing all the Suttons and telling them that I was in love with their daughter, their baby sister. I wasn’t sure Jenna understood my position as the guy who was eleven years older than the woman he loved. I couldn’t imagine either of her parents being happy that their little girl wanted to choose a man who’d been married and widowed, a man who had two children.
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