“Annie.”
“Hmm?”
“I hate to ruin a good moment, but the kids…”
“Oh, my God!” she said, sitting straight up and pulling the sheet up to her chin.
“Settle down,” he soothed. “They’re not in the room, but they are likely to be getting home soon and we probably should not be in here.”
“Good thinking,” she said, gathering up her clothes, which had been flung from one end of the bedroom to the other. “You get out. I’m taking a shower.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “One last kiss.”
Her lips were still warm and tasted of salt and musk. It was all he could do to relinquish her. Finally, swatting her gently on the bottom, he said, “Go. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were seated at the kitchen table with the overly done meal in front of them when the truck doors began slamming outside.
“You’d better eat fast,” Hank advised. “We were supposed to eat the chicken before it turned to leather.”
Ann’s eyes widened. “You mean you weren’t responsible for all this?”
“Nope. Your sweet, innocent children set the scene tonight for the great seduction. I think they got tired of leaving it to us.”
“Are we supposed to tell them how it turned out?”
Hank glanced pointedly at Ann’s glowing face and her hastily donned bathrobe. “I don’t think we’ll have to say a word,” he said as the back door creaked open.
Tracy stuck her head in hesitantly. “Don’t mind us. I just wanted you to know we’re home. We’ll go in the front door.”
“That’s not really necessary,” Ann said.
“It’s not?” Tracy said, her voice instantly filled with disappointment. “How come?”
“Because this is your house and you don’t have to go tiptoeing around in the dark outside.”
Tracy glanced at Hank hopefully. “Did you like dinner?”
“It was very special. Now why don’t you just go ahead and ask what you really want to know?”
At his teasing tone, a broad grin broke over her face. “Did it work?”
He glanced over at Ann and winked. “That depends on exactly what you had in mind. I did ask Ann to marry me.”
There was a barely smothered whoop from the crowd of kids huddling in the dark behind Tracy. The door opened wider and all six faces peered at Ann.
“And?” Jason demanded impatiently.
“I said yes.”
“Oh, wow!” Tracy sighed dreamily.
“Fantastic!”
“We’re going to be a real family?” David asked.
“A real family,” Hank promised. His eyes intent on Ann’s, he added, “All of us.”
With Hank’s promise echoing in her ears, she held out her arms to Melissa, who came running. With a lump in his throat, Hank watched the chubby-cheeked toddler crawl into Ann’s lap and lay her head sleepily against Ann’s breast. No matter what it took, he vowed to fight for Melissa and win. He would keep them all together.
“I think we should celebrate,” Jason said, sounding very mature until his voice skidded up, then back down, in midsentence.
“Good idea,” Hank and Ann concurred as Jason opened the refrigerator door, then turned to stare at them, a puzzled expression on his face. “The strawberries and stuff are still in here. What have you guys been doing all this time? We’ve been gone for hours.”
“Jason!” Tracy said. “How dumb are you?”
He immediately blushed a fiery shade of red, then grinned with impish enthusiasm. “I guess it worked pretty good.”
“I guess it did,” Hank said, reaching over to take Ann’s hand. “Better than I’d ever dreamed possible.”
Epilogue
The backyard was filled with pink balloons. They were tied to the backs of lawn chairs. Like bunches of colorful coconuts, they dangled from the palm trees. They floated above the redwood picnic table that was laden with brightly wrapped packages.
“Hey, Dad, what do you think?” David called as Hank rounded the corner of the house.
Hank followed the sound of David’s voice and finally spotted him high up in the banyan tree. “I think you’d better get down from that tree before your mother catches you and has a heart attack.”
“His mother is up here with him,” Ann said, parting the branches and peering down at him. Hank’s breath caught in his throat. “We’re decorating.”
“Ann,” he began in a choked voice as his heart thumped unsteadily. The woman obviously had nerves of steel. His own had taken a decided beating over the past year.
“Don’t be such a worrywart,” she chided, lowering herself awkwardly from a sturdy limb to the top rung of a stepladder. “I was climbing ladders long before you came along. Who do you think painted the house?”
That was not a point he cared to discuss while his wife was dangling from a tree. He still hadn’t gotten accustomed to the hodgepodge of colors. For the moment, he intended to stick to her tree-climbing activities.
“You were not six months’ pregnant at the time,” he reminded her, holding the ladder steady as she descended.
“I am a little more ungainly than usual,” she admitted, patting her swollen belly. “You never answered us. How do the balloons look?”
“Plentiful. Who’s blowing them up?”
“Liz. Last time I checked her lips were turning blue. You might want to relieve her.”
“I don’t do balloons,” he said emphatically.
“What exactly do you do?” she teased. “I haven’t seen you since breakfast. Have you been hiding?”
“I’ve been having a long talk with Tracy’s new boyfriend.”
Ann groaned. “Hank, you have not cross-examined that boy, have you? Tracy will kill you.”
“No, she won’t,” he said smugly. “She gave me the list of questions.”
“In that case, did he pass?”
“For a nineteen-year-old with pimples and hair longer than Tracy’s, he displays remarkable maturity. If they date no more than once a month, I might consider giving them permission to marry in another five or ten years.”
Ann rolled her eyes. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that. Has Jason gotten home yet?”
“He and Paul are inside putting together Melissa’s new dollhouse. He’s already made several modifications to the original design. Todd’s so impressed, he’s in there now trying to convince him to study architecture.”
“Where’s Melissa?”
“With Tommy.
