“And that’s when you decided that you wanted to stay the way you were and not compromise?” Margie asked.
Amber’s eyes pricked with tears. “I suppose it was.” She wiped her hand over her eyes. “It was so long ago. I don’t really think of it anymore.” But that was the moment when Amber had decided that she didn’t want a husband and kids. She wanted her freedom more than love and marriage.
“Fabian said your dad was a traditional man who liked his wife to stay home and play house…” Margie paused. “Huh.”
“What?” Amber asked as she went back to hammering the nail into the sawed lumber.
“I’m your mother.” Her cheeks flushed pink. “Your brother married his mother.”
Amber burst out laughing. “No.” She waved her finger at Margie. “You are not my mother, believe me.”
“Are you sure?” Margie asked as Kelos carried more boards toward them.
Amber was momentarily distracted by the man who was her mate. The man who wanted her to marry him and raise a family with him. Was she ready to give up her freedom now? For love?
Yes.
Her view of her mother shifted dramatically. For love, she would make sacrifices.
Just as Margie had made sacrifices when Fabian had agreed to testify. No matter how much she complained, Margie had never told Fabian to drop his testimony. Amber was certain if Margie asked that was exactly what Fabian would do.
He would also sacrifice a part of himself for love. For his wife and his children.
“No, you are not my mother. You are you, Margie. And Fabian loves you and the kids so much.” She placed the hammer on the board and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her sister-in-law. “You deserve each other, and you deserve to be happy.”
“And so do you, Amber,” Margie whispered in her ear. “You don’t have to give up who you are for love. Sure, you have to make tweaks. But you are still you.”
“Thanks, Margie.” Amber let go of her sister-in-law and wiped her eyes. “Let’s get this finished and then we can go eat. I expect the kids are starving.”
“The kids.” Margie looked up suddenly as if the word had triggered her paranoia.
“They’re still in the back yard,” Kelos told Margie before his eyes slid over to Amber. If she wasn’t mistaken, Kelos had heard every word of her conversation with Margie. Of course, he would with his enhanced senses. He wouldn’t even have needed to try.
But she didn’t mind. Not one bit.
“I should go and check on them.” Margie straightened up and surveyed her work before she twirled the hammer in her hand and slipped it into her tool belt. “That was kind of fun.”
“And have you worked through your anxiety and stress?” Amber asked as she inserted the next piece of cut wood into place.
“You know, I think I have.” Margie stretched her arms over her head and rolled her shoulders. “Although something tells me I’m going to ache in the morning.”
“But you’ll also get a good night’s sleep.” Shawn came across to join them. “I have to go.”
“Maybe we should pack away the tools,” Kelos suggested, although his expression as he eyed the half-finished porch said that he’d like to carry on and get it finished. Amber would have offered for them to carry on together, but her hands and her shoulders ached.
“We can finish it tomorrow after you come home from work,” Amber suggested.
“Yeah.” He nodded wistfully. “Tomorrow.”
“I can come along after work. I’ll also give Joey a call. He’ll come and help out. Especially if you throw in a couple of beers and some homecooked food.”
“Oh, I’ll cook,” Margie offered. “If I give you a list of groceries, you could go get them tomorrow, can’t you, Amber?”
“Sure.” She nodded. “I’ll drive into town in the morning and then help with any preparations before Kelos gets home. Then we can all work on the porch.”
With a sense of accomplishment, she helped Kelos collect the tools and carry them to his impressive shed, while Margie and Shawn went around the house to find the kids.
“Did you enjoy the work?” Kelos asked as he placed his toolbox in its place and hung up the tool belt Margie had worn.
“Are you kidding me? This is what I live for. I love being able to step back and look at what I’ve accomplished.” Amber grinned. “You don’t believe me.”
“I do.” He matched her grin. “See, we’re a perfect match.”
“We are.” She nodded and sighed. “Probably more than you think.”
“Oh?” Kelos asked as he hung the saw on its hook.
“Yeah. You know, with Shawn saying about you buying this place because it was cheap… I like to live frugally, too.” She cocked her head to one side as he dropped the hammer, which nearly landed on his foot. Only his quick reactions took his toes out of harm’s way. “Sorry.”
“Shawn really was teasing me.” Kelos leaned down and picked up the hammer, giving Amber a chance to ogle his long lean thighs and his toned butt. “I could have bought a more expensive house.”
“It’s okay. I like that you are frugal.” She took a couple of steps backward as he placed the hammer in the toolbox and shut the lid. “I’d rather live that way than in debt.”
He arched one eyebrow. “It’s not that I don’t have money. I just don’t like parting with it.”
“Good. I like that. I’m not frivolous either.” Amber got the impression she’d hit a nerve and would be much better not talking.
“In that, we are the same. I am definitely not frivolous.” He followed her out of the shed and shut the doors behind them. He didn’t speak while he shot the bolt home and locked the shed securely. “After dinner, if you are not too tired from working on the porch, would you come with me into the mountains?”
Amber looked at the high peaks, her legs ached just thinking about walking back up the trail. “I’ll wear my shoes out hiking up and down
