“I think we’re missing Bennett,” Emily said as she came into the dining room with a basket of garlic bread in her hands. She turned to look at Makayla. “He was planning to be here, wasn’t he?”
Makayla shrugged. “I assumed he would be, but to be honest, he didn’t say one way or the other for sure.”
"Maybe he's on a date," Mitch volunteered. “I saw him talking to one of the single women at church on Sunday. It was the same woman who asked me if he happened to be dating anyone at the moment. Felt like I was back in high school. Maybe she decided to make a move.”
Grace gripped the back of the chair she stood behind. The thought that Bennett might be out on a date didn’t sit well with her. And the fact that it didn’t sit well with her didn’t sit well with her either. It was none of her business if Bennett chose to date. In fact, she should be happy for him. But for some reason, being happy that he was dating was a feeling she could not muster up right then.
“Well, since everyone else is here, why don’t we just go ahead and give thanks for the food," Steve suggested. He held out his hand to Emily, and everyone around the table followed suit, taking the hand of the person next to them.
Grace took Makayla’s hand on one side, and Tami’s on the other and bowed her head as Steve prayed. Once the prayer had been said, conversation picked up around the table as people begin to pass the food and fill their plates.
Grace was frustrated that the news that Bennett was on a date had tarnished the evening for her. The man had every right to do what he wanted with his time, and it shouldn’t matter to her. What also frustrated her was that at a time when she should be feeling Franklin’s absence, she was more bothered by Bennett’s non-appearance.
That just wasn’t right.
Bennett left the restaurant and jogged across the parking lot towards his truck. The rain hadn’t let up all day, and there was a chill in the air that, if it were just a little bit later in the year, would have made him think snow was coming. Once inside the cab of the truck, he started it and cranked up the heat.
He knew he was late for the dinner out at his folks’ place, but he still planned to head out there. When he had agreed to meet a couple from the church about a possible real estate transaction, Bennett hadn’t realized that the meeting would drag on for so long. But the opportunity to meet with them had come out of the blue, and Bennett had decided to hear them out. Now he hoped that his dad might have a little time tonight after the dinner was over to discuss an idea Bennett had.
The drive out to his parents’ place took a little bit longer than usual since the streets were slick, and everyone was driving with caution. Well, most everyone.
Bennett scowled as a large SUV cut in front of him then accelerated and swerved back into the other lane in front of another car. The driver was obviously in a hurry to get somewhere, but at the rate he was going, the only thing he was going to get was a ticket or a smashed-up vehicle.
When Bennett finally pulled up in front of the house that had been his home throughout his teenage years, he was surprised at the number of vehicles there. Makayla had said something to him about them having a family dinner that night, but apparently it had morphed into something more since he recognized James’s SUV among the vehicles there.
He took a moment to look at the house and the warm light spilling from the windows. Bennett had no doubt that his dad had lit fires in the fireplaces. It was that kind of evening.
After shutting off the truck, Bennett climbed out and headed for the front door. He let himself in without ringing the bell or knocking on the door. As soon as he stepped into the foyer, he was greeted with warmth and the sound of happy conversation coming from the dining room.
He shrugged out of his coat and hung it in the closet near the door. As he made his way toward the dining room, there was a sudden burst of laughter, and without even being in the room or part of the conversation, Bennett found himself smiling.
When he stepped into the room, he found himself searching out Grace automatically. His gaze landed on her where she sat between Makayla and Tami. Though conversation appeared to be going on around her, her attention was on the plate in front of her.
“Bennett!” his mother said as she got up from her seat and came around to give him a hug. “We weren’t sure if you were going to make it tonight.”
“Yeah, sorry I’m late,” Bennett said and bent to press a kiss to her cheek. “I ended up having a meeting that ran longer than anticipated.”
“That’s okay, sweetheart.” She reached up and patted his cheek. “We’re just glad you’re here now.”
Bennett found an empty seat between Mitch and Tristan which just happened to be across the table from Grace.
“I thought you were out on a date,” Mitch said as he handed Bennett a big pan still half full of lasagna.
Bennett frowned at his brother before turning his attention to dishing up a serving of the lasagna onto his plate. "Why would you think that?"
"Well, I saw you talking with Susan at church on Sunday." Mitch elbowed him and gave him a smirk. “And that was after she had asked me if you were dating anyone.”
“I wasn’t on a date,” Bennett said, declining to give information about either the conversation he’d had with Susan Enns or his meeting earlier.
“Are you going to be going on one in the future?” Mitch asked, apparently unwilling to let the subject drop.
When Bennett happened to glance across the table, he found that Makayla, Tami, and Grace were all watching him. He looked back at Mitch and said, “That’s none of your business.”
“Maybe we should talk about Sammi’s dates instead,” Dalton volunteered helpfully.
Bennett had been lifting his glass to take a drink but lowered it as he looked down the table to where his younger sister sat. Her cheeks were bright red in the glimpse he got before she ducked her head. “Do you have a boyfriend, Sammi?”
Even though Steve had been their father for more years of their lives than John McFadden had been, Bennett still found himself falling into that role for his three biological siblings. He always had been the “man of the house” when his father had been deployed, and over the years, he’d never completely shaken that sense of responsibility when it came to Makayla, Ryan, and Sammi. Though he felt protective of all his siblings, those three brought it out more strongly in him.
Sammi lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. She looked over at him, a small smile on her face. “We’ve gone out a…few times. He’s really nice.”
Bennett wanted to drill her about the guy to make sure he really was good enough for his little sister, but he decided to hold off until there weren't so many people around.
“I hope you’ll invite him to one of our family dinners,” his mom said. “You know we’d love to meet him.”
Bennett wanted to laugh at his mom’s comment. He had a feeling that Sammi would find many reasons to keep from bringing her boyfriend around too soon. He wouldn’t be the first person scared off by their large, loud family. But if the guy could handle all of them, he was definitely a keeper.
“Can you at least tell us his name?” Dalton asked.
Sammi scowled at their younger brother. “As if you don’t know.”
Bennett turned to look at Dalton. “How would you know what Sammi’s boyfriend’s name is?”
Dalton met Bennett’s gaze, his eyes wide. “I…uh…may have heard her talking to him.”
“Yeah. After I had already told you to give me some privacy for my phone call.”
Dalton flopped back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. “How else am I supposed to find out what’s going on around here? Nobody tells me anything.”
“Google it,” Makayla offered helpfully.
It was apparent fairly quickly that Dalton didn’t find the comment as funny as the rest of the people at the table.
“Or you could just do what I do,” Tami suggested. “Hang around with Makayla. Sooner or later, you’ll hear a
bout everything.”
“Oh, hey now,” Makayla protested. “I’ll have you know that I’ve kept some very important secrets.”
“I can vouch for that,” Grace said.
Bennett kept quiet about the fact that he, too, had kept at least one very important secret. He cherished that knowledge. In the days since the ultrasound, his reaction to the news had been both a source of joy and worry. Without meaning to, he’d become attached to the little girl Grace carried. At the oddest moments, he found himself thinking about the role he’d play in her life.
It had taken him a day or so to acknowledge the role that he wanted to play in her life. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure that wouldn’t be what Grace would allow. In fact, it could be that some other man would step into her life and be father to Grace’s little girl, and Bennett would be relegated to uncle.
He rubbed a hand against his chest. The very thought actually caused his heart to ache. What was he supposed to do about that? He loved the little girl that Grace carried. Almost as much as he loved Grace.
Around the time he’d accepted how he felt about the baby, he’d forced himself to accept how he felt about Grace. The problem was that he was pretty sure that Grace didn’t feel the same way. She’d rejected him as a teenager, but was it possible that once she’d healed from the loss of Franklin—as much as anyone ever truly healed from such a loss—that she might give him another chance? Bennett knew that he had to at least try. If he didn’t, he would have failed already. If he tried and she rejected him, then he would know.
So, while he wasn’t thrilled that he needed to wait to declare his love for her, Bennett knew that if he wanted to have a chance, he had to let her grieve Franklin first. However long that would take.
“Is everyone ready for dessert?”
His mom’s words drew Bennett back to the present, and he glanced across the table in time to see Makayla and Grace exchange a look.
“I’ll help you, Mom,” Makayla said as she got to her feet.
“Thanks, sweetheart. Bennett, why don’t you and Mitch stack the plates so Sammi and Dalton can bring them into the kitchen. Danica, you and Sierra can help me put away the food, and Tristan, you can load the dishwasher.”
His mom had always been super organized with them. From the moment she’d started watching Steve’s boys, she’d kept them all on a schedule and had given them all chores. There were no mutterings at the commands she’d given, everyone just got to their feet to do their part. Except for the guests, of course, although he did notice Erin scoot into the kitchen with Makayla and Grace.
Within fifteen minutes, they were all gathered back around the table. Grace sat with a round cake frosted with a fluffy white icing in front of her. Bennett knew it wasn’t her birthday so wondered what the special occasion was.
“As some of you know,” Makayla said as she put down a large stack of dessert plates. “Grace had an ultrasound done this week. As part of the scan, they were able to tell her the sex of her baby.”
Bennett sat back in his chair as a cheer went up around the table, exchanging a smile with Grace.
“We thought it would be fun to do a gender reveal tonight with the help of a cake from Erin.” Makayla gave Erin a quick wave. “We had Erin bake two cakes that are identical on the outside, so even she doesn’t know the gender. So now, we’ll have Grace cut the cake and show us whether we’re going to be welcoming a little girl or a little boy into the family.”
“How about we do a poll before the reveal?” Steve suggested.
Everyone quickly jumped on board with that idea and starting with Tami, they went around the table, each giving their vote. It was no surprise that Tami, Sammi, Danica, and Sierra went with girl, and Dalton, Mitch, and Tristan all said boy. Bennett passed since he didn’t want to give anything away. Several people knew he’d gone with Grace to the ultrasound. Makayla also refused to vote. In the end, girl got the most votes.
“Now, let’s see who was right,” his mom said, a broad grin on her face. He supposed that even though Grace was not related by birth or marriage, his mom was looking at her baby as a grandchild. And no doubt she planned to spoil it like one.
Grace got to her feet and picked up the large knife that lay next to the cake. She carefully made first one cut, then another, before using the pie server to pull the piece out.
There were cheers and groans as she pulled it out far enough for people to get a glimpse of pink. Grace’s smile at the reveal was the biggest Bennett had seen on her face since Franklin’s death. It certainly was a sight better than her reaction at the ultrasound. He’d wondered why she hadn’t been happier or more excited, but perhaps she had just needed time for it all to sink in. It couldn’t be easy to lose a husband and then gain a child while still grieving.
Whatever her feelings, he was just glad to see that at that moment, she seemed happy.
20
Grace hadn’t been sure how the evening would go. Just by the very nature of what the dinner had been planned for, the spotlight would be on her—at least at the end. She hadn’t been sure she was ready for that, but then she’d remembered that each person there had been a part of her life for awhile and supported her unconditionally. They wouldn’t judge her if she started crying or if she laughed and smiled. This was her place of safety.
As they all settled down to eat their piece of cake, Grace fielded the question she had anticipated.
“So what’re you gonna name the baby, Gracie?” Dalton asked before he’d even taken a single bite of cake.
“I’m not sure yet,” Grace admitted. “I’m still getting used to the idea of having a daughter.”
“Now this might be a good use of Google,” Dalton remarked as he pointed his fork at her. “Names for baby girls. You’d have a ton to choose from, and then you could Google for the meaning of any name you’re considering. You wouldn’t want a name that meant breath of onions or face of an ox.”
“Oh my goodness, Dalton,” Emily exclaimed. “Where do you come up with this stuff?”
Dalton shrugged. “Who knows. It usually just pops into my head.”
“You mean it just pops out of your mouth,” Bennett said. “I’m not sure it’s lingering long enough in your brain for you to consider whether or not you should actually say it.”
“Hey. I’m bringing up a valid use for Google. After all, maybe if Mom and Dad had used it before choosing Dalton, I might not have ended up with a name that means valley town or the settlement in the valley. I mean seriously! Would it have killed you to look up the meaning before saddling me with this name?”
As snickers sounded around the table, people began to pull out their phones even though—for the most part—mealtime was phone-free at the Callaghan-McFadden house. Makayla was the first to share the meaning of her name.
“Well, it’s derived from Michael which means who is like God.” Makayla glanced over at Grace. “What does your name mean?”
Grace stared at her phone for a moment before answering. “Apparently, it means God’s favor.”
As Bennett watched her frown, he figured that she was trying to work out how her name might reflect on her life. With so many losses, she probably didn’t feel like she had God’s favor.
Bennett was surprised to see that his own name meant blessed, and he decided that he liked that meaning because it truly reflected how he felt most of the time.
As more meanings were shared, the consensus was that Tami had been gypped like Dalton since her full name—Tamara—meant palm tree. Mitch felt that his name’s meaning—gift from God—truly reflected how he’d always felt people should view him. That brought on more laughter, but it was Tristan’s name that they all agreed was the least accurate in its meaning.
“Tumult. Outcry. Noise,” Tristan responded when asked his name’s meaning.
Given that he was the quietest member of the family, those words couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Nobody tell Kenton that his name means royal chieftain,”
Dalton suggested. “His ego won’t fit through the door.”
Soon the discussion turned to possible baby names for Grace’s little girl. Grace herself didn’t make any suggestions although as the name ideas veered into the bizarre—such as Dalton’s suggestion that she combine various family members’ names—she finally started to exercise her power of veto.
“Thankfully I still have plenty of time to come up with a name,” Grace said. “Knowing that I can buy pink stuff is good enough for now. I don’t need to have it monogrammed as well.”
Though Bennett had already known the gender of the baby, he was glad that he had made it for the reveal. It was fun to see Grace embracing the pregnancy, though he was sure that she still had struggles with it. Seeing her smile made him smile.
When Grace started to yawn a short time later, the evening wound down pretty quickly. Since everyone had pitched in to clean up, there wasn’t much to do before people started to leave. Bennett stayed after everyone had left in order to talk to his dad about the meeting that had made him late for dinner.
“I had someone approach me this week about a possible land sale,” Bennett said when he and his dad had settled into chairs in his dad’s office.
“What type of land?”
C&M Builders didn’t usually buy or sell the properties they worked on except for the houses they flipped. Normally, they worked with a developer who had land they wanted to build on. They’d worked on single homes, and they’d worked on subdivisions, but for the most part, they never owned the land.
“It’s a chunk of sub-dividable land along Henderson Highway. Sixteen acres.”
“So are you wanting to purchase the land? Do you think with what we’re taking on because of the Denton Homes scandal that that’s a good idea?”
Bennett sat back in his chair. “I was actually thinking more on the personal side rather than business.”
For the Love of Grace: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 2) Page 18