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“Yeah, my dad’s sister. They were close growing up but drifted apart since she moved. We saw her every couple of years, but it’s been a long time. I can’t imagine why she would want to take them now, except that maybe she feels guilty for not staying in touch. And they’ve never had kids of their own.”
Garrett swallowed. “So you think they would let her take them?”
Elise shrugged. “All I know is a social worker called and started asking me all kinds of questions about our living situation and our finances, and if I have a job. I’m guessing if she can prove she could take care of them better than me, they might send them there.”
“No, I can’t believe that. Being with you is the best thing for them.”
Elise shook her head. “But if they saw the house like you did, and if they saw the unpaid bills.” She paused. “I just don’t know. They even asked me if I have a job. Which I guess I should have gotten one by now, but how am I supposed to go to work when the kids are home for the summer?”
Garrett rubbed his chin and shook his head. “I don’t know.” An idea came to him, and before he could even fully consider it, he blurted out, “I could keep the boys.”
“What?” Elise’s eyes flew open wide.
“Um, yeah, I mean they could come spend the summer at the ranch. The other kids hang around, and it would probably be fine. Or we could find you work to do at the ranch, and you could all be there.”
Elise bit her lip. “Thanks, Garrett. That’s a great offer. If we just needed the money, that would be the perfect answer. I’m afraid it might take more than that.”
“What do you mean?”
Elise took a deep breath and blew it out. “My aunt is a married adult, with a steady income, and a house that belongs to them. The only way I can think of to make sure I look as steady and sure as that is…”
Garrett watched her face as her voice trailed off. “What?”
“If I get married.”
Garrett leaned back and almost fell out of his chair. “Married?” he heard himself say in a voice that echoed against the ceiling.
Elise propped her elbows on the table and hid her face in her hands. “I know. It sounds ridiculous. And I don’t have any prospects. But I started praying as soon as I got off the phone with the social worker. I begged God to give me a way, any way. I thought maybe I would get a peace come over me that everything would be okay, and that no one is going to take the boys from me. Instead, I felt a growing panic that it was a possibility. I thought what if I could get a job and catch up on the bills? But then there’s still the issue with the house. Anybody who can look at the list of payments and figure out what kind of job I could get would know that I can’t afford it. If we continue like this, we will likely have to sell the house, or worse, lose it altogether.”
“No, surely not.” Garrett wanted to be encouraging.
“Garrett, I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of hours now. I haven’t even finished my degree, so unless I go back to school, which isn’t possible with the boys, my prospects aren’t good. And my parents refinanced the house a few years ago. There are years of mortgage payments before it’s paid off. The best I could hope for is a really good job that doesn’t require a degree, and the boys and I move into an apartment or small rental house in town.”
“But seriously, getting married?”
Elise shrugged. “If I could find someone to agree to it, if we could combine our incomes — just for the paperwork to show to the social worker — and I could prove that we have a place to live, and the boys could stay in their school and keep the stability of their friends and where we grew up. Then I think I could have a solid case.
“You’re really worried they could take them then?” Garrett set his elbows on the table and leaned toward her.
She nodded. “I’m sure at this moment it looks like it would be better for them to go to someone besides me. I have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Garrett cleared his throat. “You said, ‘have a place to live.’ So you mean you would live with… this guy. Like you would really be married?”
Elise’s cheeks flushed bright pink. “Well, I think we would have to live in the house together. But it wouldn’t exactly be a real marriage. You know, not like…”
Garrett held up a hand. She didn’t need to explain. “I understand.”
“I know it would be a lot to ask of someone. But we wouldn’t need a big place. I could share a room with the boys as long as we can stay together.”
“So, who would you ask for this huge favor?”
Elise dropped her eyes, but only for a moment. She wasn’t usually this bold, and Garrett knew she must be really serious and very afraid of what might happen if she didn’t go through with this plan. “I don’t know that. But I really mean it when I say I’ve been thinking for a few hours. I’ve been praying too. Begging for God to make a way. When I heard a knock at the door, I just knew the answer to my prayer had arrived.”
Garrett’s skin tingled from his head to his toes, and his heart threatened to crash out of his chest. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Elise folded her hands together and leaned forward. “Garrett, we’ve known each other a long time, and I know exactly how you feel about marriage. I would never ask you for anything if I didn’t have to. But if I need to find someone to marry, then it might as well be someone who isn’t waiting around to marry someone else.”
Garrett blinked rapidly and put his fist to his mouth as he coughed a few times. “Elise, I…”
