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Still unsure, I spread some on a cracker and popped it in my mouth, chewing a few times until all the flavors came together. “My lord,” I said, lowering myself to a chair by the table. “That’s delicious.”
His grin was enough to tell me he knew he’d won me over. We sat and ate cheeseball until our bellies were full and the wine was gone. “You don’t know how long I’ve been looking forward to being alone with you again,” he said, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. “I know we’re alone at night, but we’re so tired we pass out as soon as our head hits the pillow. It’s nice to be a normal couple sometimes.”
“Ah ha,” I said with a grin, leaning forward to kiss him. “A normal couple. I love how you see us that way now, Irving! We are a normal couple, and I can’t wait for others to know it too.”
“Speaking of which,” he said, pushing the plates out of the way. “No one has said a word to me about us kissing in the gazebo. Have they said anything to you?”
“Nope,” I said with a shake of my head. “Today is only Wednesday, so we have a few more days. You haven’t won yet, mister!”
His naughty grin told me he still thought he had. “Oh, wait,” he said, his breath short in his chest. “I may know why.”
“Why no one has heard?” I asked, and he nodded. “Heather is hopefully keeping up her side of the bargain?”
“I ran into Gabe Monday night and I told you we chatted, but I didn’t tell you about what.”
“Is Heather sick?” I asked, worry filling me. “She was here on Monday night and seemed fine, though Gabe did pick her up early.”
“He picked her up to talk to her about something that would change their lives forever.”
“I’m confused.”
“They’re newly approved foster parents and a baby needed a home. He wasn’t sure if they would take her, but he had to talk to Heather about it.”
I gasped with my hands to my mouth. “Irving! Do you know how huge this is? Heather and I discussed her condition and that she can’t have kids. She was so excited to finish the foster care approval program. Don’t you think we’d know if they brought a baby home?”
“Probably not yet,” he said, his gaze glued to mine as though I was the only thing that mattered to him. That was just another thing I loved about him. He was always dialed in on me and whatever we were doing without being distracted by phones or work. It was refreshing after dating Daniel and his phone for two years. “The baby has spina bifida and is still in the hospital,” he said and my lips made an O.
“Which is why Gabe was struggling to make a decision.”
“Also, why he didn’t want to talk to me about it. He felt uncomfortable and thought I’d think he was an ass for questioning whether they wanted to take a child with a disability into their home.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I’d be more worried if he didn’t have second and third thoughts, but he had to talk to Heather about it and make the decision together. He tells me the baby is paralyzed from the waist down. Mom didn’t have a lot of resources during the pregnancy.”
“That explains it,” I said, and he nodded.
“No prenatal care most likely, and as soon as she gave birth, Mom signed away her rights and abandoned the baby. Gabe said the little girl would be in the hospital about a week, so they had a little time. It’s been eating at me to know what they decided, but I didn’t want to interfere with their decision-making process.”
“Maybe you should call them,” I suggested. “It’s been a couple of days. They may have more questions they need an answer to.”
“You think so?” I nodded and handed him his phone. “Now?”
“No time like the present, sweetheart.”
He found Gabe’s number in his contacts and hit the button. I heard Gabe’s voice on the other end. “Hey, Irving.”
“Hi, Gabe,” Irving said, nervousness in his voice. “I wanted to follow up on our discussion on Monday night. How are things going?”
“I’m so glad you called,” I heard Gabe say, and I shot Irving a smile and a wink before I stood and walked to the tree to give them some privacy. I wrapped the tree in garland and ensured the lights were spaced evenly before I walked back to the table as he was finishing the call.
“Seriously, anytime, day or night,” Irving said, nodding as Gabe spoke on the other end of the line. “I’m so happy for you and Heather and can’t wait to meet her.” He nodded again and smiled before he winked at me. “You keep our secret, and we’ll keep yours. Talk soon.”
I lowered myself to his lap when he set the phone on the table. “Good news?”
“Great news!” he exclaimed, kissing my lips with zest. “They decided to foster the baby girl for six months. That’s the waiting period to ensure the mom doesn’t return for her.”
“Which means if she doesn’t, they’ll adopt her.”
