Temporary Dad

by Laura Marie Altom

  Kids bickered at school all the time.

  Her parents had petty arguments and then made up. Even her grandparents. Okay, she acknowledged that Jed had the right to be upset with his sister—but to yell at her?

  Annie rubbed her bare arms.

  She should have worn something more substantial than this flimsy sundress. She was cold. Would she ever feel warm again?

  The doorbell rang.

  Her heart lurched.

  “He’s early.” Her grandmother put the lid on her biggest pot, then whipped off her apron and set it on the counter. “Give this a stir every few minutes, and be sure not to burn the rolls.”

  “But—where are you going?”

  “Scrabble club.” She kissed Annie’s cheek. “Bye, sweetie. Have fun.”

  “But—”

  Someone knocked on the back door.

  “Good,” her grandmother said. “There’s my ride.”

  Whoever it was knocked again.

  “I’m coming, Lu! Keep your shorts on!”

  “Grandma Rose, you can’t just—”

  “I might be late, so don’t wait up.”

  How could her grandmother do this to her?

  As if the woman had read her mind, she poked her head back around the kitchen door and said, “Oh, and in case you’re wondering, this is something Dr. Phil calls tough love. You’ve got to tell Jed about Troy, sweetie. Don’t let your fears of the past ruin your future.” She blew her a kiss, and then she was really gone.

  Fear pressed heavily against Annie’s chest. She wasn’t sure what she was more afraid of—Jed or how he’d react to the knowledge of her first marriage.

  After having some time to think about it, Annie had to wonder if her grandmother was right. Maybe Jed was the great guy she’d first thought.

  So if Jed wasn’t the reason she’d run away, then what was she running from? Her own fears and insecurities.

  What if Jed thought less of her once he found out about the creep she’d married?

  Pulse thudding in her ears, Annie’s eyes darted around the room.

  She had to get out of here.

  She could drive back to her condo.

  Yes.

  That was a great plan.

  Run.

  Hide.

  Her purse was on the hall table, but what had she done with her keys? They had to be here somewhere. She yanked the leather bag open wide.

  In the zipper compartment? No.

  The only thing in there was Pia’s pink bow. How many times had she put it on the little angel, only to have it slip off? And that was how it’d ended up in here that day at Wal-Mart when Annie had decided it was a choking hazard.

  The doorbell rang.

  She looked up, and saw Jed peering through the window beside the door.

  Her mouth went dry.

  “Hey,” he said, his voice muffled but still dearly familiar.

  Oh, God, why had she left him?

  He wasn’t a monster like Troy.

  He was her dear, sweet Jed. She didn’t deserve him. She didn’t deserve anyone, she—

  The door creaked open. “You scared the hell out of me,” he said, walking inside, then easing the door shut behind him. “Why didn’t you tell me about your ex?”

  She bowed her head. “My grandmother has a big mouth.”

  “I don’t know about that. I like her big mouth. I think you’re right—we really do need to fix her up with King.”

  “Oh, Jed…” Annie crossed the short distance to him, flinging her arms around him in a sobbing hug. “Please, just hold me.”

  He did. Tightly and sweetly.

  “Wh-when I heard you yelling at Patti,” she said, “I—something inside me snapped. I’m not sure what happened. My marriage to Troy has been over for years. It barely lasted three months.” She paused for breath, then went on, unable to stop the flow of emotions and words. “Grams was sick. She’d been diagnosed with breast cancer and I thought I was losing her. I thought I’d be totally alone in the world. But then I met Troy at this party and he seemed like the answer to my prayers. I was so vulnerable and he took care of me. But there were signs. When Grandma lost her hair, he made fun of her with his friends when he thought I wasn’t listening. At first, they were little things, but I should’ve paid attention. I knew he was bad, Jed, but I was so insecure, so afraid of being alone. But with him, I learned there are some things scarier than being alone.”

  She began crying again. Hard, racking, ugly sobs. Jed simply held her. Eventually he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the sofa where she’d sat just last night fearing her life was over. Only now she knew it’d only begun.

  “We’re going to slow things down,” he said, smoothing her hair back from her forehead, kissing her eyebrows and cheeks. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take you on at least a hundred dates. Then, when you’re convinced I would never—could never—hurt you, I want you to think about—just think about—being my wife. Could you do that?”

  Still crying, but now tears of joy, she nodded against his chest. He smelled so good. Like hot summer air and mountains and forests…

  Snug on his lap with her arms around his neck, Annie released years of tension. He was so gentle and so strong. Strong enough to protect her and their children and her grandmother and Patti and her husband and children and the whole of their wonderful new combined family.

  And Annie had become stronger. She’d finally forgiven herself for getting involved with losers like Conner and Troy.

  And suddenly, there, in Jed’s arms, she was no longer alone, but united with many.

  She no longer wanted to spend her Saturday nights reading decorating magazines and painting her bathroom. She wanted to sit at laughter-filled tables, playing Scrabble or cards or talking until they ran out of stories to tell.

  But because they’d all have each other, there’d be more stories.

  More laughter.

  More love.

  “What’s going through that head of yours?” Jed asked.

  “How happy I am. But also how sorry I am for ever doubting you. I heard you raise your voice and…just lost it.”

  Wiping her cheeks with his thumbs, Jed said, “If you’d bothered to tell me about your ex, I would’ve known not to raise my voice around you. None of this would’ve happened.”

  She shook her head. “You can’t walk on eggshells for me. That’s not fair.”

  “Well, you can’t go on being afraid.”

  “I know. That’s why I want to talk to a professional about this stuff. What we have is too special to risk losing because of ghosts in my head.”

  “Does your ex live around here?”

  “Last I heard, he moved out to L.A. trying to be a personal trainer to the stars. His body was all he ever cared about. He wanted me to stand around looking pretty. He didn’t appreciate it when I wanted more.”

  “Is that why you never went on to further your degree?”

  “Yes. Dumb, huh?”

  A sad laugh escaped him. “Considering what you’d been put through, it sounds more like self-preservation.”

  “Just hold me,” she said. “Hold me, and if I ever flip out on you again, remind me who you are and what we share.”

  “Will do,” he said, cradling her even closer.

  He held her and held her until her pulse slowed and her eyes dried. Until she felt confident and ready to face the world.

  “I hate to ruin this moment,” he said, “especially when you feel so damned good up against me, but is something burning?”

  Annie jumped from his lap. “Grandma’s chicken and dumplings—and the rolls!” She ran into the kitchen with Jed right behind her. “I hope we’re not too late to save it. She worked so hard.”

  Jed slipped an oven mitt on his hand and lifted the pot’s lid. “Looks all right to me,” he said.

  Annie nudged him aside. “It can’t be.” She took a wooden spoon from the counter and gave the foul-smelling brew a stir.
“Ugh. Grandma’s going to be so upset.”

  “What’s the matter with it?”

  “Look.” She stepped aside to let Jed see the inch of brownish gunky black lining the bottom of the pot.

  She turned off the oven. A peek inside showed her the rolls hadn’t fared much better.

  Jed hefted the pot off the stove and placed it in the sink, filling it with hot water. “I’m pretty hungry, now that I think of it. A home-cooked meal would’ve really hit the spot.”

  “I’m not as good a cook as grandma, but she keeps her pantry and freezer stocked. I could scrounge up something.”

  “Are you sure? We could go out.” He put his hand on her bare shoulder and she leaned into his touch. Warmth. Blessed warmth.

  Suddenly it was Christmas Day all over again, but this time, she got everything she’d ever wanted. Her deluxe art set. The Barbie Dream House and matching Ken.

  Only his name was Jed.

  And he was hotter.

  Way hotter.

  Annie opened the freezer door and said, “Let’s see—steaks, chops, spaghetti, waffles.”

  “Let’s do breakfast for dinner. You do the waffles. Got any eggs? I make a mean omelet.”

  While she unearthed waffles, Jed started a game of fridge Twister, reaching under and around her in the fridge to find the eggs. And in such a simple act, such a simple blessing, Annie knew she had finally found her new family, her home.

  Epilogue

  Four years later

  Despite the rowdy sports-bar atmosphere in the theater room where hundreds of spectators had assembled to watch that year’s crowning of the National Scrabble Champion, Annie clamped her sweaty hands together, and nibbled the inside of her lower lip.

  Three-year-old Olivia squirmed in her seat. “Mommy! This dress itches.”

  “I know, sweetie,” Annie said. “It’ll just be a little bit longer until Grandma Rose and Grandpa King’s game is over.”

  “Who do you think’s going to win?” Jed asked, scooping Liv out of her seat and onto his lap.

  Annie winked. “My money’s always on Grandma, but after she beat King so soundly last year, I feel sorry for him.”

  Liv tucked her head full of blond curls under her daddy’s chin and closed her gold-flecked brown eyes.

  The sight of her daughter snuggled up against Jed never failed to warm her. How had she gotten so lucky? How had they all gotten so lucky?

  King and her grandmother were vying for the title of National Scrabble Champ, but once the gloves came off, they’d be that much more in love. King had finally struck his silver vein, and Annie’s grandmother had been right there beside him. After hitting it off at King’s New Year’s party, the two became inseparable. After a six-month whirlwind romance, they’d married and had a gorgeous ceremony at the top of Mosquito Pass.

  When the two of them weren’t doing the Scrabble circuit, they were star speakers of the amateur prospecting conference circuit.

  Annie was in med school, earning her child psychiatry degree. The commute and school hours were long, but Jed was always willing to help—at least when he wasn’t working. He was on his way to becoming Pecan’s fire chief.

  Patti held her hand in front of Ronnie’s mouth. He spat a purple wad of gum onto her palm.

  “Ew.” Annie grimaced.

  “Hey, a mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do.” And what a great mom Patti had turned out to be. She was a whirlwind of cookie-baking and volunteering while Howie had taken a managerial position at Pecan’s bread factory.

  “Oh my gosh.” With her clean hand, Patti grabbed Annie’s forearm and squeezed. “After that last word, they’re tied. Have they ever had a tie score this late in the game?”

  “I don’t know,” Annie said. “Grandma’s the pro, not me.”

  While the ESPN host and expert Scrabble co-host talked about strategy and odds, Annie closed her eyes and willed the match to be over. Winning this year’s title would mean a lot to King, but it would also mean the world to her grandmother.

  Liv asleep in his arms, Jed leaned close to his wife. “After the big victory party, how about you and me give the rug rat to my sis, then play our own championship game of strip Scrabble?”

  Swatting him, Annie said, “How can you say that at a time like this?”

  Grinning, eyes bright with laughter and love, he said, “I had to do something to get your mind off the outcome of this game. You do realize it won’t be the end of the world for either of them if they lose?”

  “I know, but—”

  He stopped her latest round of worries with a spell-binding kiss.

  Wild cheers went up around them along with enthusiastic applause signaling the end of the game.

  Jed paused their kiss long enough to ask, “Who won?”

  Now it was Annie’s turn to smile. When it came to having the perfect husband, child, friends and family, the answer to that question was a no-brainer. Who won? “Me.”

  ISBN: 978-1-4603-6940-1

  TEMPORARY DAD

  Copyright © 2005 by Laura Marie Altom.

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