easier than it’s ever been. This will end soon, sweetheart. I just need you to trust me.”
“Sweet potato fries?” I whispered into the darkness.
Jared pulled me closer to him and kissed my neck. “Sweet potato fries.”
Saturday morning I awoke to Jared standing beside the bed. He held out my buzzing cell phone and I took it, noting the unhappy look on his face.
“Hello?”
“Good mornin’, sunshine. How was your trip?” Ryan said.
“It was perfect. How was yours?” I said, rubbing my eyes. I couldn’t help but smile, Ryan’s voice was strangely comforting.
“It was fun. You should have been there. You didn’t forget about the Bio test next week, right?”
“You’re calling about the test?” I asked, immediately suspicious of his ulterior motives.
“No. That’s just my lame excuse. I’m calling because I haven’t heard your voice in a week and I miss you.”
I could tell by the tension in Jared’s jaw that he could hear Ryan perfectly clear. I sighed, “Thank you. I didn’t forget.”
Ryan chuckled. “Good. I’ll see you Sunday night?”
“What’s Sunday night?”
“You’re coming back to Brown Sunday night. Or did you change your mind and move in?”
I sighed. “No. I’m coming back, but not until late…I’m having dinner with Jared’s family.”
“Oh,” Ryan dramatically exhaled, making a loud noise into the phone. “Okay, then. I’ll see you Sunday night. Later, kiddo.”
I hung up the phone and made a face.
“What?” Jared asked.
“He’s being…weird. He’s being really nice.”
“I heard,” Jared frowned, sitting beside me.
“He’s up to something,” I grimaced.
Jared watched me for a moment and smiled. “I can’t say I blame him. I’ve been in his shoes, and I can testify that it’s torture being in love with you and seeing you with someone else. I don’t take a single second with you for granted.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Okay, now you’re up to something.”
Jared laughed and shook his head. “Ryan is working overtime to win you over. I’m just doing everything I can to keep you. You can’t begrudge me that.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. I’ve always been yours.”
Jared took my hand and kissed my new ring, content. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
As the evening approached, I grew increasingly nervous. Jared reassured me that Lillian was very fond of me, but it didn’t help to calm my fears.
As soon as we walked in, the wonderful smell from my childhood saturated my senses. Jared’s mother greeted us in the foyer and I grinned how much Jared looked like her. She hadn’t changed, only this time in a sage green apron. Her long blonde hair caressed her shoulders, and her wide, blue-grey eyes wrinkled with her broad smile. She approached me with open arms.
“Nina! Nina…it’s so good to see you, honey. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” She hugged me tightly, and then pulled Jared in to kiss his cheek. The plant Jared held caught her eye. “This is for me?”
“Nina insisted we bring you something. I tried to tell her the poor thing would be dead in a week.”
“Oh! Jared…you’re so silly,” she giggled, lightly smacking his shoulder.
I could see why an angel would fall in love with her. She was a beacon of light, and love seemed to pour from her every word.
“Come in! Come and sit, dinner is almost ready,” she said, carrying the small plant with her.
Bex’s eyes brightened as he stood to greet me.
Jared gestured to the boy. “Nina, this is my little brother, Bex. Bex, this is Nina Grey.”
“Nice to meet you,” Bex said, surprising me with a hug. His blonde hair was nearly white, and his big, blue- grey eyes matched his freshly ironed shirt. Even at eleven, his muscles were already well on their way to his older brother’s size, and he was almost as tall as I. Jared watched me with adoration as I hugged his brother. Bex pulled out my chair and I smiled appreciatively before taking a seat.
I caught Claire rolling her eyes and Jared cleared his throat.
“Claire? Could you help me in the kitchen for a moment?” I heard Lillian say in a slightly firmer tone than she’d had moments before. Claire stiffened and then quickly joined her mother in the kitchen.
I sat between Bex and Jared as Lillian and a significantly more affable Claire brought the dishes of food to the table.
I felt seven years old again as Lillian circled the table, scooping out side dishes to each plate. After Lillian served me, she leaned down and kissed my cheek.
“I have missed you, sweet Nina,” she crooned.
When she retreated to the kitchen, Jared pulled me to him and kissed me affectionately. “I told you. She loves you.”
I smiled, feeling a little overwhelmed at the outpouring of love. Aside from Jared, the only person that I felt loved me so deeply was my father. It felt as if I’d had a secret family my entire life that I wasn’t aware of. They had all — but one— loved me from afar and watched me grow. Gabe’s occasional proud paternal glances made more sense, now.
I looked over at Claire and wondered why they didn’t regard me in the same way that she did. My family had kept Gabe away much of the time, and now I occupied the majority of Jared’s and, until recently, Claire’s time. I couldn’t fathom the pure goodness in Lillian for loving me despite what my family had done to hers, but she sat across from me, watching me like I was a long lost daughter that had finally returned home.
I looked down to my food, the deluge of emotion threatening to bring tears to my eyes.
“Nina?” Jared whispered, gently touching my knee.
I nervously chuckled. “I’m fine,” I said, looking up at him as if he’d given me the greatest gift in the world.
He was confused at first, but my overwhelming happiness prompted a wide grin across his face. We ate and laughed as Lillian and Bex told funny stories about Jared. Even Claire allowed herself to laugh a few times. Jared and I shared our time in Little Corn, and Lillian rushed over to look at my ring, kissing her son on the head in approval.
Lillian looked at her watch and smiled at her youngest son. “I’m afraid it’s bedtime, Bex,” she smiled.
Bex fought a look of disappointment and nodded, stopping to hug me before he retreated upstairs.
“Wow. What a great kid,” I mused, watching him leave.
“He is. All of my children are exceptional,” she said, watching Bex as he climbed towards the second floor.
“Yes they are,” I enthusiastically agreed. We all shared a laugh at that, and Claire cleared the table of our pie plates.
Jared leaned over to kiss my forehead and Lillian beamed with joy. “You make my son the happiest I have ever seen him. You don’t know how wonderful it is to see finally see him smile that way.”
I looked at Jared, who scanned my face with deep adoration. He touched my cheek and I tore my eyes away from his affectionate stare, embarrassed by the intimate way we were behaving in front of his mother.
I struggled to deflect the three pairs of eyes staring at me. “So…how does that work? Bex having a bed time, I mean. Isn’t he awake by midnight?” I asked.
Lillian’s musical laugh filled the air. “He really has told you everything, hasn’t he?” she said, winking at her son. “The younger they are, the more they sleep. They slept almost as much as other infants when they were newborns. By their first birthdays they no longer need naps, but they still slept nearly through the night. My goodness, you and I would have our work cut out for us if we had babies that only slept two hours a day!” She laughed again and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.
Jared shifted in his seat. “We haven’t really…discussed that, yet, Mom.”
