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“Shh. It’s okay, Mom,” Caleb said in a gentle voice.
“It’s fine, Mom. We’re all going to be fine,” Parker said, wishing he was as sure of it as he sounded. Would they be all right? If their parents couldn’t hold their marriage together, what hope did the rest of them have of ever finding their happily ever after? It was so depressing, but he knew he had to be the bigger person in this moment in order to support them. There would be plenty of time later to mourn the loss of his parents’ marriage.
“Why don’t we eat?” Jason asked. “There’s nothing we can’t get through together and with a hearty dose of Mom’s meat loaf.”
Parker chuckled, along with a few others at the table. Although their mother was a fabulous cook, meat loaf was her Achilles’ heel. It was tasteless and chewy. But no matter how many times she failed at making it, Penelope kept trying to get it right, much to her family’s chagrin.
“I didn’t make meat loaf,” Penelope said, the corners of her mouth twitching with mirth. “I made brisket.”
“Now that’s good news,” Micah teased.
Shayla still seemed inconsolable, her face awash in tears. The tip of her nose was pink and her cheeks were red. Ever since she was a toddler, Shayla had been extremely expressive when she was crying or upset. Although things had changed a bit as she grew older, Shayla still was overly sensitive.
“Chin up,” Jude said, cupping Shayla’s chin in his fingers and pushing it slightly upwards.
She blinked back tears. “Chin up,” she murmured.
“Why don’t we join hands and pray over the food,” Jason suggested, holding out his hands on either side of him. Everyone joined hands. Parker bowed his head and listened as Jason blessed the food.
“Lord, please bless this food that was so lovingly prepared by our parents. Please watch over our family, Lord, as we navigate our way through this new chapter of our lives. May we strengthen the ties that bind us together and treat each other with compassion and love. Amen.”
A chorus of Amens could be heard ringing out around the table. Parker nodded at Jason and shot him a look of appreciation. Prayer for the Donahue family was what they needed more than anything right now. Jason had spoken from the heart and touched upon everything Parker was feeling.
Dinner was a pretty solemn affair. Parker didn’t know what to do to ease the mood. As the eldest, he’d always considered it his duty to cheer up his siblings. Tonight it didn’t seem to be working, but he knew in the weeks and months ahead he would be there for them to shoulder them through the worst of their emotions. The dissolution of a marriage felt like a death, and he knew he and his siblings, along with their parents, would be in mourning.
But they were together tonight as a family, and despite the circumstances, it always felt good to be part of this amazing family dynamic. And he was a realist, but he also knew prayer was a powerful tool. He would pray for reconciliation between his parents. Even though they seemed resigned to the inevitable, there was no way he wasn’t going to pray for them to find their way back to one another.
After a delicious dessert of blackberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream, they all settled down in the living room. One by one they began to drift away to their separate residences. Parker had the feeling each of his siblings wanted to be alone so they could lick their emotional wounds. When it was time to leave, Parker made sure he hugged his mother for an extended period of time. He could see the pain lurking in her eyes. He didn’t want either of his parents to think they had let him down. Life wasn’t ever simple. He had learned that lesson three years ago when Cadence had walked out of his life. And his faith had taught him not to judge.
“Night, Dad,” he said, clinging to his father a little more tightly than usual.
“Night, son. Thanks for your wisdom and grace,” Jude said with a nod. Parker had seen his father cry on very few occasions. At the moment tears pooled in his eyes.
“I learned those things from you,” Parker said, tightly gripping his dad’s hand.
Parker left the house with Nash quietly trailing behind him.
Nash—always the silent Donahue—hadn’t uttered a word throughout dinner or his parents’ announcement about their crumbling marriage. Parker knew with one look he was far from being all right. His eyes always revealed his truths. He was dealing with things as he always did. On the inside.
“Nash. Are you all right?” Parker asked.
Nash shrugged. “I guess so.”
“It’s pretty shocking news. If it’s freaking you out, it’s all right, Nash. We’re all reeling from it.”
Nash nodded. “I know. I just need some time to let it marinate. Night, Parker.” With a wave of his hand, he headed toward his car. For the gazillionth time, Parker found himself wishing his brother would open up to him. But he also
knew that the wounds of Nash’s past still tormented him. As much as he loved him, there wasn’t a single thing he could do to change it. The early years before he had been adopted by Jude and Penelope had left a lot of emotional scars. And he kept a lot of stuff buried inside of him.
Who was he to talk? With the exception of Jason and his father, Parker hadn’t exactly opened up to his family when Cadence had ripped his heart into shreds. Parker had kept most of his feelings bottled up inside. He’d been so afraid of totally losing every ounce of control he possessed. So he’d stuffed those feelings down.
Parker turned around and called out to his brother. Sometimes Nash’s silences worried him. “Nash! Call me if you need anything.”
Nash nodded. He flashed Parker a thumbs-up sign. “I will. Take it easy, Parker.”
Take it easy. Parker wasn’t sure if it was possible for any of the Donahue siblings to rest easy tonight. Although it was his job as the eldest sibling to do his very best to hold things together as much as he could, Parker couldn’t deny his own sadness over his parents’ situation. Jude and Penelope Donahue were the very glue that held their family unit together. Suddenly, he felt afraid of what the future held, not just for his parents, but for all of them. If they couldn’t hold on to their love story, what hope did Parker have for himself?
“We’re all human. And we need forgiveness almost as much as we need love.”
