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“Aw, baby, are you ready for bed? I’ll get you a drink of milk, and then you can brush your teeth and go to bed, okay?”
“No.”
She laughed, picking him up to kiss. Pushing the glass away when he had enough milk, Stevie was tired in spite of two naps. Stress. She propped him on her lap on the closed toilet while she brushed his teeth.
“You’re going to sleep well tonight, mister.”
He mumbled something about going to visit his father, which Annie just laughed off, thinkingover my dead body.
Back out on the porch after putting him into his crib, she enjoyed the candlelight and the silence except for a croaking frog that sounded like it was close. Closing her eyes, a moment of peace washed over her, it’s origin unknown. The carefree days of youth had disappeared so quickly. She flicked away a tear, missing her mother and father suddenly, her comfortable bedroom in their house that they’d turned into a media room the second she got married.
She’d never forget the humiliation of having to tell her parents that she was getting a divorce. It wasn’t like she had much choice; Steve was in love with someone else. Maggie forced her to call and let them know, telling her that her parents wouldn’t allow her to suffer financially. But it had backfired. They were furious with her.
“You should have never gotten pregnant in the first place,” her mother had admonished.
They’d come to the wedding, but she hadn’t seen them since. They’d never seen their grandson.
The calming effects of the wine soon wore off, and instead of pouring another glass like she really wanted to do, she would sit at the kitchen table and work on her thesis until after midnight.
Glancing up at the clock above the stove, she could keep working but thought it would be wiser to go to bed. Stevie would be up with the sun and she’d take him to day care and resume working. She got up and stretched side to side. Reluctantly, she closed and locked the door to the porch. Then, checking her phone for texts, a wave of sadness washed over her when she realized she hadn’t heard from Chris since he’d left.
Chapter 6
Late Monday afternoon, Chris Harcourt pulled into the parking lot of his late ex-wife’s house in Mobile. Ben and Joel had been watching for him and were at his car door the second he stopped. Both were inconsolable.
“Come on, guys, let’s go inside. I have food here.”
“I can’t eat,” Joel said, weeping. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”
“What happened?” Chris asked, embracing his sons. “She seemed fine when I talked to her Saturday morning.”
“She lied. On the way home from Cypress Cove, she let Joel drive and you know what a control freak she is about that. She lay in back the whole trip. And then Sunday she got worse and finally agreed to go to the hospital. They scheduled her for surgery Monday morning and that was the last time we saw her.”
“Boys, I’m so sorry.” He hugged them, listening to their despair. It didn’t take long for them to calm down. “Help me get this stuff inside.”
He’d stopped at his favorite chicken place and got the family dinner, but it wasn’t necessary because friends and family had been stopping by all afternoon.
“Kirk is inside and he’s a mess,” Ben said.
“I bet. We’ll take care of him,” Chris replied.
“Are you going to let us come home with you?” Joel asked.
“What about school?”
“I’ll telecommute,” he answered. “I don’t have classwork now anyway; it’s all independent study until I graduate in June.”
“What about you, Ben? You’re a freshman. Don’t you have to go to class?”
“I’ll transfer to Saint John’s Parish,” he said. “The second semester doesn’t start for another week.”
“Okay, if that’s what you want,” Chris replied, resigned. “What about Kirk?”
“He won’t care. Kirk has been waiting for the day we leave, Dad. Trust us.”
They carried everything inside and set the food up with all the other dishes people had brought. For the next hours, Chris reunited with former in-laws, including Cindy’s parents, grandparents, cousins, and siblings.
By ten, the last visitors left and Chris was alone with his sons. Exhausted, Kirk had had enough and was in the room he’d formerly shared with Cindy.
