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“I’ll do the same thing on my end. And I’ll ask my family members to do the same.”
He looked at his watch. It was almost dinner time. He’d promised his folks to attend family dinner this evening. Truthfully, he’d been working so hard all day he had forgotten to grab something to eat. Fairly ironic since he was a chef and bistro owner.
Caleb was going to do something impulsive. He was hoping Addie would say yes.
“I’m having dinner with the family tonight. Would you like to join us?”
“Family is a lifeline. When I’m drowning from the weight of the world, it’s my life preserver. It’s everything!”
Parker Donahue
Chapter Four
Caleb threw out the invitation casually, but for Addie it was anything but casual. It was an unexpected curveball. Dinner? With the Donahue family?
“Who? Me?” Addie asked. She almost wanted to look around her to see if someone else was standing behind her.
Caleb chuckled. It made his handsome features even more pronounced. “Of course, you. I don’t see anyone else standing here.”
“I-I wouldn’t want to impose.” Addie didn’t want to intrude on his family dinner, but she was curious about the large, bustling Donahue family. She loved hearing Caleb talk about his fabulous family members. From what she had gleaned, they were all fairly close in age and some of them like Caleb had been adopted, whereas others were the biological children of Penelope and Jude Donahue. It was all so interesting to Addie, who was now an only child after her twin’s passing.
She felt a twinge of sadness run through her. She missed Tabitha each and every day. And still, after all these years, it didn’t seem fair that she’d lost her life to leukemia at such a tender age. How many times had she asked God to give her the wisdom to understand such a monumental loss? To this day, she still couldn’t fathom how the world had kept turning after Tabitha went to heaven.
“Are you kidding me? It’s not an imposition. The Donahue doors are always open to friends. Ever since I was a kid my folks have drummed that into our heads. And with a family as large as ours, one more only adds to the party.”
“Your family sounds lovely,” Addie said. “I’d be happy to come for dinner.”
“Just a heads up. I think I may have mentioned that my folks adopted several kids.” He smiled broadly. “So, if you see different shades and wonder why we don’t all share a resemblance, that’s why. We’re a big, bustling smorgasbord. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Oh, I remember you telling me you were adopted. I’ve always dreamed of adopting a child one day myself.” She knew her voice sounded wistful. Addie was wearing her heart on her sleeve with regards to the desires of her heart. Sometimes her yearning to be a mother threatened to overwhelm her. She just needed to be patient and let life take its course.
“That’s something we have in common then,” Caleb said. “I’m committed to adopting a few kids of my own once I settle down. Being adopted changed my life. It saved me. I’d like to pay that forward.”
Paying it forward. Addie liked the sound of it. It was so important to nurture future generations. And she had so much love to give to a child. She would adore and cherish any child God saw fit to put in her life. Although she loved both of her parents, there were so many things she would do differently with her own brood. Every day of their lives she would make sure they knew that they were loved and protected. As a child, Addie hadn’t felt safe or protected. The acrimony in her parents’ marriage had gutted her. It had made her withdraw into her own shell. The only one who’d been able to penetrate those walls had been Tabitha.
“Let me go grab my things and then we can drive over. The front of the place is all locked up. You can follow me in your own car if you like, although I’d be happy to drive you over. We’d have to come back here to get your car though.”
“I’ll follow behind you,” she said. “It’s easier all around.”
Once Caleb rounded up his stuff and turned on the security system, then locked up the back door, they headed outside to the parking lot. Addie revved up the engine on her yellow Volkswagen Beetle as Caleb started his engine and pulled in front of her to lead the way. They drove past the scenic road in Pelican Bay. Addie loved this road. Seeing the waves crashing against the shore made her smile. Sea gulls soared in the sky, dipping down towards the ocean to make their catch of the day. As they drove past a curve in the road, Addie saw a beautiful, large home overlooking the beach. As Caleb’s car slowed down and he put on his right signal, Addie let out a deep breath and put her own signal on. They were here. The Donahue parents owned this spectacular home she’d always admired. It seemed like the perfect home in which to raise a rowdy family.
They both pulled into a pebbled driveway already filled with a variety of vehicles.
“You really do have a large family,” Addie joked as she stepped out of her car. Caleb had already emerged from his car, which was parked beside her own.
“Yep. The Donahue clan is an even dozen now that Parker got married to Cadence. They have a two-year-old son, Logan.” He grinned at her. “It’s a long story, but Parker didn’t know he was a father until a few months ago. He’s deliriously happy and they make a wonderful family. A true happy ending.”
“I’ll bet your parents were thrilled to have a grandchild.”
“They were. The timing couldn’t have been better actually since it came on the heels of their separation announcement.” He quirked his mouth. “It gave us a reason to come together as a family to celebrate Parker’s son. There’s no greater gift than life. And having a little one around has made us all feel better about life in general.”
Addie nodded her head in silent agreement. How she wished her own family was more extensive. Other than her parents and a few distant uncles, aunts and cousins, Addie was all alone in the world. At times, it was a very isolating feeling. Who would love her after her parents were gone? It gnawed at her sometimes in the hours between darkness and dawn.
Once Caleb led her into his parents’ home, Addie felt as if she’d died and gone to heaven. Although the home was large, it was down to earth and inviting. Heavenly scents wafted in the air. Her stomach grumbled in appreciation. When was the last time she’d actually had a home-cooked meal? Way too long to even remember. Addie wasn’t much of a cook herself. Her mother had never cooked for the family. Catered meals from restaurants had always been par for the course. She didn’t have a single memory of either of her parents preparing a meal. Sadly, she herself possessed no skills in that area.
“Caleb!” A rich voice called out as an older man walked down the hallway toward where they were standing in the foyer. As he came closer, Addie noted his good looks and charming smile. He quickly held out his hand to her. He had the most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen. “Hey there. I’m Jude Donahue, Caleb’s father. Nice to meet you.”
“Hi, I’m Addie Fontaine.” She returned his smile and enthusiastically shook his hand.
