by King, Dean
“I’m not being shallow, mother. Do you have any clue how hard it is for me to know she has some man’s children?”
“No, Rafe, why don’t you tell me?” Miranda tapped her slippered toes against the thick rug. He could almost feel the anger pouring from her.
“It pierces me through my soul. I can’t think straight knowing that some man had her love and I don’t!” He jumped up and paced the floor, then ran one hand through his already rumpled hair.
“How do you know she doesn’t love you?” Miranda said softer, her eyes taking on the look of polished silver.
“I don’t know, mother, but you should have heard what she told me tonight. It tore me to pieces to hear it, but she ran from me. She ran! She wouldn’t even let me comfort her. Do you think she would've done that if she loved me?” Rafe turned to her, his voice tight.
“Maybe she was too hurt.” Miranda shook her head, “Why don’t you tell me what she said? Tell me so that I'll know how to answer you. Come, sit down next to me.” After what seemed like hours, telling his mother everything Nina had told him and drying her tears in response, Rafe felt relief. He’d decided it was time to take charge and pull the ring from his pocket and put it where it belonged: on Nina’s finger. But first he had to meet her children and get them to accept him into their lives. And find out where their father stood in Nina's life.
Now ringing Nina’s doorbell, he listened to the faint rattle of coins in his pocket as his hand fussed inside, it reminded him of how nervous he was. Taking a deep breath, he willed his hand to stay still.
The night air surrounded him, the faint scent of magnolia blossoms stimulating his scenes. A mosquito softly buzzed by his ear, but Rafe wouldn’t be distracted. Suddenly the door burst open. Screams of rage pierced at him as a young caramel-skinned boy with unruly blond hair tried to shoot past him. Rafe caught the boy around his small waist and lifted him off the ground, but the boy fought hard to escape.
“Let me go!” Danny screamed, “Get your hands off me! Mama! Mama, a stranger!” The boy tossed his head back, trying for a backward head butt.
But Rafe was ready. Holding the child tight, he whispered in Danny’s small ear. “You are to stop this right now!” The growl in his voice halted all movement from Danny. “When I put you down, you’ll go back inside and fix whatever you’ve done.”
Danny glanced over his shoulder at Rafe, his mouth in a mutinous pout. “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not the boss of me!” But the words lacked conviction as wide uncertain golden eyes stared at Rafe.
“Oh I can, and I will. If you run when I put you down, I’ll catch you and you won’t like it when I do.” Rafe said the threat deep in his voice.
Fear seeped into Danny’s golden eyes. “Mama!”
“Rafe!” Nina approached and passed a hand through her hair before reaching for Danny. “What are you doing here?”
But Rafe was looking at the emboldened Danny, who’d puffed out his small chest and stood glaring back at him.
“Don’t do it...” Rafe reminded the boy, the threat in his voice not escaping Danny’s notice. His eyes widened as he moved closer to Nina’s side.
Beth stood behind Nina, glaring at her brother. “Mama, tell him to give back my book. He took my diary.” Her blue eyes were filled with fire.
Nina didn’t take her eyes from Rafe, her heart drumming in her ears. Why is he here? Oh god, why did he have to come now? She fretted silently. “Danny, give it back.”
“Why do you take her word? You didn’t even ask me if I took the stinking thing. You just take her side.” He stamped his foot and folded his tiny arms over his chest.
“I see the book wedged down your pants, honey,” Nina said softly. “Just give it back.”
Danny reached into his jeans and pulled out the treasured book. “Here,” he thrust it at Beth.
“Don’t you ever touch it again, brat!” Beth grabbed the book, then pushed him. She glared at Rafe for a moment before storming back into the house.
“Nina, do you mind if I have a word with this little guy?” Rafe asked, looking at her.
Surprised lifted her brow. “I don’t mind at all. Rafe, this is Danny. Danny, this is a friend of mine. His name is Mr. Rafe.”
Danny stood mute, staring at the floor. “He's a stranger. You said no strangers are allowed here,” he pouted.
“I introduced you, he's no longer a stranger. Now, go talk with him,” Nina insisted, pushing Danny forward.
“Come on, fella, we need to talk man-to-man.” Rafe led him aside.
Nina's heart swelled, a giddy happiness raced through her. She watched as the man she loved lead Danny to the nearby porch swing. She leaned on the doorjamb, just inside the shadows to give them some privacy. She had to get her thoughts together. Her breath short, she tried to think positively. False hopes had always been her downfall. Was he here because he wanted to see me and break it off? He knows my darkest secrets. What if he just wants to tell me face-to-face that he doesn’t want to see me any more? She hugged herself, fear making her lightheaded. She had avoided him just for this reason.
Nina watched as Rafe and Danny shook hands. What could’ve been a smile crossed Danny's face. They turned and headed towards her. “Sweets, I'm here to take you and the children to dinner. How about it?”
Her eyes widened, her heart skipped a beat. “You want to take us out?”
“Yes. Where would you like to go?” Rafe's eyes flickered to Beth, then back to Nina. Something wasn’t right. They looked like sisters. His curious gaze scanned Beth’s tightly pinched face.
“Before I answer, let me introduce my bunch,” Nina turned, her heart fluttering. “Follow me...”
Rafe followed, smiling as Danny ran into the house ahead of them. Nina stopped in front her daughter and Rafe tried not to frown. This one would be difficult. She stood with her arms crossed in front of her, watching them with narrow eyes.
“Rafe, this is Elizabeth, my oldest. Beth, this is my friend, Rafael,” Nina tried to smile and failed, confirming Rafe’s suspicions. His heart sank when Beth didn’t hold out her hand.
Rafe saw the anger burning in the young woman’s eyes. He held out his hand and gave her a reassuring smile. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you, Elizabeth. You’re as pretty as your mother said you were.” She flushed and hesitantly took his hand. He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of it. She quickly pulled her hand away, her frown deepening.
Nina continued. “Rafe, this little one is Samuel. We call him Sam. This is Mr. Rafe, Sam.”
Rafe walked over to him and shook his hand.
“Okay, so where are we going?” Danny asked.
Rafe chuckled and ruffled Danny's hair, then turned to Sam. “So you guys are identical twins.”
“How do you know?” Danny piped up stepping in front of Rafe.
Rafe's gaze turned to Danny. “Because you look alike. I know twins when I see them.”
“No you don’t,” Danny shouted, puffing out his small chest and glaring at Rafe.
“Danny, quit it!” Beth growled, standing next to Nina.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Danny shouted from beside the kitchen table.
“No, but I can make you shut up,” Beth shouted as she moved towards him.
“Danny, remember our talk?” Rafe said a bit of steel in his voice.
Danny nodded, his eyes widening, “Mama, can he tell me what to do?”
Nina's face took on a serious look, “Well, he is older than you, and I don't think he'll hurt you, so yes, he can.”
Danny's shoulders slumped, his golden eyes shifted to Beth, “Sorry,” he murmured.
“Okay, so where are we going?” Rafe asked looking at all of them. They made a nice family.
“I don’t know,” Sam said. “How about hamburgers?”
“No, I want hotdogs.” Danny cut in.
Nina looked at Beth. “What do you want?”
Her arms again folded over her chest, Beth frowned as
her blue eyes turned icy. “I don’t want anything. I’m not going.”
Nonplussed, Nina turned to Rafe. “I guess it’s your choice. Whatever you want is fine with us.”
“Then I say we go to a steak house I know of and later hit the carnival downtown. What do you say?”
“Oh boy!” The twins looked at each other with wide eyes. “Yeah! Let’s go.” They ran for the door then burst through it and out into the yard.
Nina laughed, she looked at Rafe. “You’d think I never take them anywhere.”
Rafe went to her, his look intent, “I have very many questions for you, you do know that, don’t you?” He stared into her eyes.
She flushed but nodded. Looking over his shoulder she saw Beth staring at them. “Get your purse, honey, let’s go.”
“No, I’m staying here.” Beth’s eyes were as dark as sapphires, shooting daggers at Rafe and Nina.
“I’ll meet you at the truck.” Rafe whispered to Nina, “Just come when you’re ready.”
Nina nodded and watched him go.
As soon as the door closed behind him Nina turned her gaze to Beth. “What is it, honey?”
“I don’t like him,” she bit out.
Nina went to her. “How can you say that? You don’t even know him.”
Beth shrugged, “Did you see what he did? He kissed my hand. What kind of thing is that? I don’t want anybody kissing my hand.” She grimaced, wiping the back of her hand on her blue jeans.
“Beth, please try to get along with him. Rafe is a gentleman that’s all. Gentlemen do that kind of thing. I need you to come with us. Do it for me, please?” Nina pleaded.
“Fine, but tell him to keep his mouth to himself.” Beth walked past Nina and out the front door without a second glance
*****
Nina sat on the porch, swinging it absently with her foot. Rafe sat beside her, the fingers of one hand absently twirling the curls hanging around Nina’s shoulders. The dinner and carnival had gone well.
It was quiet now, the boys were sound asleep. Beth sat on the couch in the living room, reading. Nina smiled as she thought of Rafe with the boys. All night the three of them had been at each other, trying to get the upper hand. But when Danny tossed mashed potatoes in Rafe’s face and made fun of him Nina’s heart stopped.
She’d wanted to sink into the floor when the boys began fighting and Rafe sat patiently with gravy and potatoes running down his face. Beth tried hard not to laugh, but all Nina could think about was tanning Danny’s little hide. But Rafe surprised her: he just laughed it off as he cleaned up the mess. Saying it was okay, that he understood how little boys were and he was fine with it.
She laughed when she remembered Danny’s face when he came back from the restroom and unexpectedly plopped down in a pile of gooey potatoes. For an instant Nina could’ve sworn she saw admiration shining in Danny’s eyes as he looked up at Rafe. She definitely saw it in Sam’s expression. Beth just sniffed her nose in the air and bent on ignoring them all.
As they swung on the porch with one hand on her leg, Rafe let his eyes caress Nina’s profile. “Why did you let me believe the children were yours?” He asked quietly.
Nina spoke without hesitation. “Because they are. They’re as much a part of me as if they’d come from my own body,” she declared.
“It makes a difference, Nina.” She stiffened, her eyes shuttered.
“Why? They’re children, they need love. They’re the children people don’t want to adopt because they’re mixed.” Nina took a deep breath. “I met Beth when I was twelve, she was an infant. She was found by a garbage man among the dumpsters behind a department store. No one came to claim her, so I claimed her in my heart until I was old enough to really make her mine. I fell in love with her, it was a time in my life when I needed to be loved, Rafe. I need her as much as she needed me. We spent as much time together as possible. When I returned from the hospital, the nuns thought it would do me good to help with the babies’ feedings. Beth was a sickly baby. She never ate well until I took her. It was as if we were meant to be together. She ate for me, and smiled at me with such love, that my battered heart started to heal. Soon she bloomed into a healthy baby, my baby. Then it was time for me to leave. I told her I would come back for her. By the time I graduated from high school, she was six. Then, when I graduated from college, she was nine. I went to the sisters, asking to adopt Beth. They hesitated. But because they felt they owed me, they said if I could prove I could take care of her, I could have her. So that’s just what I did.”
Rafe intertwined her fingers with his as he listened to her smooth voice. “The twins have no family. Their mother killed their dad and herself when they were four years old. I didn’t think of getting any other children, especially not boys. I never intended to get married and everyone knows boys usually need a man’s strong hand. Up until now, things had been going fine. Sister Mary talked me into it, the church gave me this house. Now Danny does so many things I don’t understand, stuff which Beth would never do, like spit out her food or cut someone’s hair. I have no clue as to why Danny’s acting like this. Sam has done some things, too, but not nearly as bad as Danny.”
Rafe leaned over caressing her cheek, “I could very easily help you with them.”
Nina warmed at his words but wondered if he meant what she hoped he meant. Too afraid to ask, she ignored it. “Thank you for what you did with Danny earlier. Whatever you said worked wonders. I know they enjoyed the carnival. You even got a smile out of Beth.” She paused, her fingers tightening around his. “I know exactly what she’s going to do with that huge green bear you won for her. It’s going straight on her bed. She might pretend she doesn’t want it, but she loves those kind of things. Green is her favorite color.”
“I thought we’d have to stand there all night until she picked out one she liked,” Rafe recalled. He grimaced as he remembered having to literally force Beth to accept the prize he had won.
Nina caressed his strong jaw. “I know this is hard for you. But it’s even harder for her. You have to understand she doesn’t like new people, they frighten her. If you plan to stay around, then you’ll have to try and be patient with her.” His pending transfer weighed heavy on her mind.
Rafe leaned into her open palm. He inhaled deeply, the soft light from the porch lamp keeping the darkness at bay and lending a soft glow to Nina’s amber skin. The night was lit with brilliant stars, but thick with heat and humidity. The heavy scent of honeysuckles surrounded them and tickled Rafe’s nose. There was nothing he wanted to do more than to kiss Nina’s sweet lips. Leaning forward, Rafe took her lips in a deep kiss lasting longer than any had a right to.
Nina finally brought herself back to reality. His kisses had a way of turning off the world and leaving only him in her arms. She laid her head on his heaving chest, trying to catch her breath.
“Tell me what you said to Danny to make him act so sweet,” she gave a nervous giggle, “At least most of the night.” Her fingers clutched his shirt as if never to let him go. She smiled. In one night, he’d taught the boys things she’d never thought of, like how to be gentlemen. He had both boys opening doors for her and Beth, and pulling out chairs for them. Rafe instructed them that it was polite to let ladies order first, as well as many other things. In just a few hours, Nina saw what she’d been lacking in her parenting skills. But then, she’d never been taught those things, she was used to doing everything for herself by herself. Until Rafe came along.
“I told Danny that he and Sam were the men of the house. Being surrounded by women had to be tough on the little guy but that I knew he could handle it. I said I knew he and Sam could take care of this family. We talked about many other things.” He paused. “Nina, some of the things he’s doing is just little boy stuff. He’s not any different from me when I was little.” Rafe stood, holding her hand lightly in his, he pulled her to her feet, his dark eyes caressing her troubled face.
“Are you sure, Rafe? It just seems to be g
etting worst. Everyday it’s something different. Not really bad, but very annoying.” She stood facing him, her eyes lovingly touching every contour of his strong jaw.
“That’s a boy for you.” Rafe laughed, placing his hand on her shoulder to pull her closer. “He’ll do some of those things until he’s at least thirty...”
Nina scoffed. “That can’t be true. Are you past that stage yet?”
“I wasn’t exactly like them, but I can still be annoying when I chose to be. It’s an art. Once you master it, you can’t let it go.” He nuzzled her ear, generating a quiet giggle from her.
Nina realized they were much too close, she couldn't trust herself to resist his charms. Pulling away from him, she moved to the porch’s railing. Staring at the round milky moon overhead, she fought to clear her mind of the enticing thoughts that gave her no peace. A slight breeze lifted her hair from her shoulders, and she shivered.
She hugged herself as a knot formed in her stomach. She didn't want him to leave. She wanted him to grab her hands, turn off the light, and lead her upstairs to their bedroom. Deep in her heart she knew he would never do that, he could never marry someone like her. And even if he wanted to, his family would never accept her and the children. The pain of that was too much to bear. Nina forced hot tears not to fall. “So where are they sending you?”
Rafe watched her move away. Sighing, he followed her and laid his hands on her shoulders. Her question surprised him. “Where is who sending me?” She rubbed her cheek on his hand, Rafe nuzzled her hair.
“Your company,” she whispered, then turned to face him. “Are they still sending you away?”
Rafe gazed into her trusting eyes and felt like a heel for lying to her. “I lucked out, they picked someone else...”
Nina squealed in delight and jumped into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him. “Oh thank you, thank you!”
He laughed as he clung to her. “I take it you're happy I’m not moving on?”
She pulled back, her face flushed with a smile as radiant as the sun. “I'm ecstatic! I would have missed you so much, Rafe. I don't even want to think about it.” She laid her head on his chest.