The doorbell jangled and his heart leapt. Maybe someone had news. He hurried through the living room and looked out the window. He didn’t recognize the black sedan parked in front of the house, but the lid of the car’s trunk stood open, and a man was unloading something from the back. The man had his back to Wade as he wrestled with a large cardboard box, hoisted it from the trunk, and set it on the ground beside the car. He pulled out a smaller box and stacked it atop the first. The pile of boxes grew as Wade watched from the window. Then came a black suitcase.
“Shoot-fire,” Wade said under his breath. He didn’t have the time or the patience to mess with some vacuum cleaner salesman today.
He went to the door and jerked it open. He stepped out onto the porch. “Can I help you?”
The man popped from behind the trunk lid.
It took Wade a minute to realize who it was. “Parnell? What…what’s going on? Where are––”
“I brought you your kids.” Darrin Parnell slammed the trunk shut and walked toward the house.
Wade looked around the yard, his skin suddenly growing clammy. “What…are you talking about? Where are the kids?”
Parnell stopped at the bottom porch stair and hooked a thumb in the direction of the back yard. “They’re back there. With the dog,” he said matter-of-factly.
Wade turned to look toward the river, but the house blocked his view. He wondered if he was dreaming. Still, Shadow’s excitement made sense now. Did he dare to hope? “They’re here? Beau? And the girls? Are they…okay?” His throat clogged with emotion. “Where have you been? We’ve been looking every––”
Parnell’s head jerked up. “Who’s been looking?”
Wade cleared his throat, his mind reeling, trying to gauge Parnell’s mental state. “Never mind. I’m…glad you’re here. The kids are okay?”
Parnell kicked at a pebble with the toe of his shiny black dress shoe. “They’re fine. But it’s not going to work out. I think…they’re better off with you.” He sighed heavily and pulled a thick envelope from his breast pocket. “I’ve got all the papers here. Anything else you need should be in the mail to you soon. Hinson––my attorney––said it was all in order. It might take a couple weeks to get the rest of the paperwork sent, but if you have any questions, his number’s in here.” He slapped the envelope against his thigh, then held it out to Wade.
Wade grabbed on to one of the columns that supported the porch roof. He descended the steps and cautiously took the envelope from Parnell’s hand. He looked at the outside. Blank, except for Jonathan Hinson’s embossed return address. “What about Carma?”
Parnell hung his head. “Carma’s…not in the picture anymore. Everything you need is in that envelope.”
Wade pressed two fingers hard against the throbbing space between his eyes. He shook his head. “I don’t understand.” He could scarcely imagine what had brought about this surreal turn of events.
“They’re better off with you,” Parnell repeated. He looked up and studied Wade. “I may not have been the best father, but I want…what’s right for my kids.”
Wade nodded. He didn’t dare press his luck by asking any more questions. He only wanted to run to the back yard and see his kids. Make sure they were really all right. “Do you––want to come in for a minute?” The words were out before he had time to consider them. What was wrong with him? He should be calling the police, not inviting the man to coffee.
Parnell rubbed his jaw where the shadow of a beard sprouted. “No… I’ve been on the road all night. I need to get some breakfast and head back.”
“I have coffee on.”
Parnell tipped his chin, as though he were considering Wade’s invitation, but then he wagged his head. “No. I don’t think so.”
Wade knew he should let the authorities know what had happened. Make sure Carma was okay. But he wasn’t about to risk doing anything that might cause Parnell to change his mind.
Parnell moved toward the car, then turned back to face Wade. His face darkened, and his forehead furrowed, as though he were in physical pain. “I’d like to know how they’re doing… Once in a while. You will take them, won’t you?”
Wade nodded with his whole upper body. “Of course. Sure.”
“Listen, Sullivan, I just want you to know… I never meant—” He looked away, then shook his head slowly. He motioned to the envelope in Wade’s hand. “You’ve got my number.” He turned again, shoulders slumped, and trudged back to the car.
Wade nodded, still reeling in amazement and disbelief. “Parnell… Darrin?”
Parnell looked up, leaning one forearm on the roof of the car, a question in his eyes––and something else. Anguish and loss. The same potent mixture Wade had seen when he looked in the mirror this morning.
He closed his eyes briefly, overwhelmed. “Thank you, Darrin. I promise I’ll do right by them.” He choked on the end of his sentence, utterly grateful, yet aching to run to the back yard, where hauntingly familiar laughter now rang out.
Parnell gave a hard nod and climbed into the car, suddenly seeming far older than his years. The engine revved, and the car turned a wide curve and drove away. Wade watched it disappear in a cloud of dust.
Was he dreaming? But the pile of boxes and suitcases sat in the driveway as testimony to the miracle that had just happened.
The children’s laughter wafted to him from behind the house, and Shadow barked now and then, as if welcoming them home. Wade turned and took two steps before his knees buckled. He crumbled, as if someone had wrestled him to the ground. First kneeling in the tender grass, then bowing, face in his hands, he wept like a child.
Never had he imagined God would answer his prayers in this way, after all this time, after all his anguish. He could not yet fathom that it was real. He remained with heart and knee bent before the Lord for what seemed an eternity, unable to find the words to express the overflowing of gratitude and joy that welled up inside him.
Finally, he struggled to his feet. Like a newly mobile toddler, Wade half ran, half stumbled to the back of the house and stood on the rise of the hill, watching the children––his children––play on the lawn with their dog.
They looked healthy and whole. He could scarcely wait to call out their names, one by one. To watch them turn and spy him, then race one another to his arms.
At the same time, he wanted time to stand still. To savor this moment for as long as he could make it linger.
Beau broke the spell. He threw a stick for Shadow to retrieve and turned, his gaze following the stick’s path. His eyes widened and he gave a little gasp. “Wade!” He ran helter-skelter from Lacey to Dani and back again. “It’s Wade, you guys! He’s here!”
The girls screamed his name and came tearing up the hill, just like they had in his daydreams. In his prayers.
He knelt in the grass again, this time with open arms. And an open heart. They jumped on him, tumbling him over like a bowling pin in the soft grass. He tussled with them gently, speaking their names, one at a time, then running the syllables together as if it were one beautiful word. Beaulaceydani.
Soon, out of breath, they all sat in the grass, spent, panting, and clammy with sweat, wearing smiles as wide and shimmering as the distant Smoky Hill. Shadow plopped down inside the circle they’d made.
“Are you guys okay?” Wade put a finger under Beau’s chin and tipped his head into the light. No bruises were apparent. “Beau?”
The boy’s eyes clouded, but he nodded. “I’m okay.”
Wade turned to the girls.
“He didn’t hurt them,” Beau said. “I took care of them like you said.”
Wade put a hand on his shoulder, unable to speak.
Slowly, they started talking. Reluctant at first, then, their words came in torrents, like the river at flood stage.
“Did your dad tell you why he brought you here?”
“Carma made him,” Beau said. “She said she was gonna tell the police.”
“Oh,�
� Wade said, piecing the story together. “Is she okay?”
Beau nodded. “She made him bring us back.”
“Oh?”
“She moved back to her house.” Beau’s eyes narrowed. “He was always hittin’ her. Just like Mom.”
Wade’s heart twisted like a knife in his chest. No little boy should have such memories. “You’re sure he didn’t…hurt you guys?”
They shook their heads solemnly, each one, and Wade let out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding.
“We get to live here,” Beau said. “All the time.”
“Yeah,” Dani piped up. “Every day. Not just to visit with Dee on Tuesday.”
Dee. Wade couldn’t wait to give her the good news.
Beau cocked his head and eyed Wade. “We can stay here, can’t we? He said we didn’t hafta go in foster care anymore. His lawyer said so.”
Wade tousled Beau’s hair and swallowed the boulder in his throat. “Yeah. You can stay here.”
Beau stuck out his neck and made a squinty face at Lacey. “See! Told ya!”
Her cheeks flushed pale pink.
Wade reached over to wrap an arm around her slender shoulders. He pulled her next to him. “You’re here to stay, Lacey Daisy,” he whispered against her silky hair.
Watching them, he was struck by how much they’d grown. How much they’d grown up. He’d missed so much in such a short space of time.
One at a time, reverently, he laid his hand atop each blond head, needing proof they were really here. That they were finally, truly his. Oh, Starr…
A sharp hook of bitterness pricked him, prodding his mind for entry. But he refused to let it sink in, refused to be reeled in to dwell on what was past. He would not waste one minute of whatever time he had with these kids. God willing, his next good-bye would be as each one, in turn, packed a suitcase and headed for college. The very thought brought the lump back to his throat. But that kind of lump he could live with.
Chapter 48
“Macaroni and cheese!” Dani yelled, pumping her arm in the air.
“Yeah, macaroni!” Lacey and Beau echoed.
Wade stared at them, mouth agape. “You’ve got to be kidding? After all the grief you always gave me about my gourmet macaroni and cheese dinners, that’s what you want for lunch?”
He laughed, then found himself choking up again, still amazed he could have awakened this morning to an empty house, and now, six hours later, he was about to fix a box of macaroni and cheese for three hungry kids, as though this were the most ordinary day in the world.
He would never take another moment of life for granted. He would never again feel hopeless about any situation. Miracles still happened, and today, he had been on the receiving end of a big one.
He’d contacted the police in Minneapolis and assumed they were looking for Darrin Parnell en route to the city. He’d set up a meeting with Frank Locke to go over the papers Parnell had brought him. Everything from Hinson’s office looked official, but Wade wanted to make sure. He wasn’t about to risk losing the kids again.
He’d also called Margie and Sophie with the good news. Everyone was coming out to the house tonight to see the kids and celebrate. What a reunion it would be.
Dee came to the forefront of his thoughts. She was the one he longed most to share the news with. He smiled, imagining the joy he would see on her face when she heard. He’d tried to reach her all morning but only got her answering machine. This wasn’t the kind of news you left on a machine.
He was tempted to invite her to tonight’s celebration, but this didn’t change her situation. The boundaries between them remained. Still, she had played a cherished role in their story, and he wanted her to know that.
He felt a tug on the hem of his sweatshirt.
“Wade?” Dani looked up at him, her blue eyes wide.
He bent and cupped her face in his hands. “What is it, sweetie?”
“Can I set the table?”
“You sure can. But hang on a sec…let me make sure I have some macaroni. We might be eating cold cereal.” He opened a cupboard and rummaged around behind boxes of Hamburger Helper and cans of soup. He pulled out a dusty box of macaroni and held it aloft. “Ta-da!”
The kids cheered.
“Okay, we’re set.” He pulled four plates from the cupboard and gave them to Dani. “Here you go, squirt. Set these around, and I’ll get the glasses down.” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d used four plates at once. It felt wonderful to be setting a full table again.
Lacey filled a pot with water and set it on the stove while Beau put chairs up to the table. As they went about the little things that had been part of their everyday life before, a sense of euphoria threatened to render Wade useless. He never wanted to lose the awe he felt over what had happened here today, but he was eager to settle back into a routine. Happily, he realized the kids were doing just that. As he watched them bustle around the kitchen, intent on their jobs, he wondered how they were doing emotionally.
For more than a year, they had endured one tragedy or disruption after another, things that would have laid low many adults. There were sure to be deep psychological wounds. He should ask Dee about that. Maybe she could suggest a counselor.
“The water’s boiling.” Lacey announced.
He turned to smile at her. Tomorrow would take care of itself. Today, he was making macaroni and cheese for his kids.
When they sat down to the table a few minutes later, Wade offered a hand to the girls on either side of him, and they all joined hands around the table. He bowed his head. “Father, thank you that this table is full again––” His voice broke. How long would he choke up every time he thought of what God had done? He swallowed hard. “Thank you, Father, for answering my prayers and bringing my kids back.”
“Help us through the next days as we adjust to each other again. We love you, Lord, and we thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” He squeezed the two little hands tucked securely in his.
Dani squeezed back and peeked up from under her bangs. “You forgot to pray for the macaroni,” she whispered. She quickly bowed her head again.
Laughing, Wade did likewise. “And thank you, Lord, for good ol’ macaroni and cheese. Amen.”
He’d forgotten how noisy his house was with three kids under the roof. There’d been a time it had gotten on his nerves. And there’d probably come a time when it would again. But today it was music to his ears.
“Carma doesn’t make macaroni and cheese,” Dani said over a mouthful.
“Oh?”
She wagged her head. “She said it’s not good for you.”
Wade cringed. “Well, Carma might have a point there. But once in a while won’t hurt you.”
The kids chattered throughout the meal, and slowly, Wade put together bits and pieces of their life back in Minneapolis. It sounded as though Carma had been the glue that held things together for the kids––and then just barely. Wade hoped she would be all right.
After lunch they worked together to clean up the kitchen.
“When the dishes are done, why don’t we go finish unpacking the rest of your stuff,” he said. “We don’t want it in the way tonight when everybody gets here.”
“What are we gonna do tonight?” Lacey asked.
“Aunt Sophie’s bringing pizza, and then we’ll probably just play cards or something.”
“I know!” Beau said, “We can play Spoons! Like we used to.”
“Yeah,” Lacey said, grinning. “With Dee.”
Wade sighed. “Dee won’t be here tonight, honey.”
“Hows come?” she pouted.
“Well…she just won’t.”
“Can’t we call her and tell her?” Beau asked.
Wade bit his lip. He didn’t know how much to tell the kids. But suddenly, an idea took shape. “You know what?” he said, turning the possibility over in his mind.
They all waited with eager eyes.
“You guys go wash your faces and brush
your teeth. Let’s go see if Dee is home.”
“All right!” They bounced like jumping beans.
“Now, she might not even be home,” he warned. “And even if she is, we can’t stay long. Just long enough to say hi and let her know you’re back.”
His words were lost in the clomping of feet on the stairs as they raced for the bathroom. A minute later Wade heard the water pipes begin to groan and clank. He smiled. The old house had come to life again.
In the bathroom off the kitchen, he washed his own face and ran a comb through his hair. He felt energized at the prospect of seeing Dee again. Inspecting his jawline in the mirror, he decided he could get by without shaving again, but he opened the medicine cabinet and splashed some aftershave into his hand. He rubbed his hands together briskly and slapped the lotion on his face.
Was he doing the right thing by taking the kids to her house? He thought about calling her first, but he didn’t want to put her in a position where she’d feel obligated to say no. If he just showed up on her doorstep, she would be blameless. And she couldn’t be angry with him once she realized his reason for coming.
He hollered for the kids, anticipation building as he thought about seeing her again. As he walked back through the kitchen, his eyes fell on a deck of cards the kids had been playing with earlier. Inspiration struck, and he chuckled to himself as he slid open the silverware drawer. He took out a single spoon and tucked it in his pocket.
“Come on, you guys,” he hollered up the stairway. “Hustle up!”
They wouldn’t stay long. Just for a minute, so she could see the kids.
And so he could see her.
Dee had spent the morning at the office, searching for some clue that might indicate where the Parnell kids could be. She’d contacted social services in Minneapolis, but they didn’t have any records on file for Darrin Parnell. Finding little to go on, she finally drove home, deeply disappointed that she didn’t have better news for Wade.
She hadn’t been home five minutes when the doorbell rang. It was probably Jewel from next door. She loved the elderly woman, but she wasn’t in the mood for company today. Walking through the living room, she mentally composed a polite excuse.
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