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“Did your mom tell you that? That’s something my mom always said when she was making us breakfast.”
I blinked up at him, my smile slipping. Any mention of my mom sent me to a place in my past that I didn’t like to go. My voice was low, almost hoarse. “My mom … yeah, I don’t like to think about her often.” The last time I had seen her was years ago. “She”—I went to the fridge again, getting out the orange juice—“wasn’t a very good mother.” I stared at the bowl of fruit, at the salad, at the milk and swallowed hard.
“Becky, I’m—”
I held up a hand and smiled that forced smile that always seemed to pop up as a coping mechanism. The one that said everything was okay when it really wasn’t.
“Don’t be sorry. My life is so much better now that she’s not in it.” I sucked in a hard breath and I flicked my hair over my shoulder as I grabbed a bowl to scramble Mary’s eggs. “I didn’t even check for the lunchmeat. Patty mentioned that Mary only eats ham,” I said, changing the subject so quick that I probably gave him whiplash.
I heard the fridge open, and a moment later, ham was on the kitchen island.
“Yeah, Mary is addicted to ham. We have to have it in the house at all times. She even likes it in her eggs.”
I chanced a glance at him and read curiosity in his eyes, but I was so thankful that he didn’t press me further. I didn’t have any friends for that very reason. They would want to know everything about me, which included my past and that was off-limits.
He moved to the other counter, grabbing a loaf of bread. “I liked to tag-team with Patty in the morning when I could. I hope that’s okay.”
“This is your house. Of course it’s okay.” I moved around him and got a pan from the cupboard.
“Becky …”
At the sound of my name on his lips, I turned to face him, pan in hand.
“I want you to feel like this is your house too. I want you to move freely around this house as you would your own house. That’s what I told Patty when she moved in with us that very first day. And I want you to be open with me—about the kids and about you, what is bothering you, about how we can make this transition easier for all of us.”
I stared. Because I couldn’t say anything. No one had ever really wanted to take care of me like that. Put me at ease, make me feel at home. Not a man anyway. Never in my life.
When I didn’t answer, he tipped his chin. “Can you do that?”
I nodded. “I think so.”
He proceeded to pack on the mayo and ham as he made the girls’ sandwiches.
“Patty wasn’t kidding. You’re a very hands-on dad.”
His eyes met mine briefly before focusing on his task at hand. “I try to be. I don’t want them to feel like they’re missing anything by not having their …” His voice trailed off, and he paused for a second before packing the sandwiches into brown paper bags. Then, he proceeded to the pantry to get some chips. “It’s the one job I can’t fail at.”
Now,thatI understood better than he’d ever know.
Chapter 12
Charles
The last time I had gotten a call from school, Sarah had sprained her ankle. So, when the principal called me to tell me that Sarah had gotten in trouble, I was driving ninety on the highway, rushing to the school.
I had called Becky, but she hadn’t answered. When I’d told Brad and Mason that I was leaving work early to head to the school, they had wanted to come with me, overly concerned for the kids, but I’d flat-out told them no.
Adrenaline pumped in me as I turned into the parking lot, my heart beating a mile a minute. Sweat beads lined the back of my neck as I jumped out of my car, got to the entrance, and rang the buzzer for them to let me in.
When the door buzzed, I yanked it open and didn’t stop my quickened stride as I made it to the principal’s office. I stopped mid-step, hearing Becky’s heightened voice beyond the principal’s door, which was slightly ajar.
“So, there are no repercussions for the other girl? None whatsoever?” Becky’s back was toward me, her hands fisted by her sides.
I walked straight into Carol, the principal’s office without acknowledging the secretary, noting Sarah was sitting in the chair in front of her desk.
“That’s straight-up bullying, and this is bullshit. You can’t reprimand Sarah for sticking up for herself.”
“What’s going on here?”
