AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She does?”
Jimmy leaned over the table and frowned. “Yeah, she looks at their picture a lot, and it makes her sad. I’m sure she would love to see them.”
A lump rose in my throat. “I’m sorry you haven’t met them.”
Jimmy shrugged. “It’s okay. I have mommy.”
It wasn’t his fault his grandparents hadn’t expected him.
And it definitely wasn’t his fault that I didn’t know about him until recently, but it did break my heart. Knowing that, outside of Anne, Martha, and Jimmy had been alone in the world, didn’t sit well with me. While we worked on the puzzle, I couldn’t help but wonder what it must’ve been like for Martha, having her family so close but unable to reach out.
They both deserved better.
Jimmy began to tell me a story while we worked on the puzzle, but I kept turning what he said over and over until his bedtime. In silence, I led him upstairs and waited while he took a bath. Once he was done, I helped him into bed, and Martha materialized, looking frazzled and apologetic.
“Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve helped get him ready for bed.”
“You looked like you could use a break.” I sat on the edge of the bed, and patted the other side. “Come on, let’s read him a story.”
“Can we read the story about the lion?”
Martha laughed and ruffled Jimmy’s hair. “Of course, we can, but we’re only going to read it once, okay? After that, you have to go to sleep.”
Jimmy glanced up at me and then back at his mom. “Okay, mommy.”
Chapter 29
Martha
“Good morning. You’re up early.” Albin handed me a cup of coffee and gave me a quick peck on the lips. “Couldn’t sleep?”
I lifted the mug to my lips and inhaled. “Yeah, I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on.”
“It’s a Saturday,” Albin replied shaking his head. “You can do that later. I’ve got a surprise planned.”
I leaned against the kitchen counter and studied Albin over the rim of my mug. “What kind of surprise?”
Albin stirred the eggs around the pan, the early morning sun glistening on his head. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.”
“What about a hint?”
Albin glanced at me over his shoulders and pointed the spatula in my direction. “Stop trying to ruin the surprise. I was thinking of making pancakes. What do you think?”
I paused and took a long sip of my coffee. “Sounds good. I’m going to go see if Jimmy is awake.”
Albin swung his gaze back to the stove and began to hum under his breath. In silence, I studied his back, starting at the nape of his neck, down his broad shoulders, and stopping at his firm behind. With a smile, I took a few more sips of my coffee before leaving the mug on the counter. Then I went back up the stairs, sneaking glances at Albin the entire time.
He didn’t need to tell me what the surprise was because I already had my suspicions. Over the past ten days, Albin and Jimmy had been sneaking around the house, whispering to each other and casting glances in my direction when they thought I didn’t notice. I tried to keep my attention on work, but I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what it meant until I finally figured it out.
Albin was going to propose.
I was equally terrified and excited about the prospect of being married to him. While the past few weeks had erased whatever doubt remained about our future together, the thought of being bound together as husband and wife made me more nervous than I wanted to admit.
And I still couldn’t believe how lucky I was to have everything unfold the way it did.
Six years ago, when I first learned about Jimmy, my entire life had fallen apart. Everything from my parents kicking me out to being forced to put school on hold had taken a toll on me and made me feel like I was being punished. At the time, I had convinced myself it was retribution for walking out on Louis and throwing myself into the arms of the first stranger I crossed paths with.
I was an idiot.
