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“Never would I ever harm a hair on her head now that she’s here.” Katherine, Katie as she told him to call her, hugged her son. Then when Merce and his Lily joined them, there were hugs all around. “My goodness, this is wonderful. Chadwick and Holly will be here soon. They’ll be so happy to meet you all too.”
As they were settling down to breakfast, the Overlooks entered the room with them. Another round of hugs, as well as some tissues, were passed out. It was wonderful to have these large gatherings here. It made what could have been an awkward meeting much easier. Not only that but there was plenty of conversation to keep everyone involved. Ronny took Lily’s hand into his as plates were cleared away.
“We’ll need to sell this house and move out there with them. When the great-grandchildren come along, I don’t want to miss a minute of their lives as we did this one’s.” Ronny kissed the back of her hand, telling her that he didn’t either. “Oh, Ronny. It’s like we have her back with us. The day we were told she’d been killed, it never entered my mind that there would have been a child too. It wasn’t until later that they told us about her being taken away. I wonder, now that I know, how they didn’t know to tell us the name of the person who had her.”
“Medical science has come a long way, honey, but computer information even further. Had this happened in today’s world, we’d know just where she was and how to get her back. But she was born in a time where things weren’t as advanced as they are now.” He watched Merce and Del together. “Also, she might not have met this young man, and that, I think, would have been a tragedy all in itself. They’re perfectly suited.”
“They are. So much so they do remind me of Chad and Rachel.” She kissed his hand then. “Why did they leave us, Ronny? Do you think it was because she was carrying Merce? Do you think they thought we’d toss them out?” She asked him if they might have. “I don’t know, to be honest with you. I mean, I’d like to say I wouldn’t have done that, but I just don’t know. We must have given them some indication that we would have.”
He’d thought of that for years after finding out there was a child. Ronny wanted to believe he would have been compassionate and loving, knowing his daughter had made a simple mistake. But he also knew he’d been hard on her. Not that he’d ever raised a hand to her, but he had been hard on her when she’d stay out late with Chad.
Looking down the long table at the family there, he tried to imagine how it would be at the holidays with them all around a table. Del’s brothers and mom. There would be others, too, if he knew this family well enough. He’d bet anything that they welcomed all who were hungry to share the table with them. Every night too, not just at holiday times.
The longer he sat there thinking about his daughter and the young woman at the end of the table, who was currently giving Harlin a hard time, he wondered what sort of person she would have been had she grown up in this house, with himself and his wife. He had a feeling she had been better off with the people who raised her. Ronny could see himself making her crazy with his rules and being overly worried about her.
“She was better off where she was, don’t you think?” He smiled at his wife and told her he’d been thinking the same things. “I thought as much. As much as I hate to admit it, Ronny, she is the person she is because she was with the other people. Otherwise, I think we would have smothered her. I think we would have done more harm than good.”
“I love you, Holly dear.” She said she loved him as well. “Well, I’ll call my attorney tomorrow and see what we have to do about selling this place and moving to Ohio. I wonder if they’ll have children right away or wait a while. I’m hoping for now, but I’ll be patient.”
“Sure you will. Just as much as I will try and be.”
~*~
Merce read over the information she’d gotten from the private investigator she’d hired. It wasn’t all bad news—there was just a smidge of good stuff in there—but she had a feeling Katie was going to be as pissed off as she was about this shit. Pulling up the pictures she’d found while digging, she didn’t hear anyone come into the room until Katie cleared her throat.
“I can see by the look on your face that you’ve found some information you don’t like. It’s either information about the new contract you got or about the investigation you have going on about James and Mary.” She asked her why she’d think that. “While I don’t know your faces all that well yet, I can tell you’re upset. Not just a little either.”
“I am. You will be too when I tell you. How do you want it?” She said to just tell her. “All right. James’s wife Patty died three months ago. It was a rare form of cancer they didn’t know to look for until it was too late. She had a rough time of it, apparently, and it took its toll on a lot of people. Apparently not James, however. He’s engaged.” Katie asked her about the kids. “This is going to piss you off. Since the soon-to-be new Mrs. Pencil, Shelby, didn’t want any children at all, he’s put his up for adoption. He just took them to the department of welfare and turned them over to them. They’ve been there since a week after the funeral. I think he was fucking around before his wife passed away. Also, this will burn your ass. They’ve been living in Texas, not far from Mary and her son, for the last two years. She’s divorced and currently trying to do the same with her son. Life, she told someone recently, is so much better without the trouble of a husband and child around. I’m thinking they both need to be shot in the head, but I know you won’t let me do that. Not yet, at any rate.”
“Are you making arrangements to go there to get them? Just so you know, I’m going too.” Turning the computer toward her, she showed her the pictures of the kids’ mug shots when they were taken into the department. “Oh, look at them. They look so lost. I think we should take a gun with us too. In case we need to put some holes in a few heads.”
“Whose head are you putting holes in, Mom? If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather you didn’t. All right?” Del kissed her on the mouth and sat down by his mom. “Who are the kids? They’re looking a little lost if you ask me.”
“They’re James’s children. Merce and I are going to get them. Would you like to go?” He nodded but didn’t ask. That’s what she loved about this man—he was game for about anything. “The bastard couldn’t even wait for his poor dead wife to be cold in her grave before he was getting married again. And since she’s his new piece of ass, they’ve decided to get rid of the children. I’m going to take my gun so I can shoot his dick off. Mary’s too. She’s doing the same thing. Those poor children.”
Del looked at her. “I’m assuming you have a plan that is less violent than my mom’s. I hope so, at least.” Merce told him she was going to be giving him a few minutes to explain himself. “Let me ask you this. Is there a reason you’d have to go see him? I mean, if he’s taken care that they’re not at home, it should be a simple thing for you to go there and adopt them. We’ll raise them as our own.”
“You’d do that? Of course, you would.” Katie looked at him. “I did good in raising them, didn’t I, dear? He’s all ready to go there and pick up children he’s never met and make them his own. I love that plan better.”
“I’ll go and talk to Peter. He can get things taken care of so there aren’t any issues when we get there. I don’t want t
o rain on your parade or anything, but this fucker sounds like he’d put in the adoption paperwork that you can’t take them, Mom. Not that we won’t fight that, but if Merce and I adopt them, there is very little he can do about it.” Merce told him what else she’d found out. “So he wants them to go to any home without any thought to who he might be sending them to. I knew he was going to be a son of a bitch. This just proves it. I’ll talk to Peter. You two, please come up with a better plan than the one you pitched to me. All right?”
When he was gone, Merce looked at Katie. “Would it bother you if we were to adopt them? They’d be your grandchildren again, and we’d do right by them.” Katie said she knew that. “If we can, I promise you we’ll bring the other little boy home with us as well.”
“I’d really like that. To give them a good home. I can’t help but think that things haven’t been that easy for any of them. That little one there, she looks like she’s lost her soul. I don’t want any child to feel that way, but especially my sister’s grandchildren. When can we leave?”
“As soon as we hear from Peter. I can make arrangements now for us to go out there, then we can be ready when we hear from him. However, I’d like for him to be with us when we see them. If only for the sole reason that he’s an attorney and will have answers we might not have.” Katie said she’d go home and pack up now. “All right. Also, Katie, I’d not take anything for them with you. I don’t know anything about the home they’re in, but I’d hate to take them something only to have to take it from them when we leave. We just don’t want to cause any more undue stress on them.”
“I like that idea. Very much. No, we’ll go out there with the thought they might not come home with us and hope for the best.” Merce asked if she thought she could do that. “No. But it did sound like I was doing really well at it, don’t you think?”
When Katie left her to go home, Merce looked into flight times. Peter and Del arrived just as she was putting what she hoped was a good time to leave in her basket. He sat down across from her and smiled. It was, she thought, a good smile.
“I’ve been able to get a copy of the paperwork from the welfare board in Texas. There is a stipulation on the paperwork about the kids staying together, not being separated. Also, it doesn’t have anything in it about any Archer taking them. I’d like to go with you if you’d not mind. To clear up any questions they might have.” Nodding at Peter, she told him they’d been talking about that. “Good. I’ll gather up the paperwork the courts are going to need. Having a marriage license as well as a good home will go a long way in getting them here. Also, have you thought about what impact this is going to have on the whole family?”
“Do you think they’ll be mad at us for taking them?” Peter just smiled. “You’ve told them, haven’t you? You told them what we were doing?”
“No, Del did. But I think if you need support, we’re the ones that are going to give it to you. Also, while I was talking to Ronny about his plans for moving out here to be by the two of you, he said we could use his company jet. I told him we’d take him up on that. That way, we can all hit the courtroom at the same time as a huge show of support.” Katie said that was wonderful. All Merce could think about was how crowded they’d been in the judge’s office when they got married. The men reenacted the way they had been packed in for her. “I’m going to make a few calls. In the meantime, it might be time to get their bedrooms ready. I wouldn’t do much, not right away, except add in some bunkbeds to a couple of the rooms, so they at least have a place to sleep.”
