Kitabı oku: «Matt's Family», sayfa 4
So was their marriage his attempt to take care of the problems he considered his responsibility? As soon as possible after his return, Kristin had told him that Erin was his child, and had promised their daughter would know that fact, one day. Not long afterward, Luke had moved into a house by himself, when the comfortable, careful marriage they’d built crumbled under the burden of Kristin’s guilt. At that point, Matt had obviously felt bound to take his brother’s place as father and husband. Less than a year after her divorce from Luke, he’d asked her to marry him.
So here was the understanding she had wanted to reach. Her marriage was based on great sex and a very dependable man’s sense of obligation. At least now she knew where they stood.
Matt caught up as she reached the road. He didn’t try to talk on the long hike back to the van. Kristin was very glad of that.
THEIR RIDE out to Manassas, Virginia, was just as quiet. In the visitors’ center, she studied exhibits of war memorabilia while Matt made a short tour of the battlefield area. They skipped the cemetery and the memorial to Confederate dead.
“I reserved a room at an inn in Boonesboro, Maryland.” Matt hoped to break the silence with something non-controversial. “From there we can get to Antietam and Gettysburg with short drives.”
Kristin didn’t turn away from the side window. “That’s nice.”
Not exactly encouraging. And he wasn’t sure why she was so angry. She knew his father, knew that the Army tradition went back in their family for generations. One of his great-grandfathers had died at Gettysburg. This trip was about family history as much as war itself.
Of course, for the Brennans the two were pretty much the same thing. Or had been, until Luke broke the mold, ditched college and joined the police force. Little brother was definitely not a chip off the old block.
Matt’s thoughts skidded to a stop. Was his career part of the problem? Did Kristin regret giving up her marriage to a man who stayed in town and came home every day? Sure, a cop faced dangerous situations all the time, but usually on his home ground. Not five thousand miles away in a foreign country so that you never even knew what happened to the body.
“Dad’s really pushing me to rejoin the unit,” he said, trying to explore the issue.
“I noticed.” She didn’t move, didn’t uncurl from her withdrawn position.
He would have to be more direct. “Maybe it’s time I made a decision—change careers or go back to the one I had. What do you think?”
Kristin sighed and turned back to the window. “We’ve had enough change, Matt. Let’s just leave things the way they are.”
He didn’t attempt to start another conversation for the rest of the drive.
BOONESBORO WAS a small town, mostly a cozy main street crossed by a few short lanes. The bed-and-breakfast inn—Chisholm’s Rest—overlooked the village from atop a hill. Matt stopped the van in the circular driveway.
“This looks nice,” Kristin said as they climbed the steps.
“I hope so.” Matt rang the bell. “A guy in the unit recommended it. He used to live in the area.”
She touched the petal of a bright red flower in the window box, but didn’t reply.
The door opened and a tall woman peered through the screen door. “’Afternoon, folks. What can I do for you?”
“I’m Matt Brennan and this is my wife, Kristin. We made a reservation.”
“Sure you did! Come right on in!” She pushed the door wide open. “I was wonderin’ if you’d get here afore suppertime.”
The hall of the house was dim and cool and smelled like roses. Kristin appreciated the gleam of dark woodwork and polished floors. “Your inn is lovely, Mrs….”
“Chisholm. Sadie Chisholm.” She put out a hand to Kristin, and then Matt. “M’husband’s George. He’s asleep right now, but he’ll be up in a little while. I was flxin’ him a snack. You folks hungry?”
Before they could say yes or no, Sadie swept them down the hallway into a bright white kitchen. “Sit down at the table. I got some iced tea, here, and just a few sandwiches.” She put a platter piled high with crustless triangles of bread and cheese in the center of the table. “And some cookies, when you’re finished.”
Kristin sipped from the tall glass of tea. A cold, sweet trickle soothed her throat and eased the headache behind her eyes. “This is wonderful, Mrs. Chisholm.”
“Sadie, honey. Everybody calls me Sadie. You folks come up from Washington today, is that right?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Matt had already finished two sandwiches. He took another. “We’re going to Antietam tomorrow, then Gettysburg.”
Arms crossed over her ample bosom, Sadie nodded. “We get lots of folks wantin’ to see the battlefields. And when there’s one of them reenactments, you won’t find an empty bed this side of Philadelphia.”
“Sadie?” A man’s voice, lighter and thinner than hers, came from the hall. “Who in the world are you talkin’ to?”
“It’s the Brennans, George, come to stay.”
The man stepped into the kitchen and looked them over. He was as thin as his wife was plump, with iron-gray hair and bright blue eyes. “Pleased to meet you.” He shook hands with Matt and nodded at Kristin as he sat down across the table. “See you’ve got ’em fed already, Sadie.”
“Well, the poor things looked half-starved, standin’ out on the porch. Here’s your tea, George.” She rested a hand on his shoulder as she set the glass down. Observing the tenderness of a long-standing marriage, Kristin blinked against the sting of tears.
“Thanks, Mother.” He helped himself to four sandwiches and began to eat. In between bites he asked the same question about where they’d come from and where they were going. “Country gets real crowded when they have them reenactments around here. Hardly room to walk.”
Kristin couldn’t resist a glance at Matt, and found him hiding a smile, his blue eyes dancing.
George finished the tea and three more sandwiches, wiped his chin and stood up. “Let me get you folks’s bags to your room. I’ll move your car round to the back while I’m at it.”
Matt got to his feet. “That’s okay, Mr. Chisholm—just show me where to park. I’ll get the bags.”
“That’s George, young man. You just sit here with your pretty wife a while.” He started down the hallway. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
But Matt followed. “George, you really don’t have to—” The screen door slapped shut. “George!” The door opened and closed again.
Chuckling, Sadie wiped her hands on a towel. “Since that man of yours is well occupied, I’ll show you to your room and give you a chance to put your feet up while I make us some dinner.”
Kristin wasn’t sure she could eat anything else. “Can’t I help with dinner?”
“Nope.” Sadie led the way up the staircase. “All I got to do is set the chicken to frying and take out the biscuits.” Opening a door, she ushered Kristin inside. “You got time for a little nap while I do that.”
The room evoked another century, with lace curtains at the windows, rose-colored velvet on the armchairs and a crocheted canopy draped over the four-poster bed. Kristin stroked a finger over the mahogany dressing table. “This is beautiful, Sadie.”
“Glad you like it.” She turned back the blue-flowered quilt, fluffed the pillows and tucked the sheet more tightly. “This was my mother’s room, and her mother’s afore her.”
Sadie obviously did not plan to leave the room until Kristin laid down. Feeling suddenly sleepy, she decided to cooperate. The sheets were cool, and the light dimmed as Sadie pulled down the shades.
“There now. We’ll call you in plenty of time for supper. You rest easy—gotta take care of that baby you’re carrying.” She closed the door softly.
Kristin barely registered Sadie’s exit. A baby? What is she talking about? I’m not pregnant….
She sat bolt upright on the bed. “Am I?”
CHAPTER FIVE
JOY BLOOMED inside her like a perfect rose. Kristin closed her eyes and held the expectation close, feeling the tender weight of a baby in her arms, remembering the sweet smell, the soft skin, the tiny sounds. Matt would be so…
Surprised. Maybe even angry. He’d told his mother on Memorial Day that the girls were enough of a family for now. He wasn’t ready for more children.
Jerked out of her celebration, she lay back against the pillows, then curled onto her side and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. She couldn’t really be pregnant. Kindly older women often believed all younger ones should be having babies. Sometimes they were right, sometimes not.
She thought backward over the last few months. Matt had spent a week away at the beginning of April, on maneuvers with the Army. He’d come back late on a Sunday night and slipped into their bed. Before she had fully awakened, her nightgown was gone and his warm hands were stroking her skin, driving her from dreams straight to the heart of desire. She’d taken him inside her without thought, without hesitation.
And, Kristin realized now, without preparation. She didn’t remember noticing her monthly cycle had stopped…but she couldn’t remember noticing it start, either. Chances were that Sadie Chisholm was right. Matt and Kristin Brennan had made a baby that night. Another baby.
“Oh, Lord.” The tears she’d fought off and on all day long won the battle, and came pouring down her cheeks.
The future loomed ahead, suddenly more of a threat than a promise. She and Matt had lost most of their common ground. So far, this trip had done little to restore it. She felt more distant from him today than ever before. Even when he’d been missing, presumed dead, she’d carried his image with her, a part of her mind and soul. And she’d had Erin as a remembrance.
Now he was back, with wariness in his eyes and a guardrail around his heart. Babies brought enough strain to a family at the best of times. What would happen when everything was off balance?
Kristin didn’t realize she’d fallen asleep until she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard Matt’s voice. “Kris, want to wake up? Dinner’s ready.”
She felt the stiffness of dried tears on her face as she opened her eyes. Matt leaned over her, his gaze tender, a faint smile just visible on his mouth through the dark. “I’ll make your apologies if you’d rather sleep,” he said. “You do look tired. Sadie’s been beating me up about that.”
Sadie had told him? Kristin sat up quickly, forcing Matt to straighten. “W-what did she say?”
“Just that I ought to think more about you and less about a bunch of dead soldiers.” He sat down beside her and put a hand on her knee. “And she’s right. I’ve dragged you through enough history. We’ll find other things to do while we’re here—antique shops, national parks, whatever. We could go in to Philadelphia for a play, or some museums. What do you say?”
Tears threatened yet again. She remembered crying through the first three months of expecting Erin, and then Jenny. Luke would have recognized what was happening.
Thank God, Matt didn’t. Yet.
“That’s sweet, Matt. Maybe we can do some of that, too.” She slipped out from underneath his hand and crossed to the dressing table. Opening her purse, she pulled out the comb and makeup she’d bought in Fredericksburg. “But I think we should stick to your original plan. You’ve waited a long time to see these places.” Kristin switched on the glass-shaded lamp and turned to face him, hoping the powder hid her secret as well as the tear tracks.
Matt studied her from across the room. Something had changed. He’d seen her just an hour ago, but he was now looking at a different woman. “Everything okay?”
She gave him a smile—that tilt of her mouth that substituted for a real expression these days. “Still a little groggy, I admit. What did you and George do while I was being lazy?”
“They’ve got a little pond out back. We watched a couple of worms do water aerobics.” He felt more and more as if he were part of a play, saying lines written for him by someone else. “We can walk down there after dinner. It’s a pretty place.”
“Sounds good. Shall we go down and get some fried chicken?”
Matt stood up, feeling weary himself. “After you. I hear there’s strawberry shortcake for dessert.”
Kristin laughed as she left the room. “I may be shopping for a size larger clothes before we leave.”
With Sadie and George at the table in the dining room, dinner conversation kept up a comfortable pace.
“Our three daughters still live in Georgia,” Sadie volunteered as she passed the mashed potatoes. “George and me wanted to get out of the heat, so we headed north when he retired from the railroad. The girls and their fam’lies come at Christmas and the end of the summer. With all their younguns—nine grandkids in all—twice a year’s plenty.” She surveyed the table. “I’d better get another pitcher of tea. You folks go ahead.”
As the door to the kitchen closed, George turned to Kristin. “Your man here says you two have little girls of your own.”
Kristin smiled and helped herself to a piece of chicken. “Yes, sir. Erin’s almost eight and Jenny’s five.”
“He’d showed me a pi’ture. Pretty things. Thinking about havin’ another one, are you?”
Matt, watching, saw Kristin freeze, then swallow hard. After a measurable second, she finished cutting a slice of tomato. “Maybe in a little while. The girls are getting too old to be babied.”
“And you’ve got a lot of babyin’ left over, that it?”
She nodded, chewing.
George nodded, too. “My Sadie was that way. We had them three girls, but she said we were gonna try again, see if we could get us a boy.”
“And did you?” Matt asked, as Kristin took a sip of tea.
“We did.” Sadie came back into the dining room. “Andrew George Chisholm. Andy. Cutest little rascal there ever was. Always up to somethin’.” She rounded the table, refilling glasses. “But he was born with Down’s syndrome. His heart was weak, and it just plain wore out when he was nineteen.” She dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. “Ten years ago, that was. We still miss him, don’t we, George?”
“Yes, Mother, we do.” He helped himself to a couple more biscuits.
Kristin put her hand on Sadie’s arm. “I’m so sorry.”
The older woman smiled and patted Kristin’s fingers. “Lord bless you, we all are, missy. But Andy packed a lot of livin’ into his time here. And I know I’ll be seein’ him again someday. We just have to wait, don’t we, George?”
“That’s right, Mother.”
Matt saw Kristin’s stricken face, then looked into the hollow that suddenly filled his own chest. “Sadie, would you mind if, after dessert, we used your phone for a long-distance call?”
Friday night
Dear Diary
Today we went on a picnic at the top of the mountains. Daddy said we were almost a mile higher than our house at home. Jenny was scared and didnt go close to the wall on the side of the road. I did. It was a long long way down.
After lunch Sarah read Jenny a story. Daddy and Buster and me went walkin in the woods. We saw a bunny and some birds and a snake. Daddy said it wouldnt bite. I was pretty glad. When we came out of the woods, Sarah and Jenny were asleep on the picnic blanket. We played ball with Buster til they woke up.
Then we went to a park with rides and stuff. We rode the train and the roller coaster. Sarah held Buster and Jenny. Sarahs really nice. She doesnt get mad at Jenny for whyning. She doesnt put mushrooms in her spugetty sauce. If Daddy cant be married to Mommy Im glad hes married to Sarah.
The phone rang a minit ago and it was Mommy. Shes in Marlund at a nice ladys house. I told her about the castle we saw. That was cool. And the dinosaur museum. And the rock museum and the train. Jenny started cryin as soon as she said hello to Mommy. She wouldnt let Sarah hold her. Only Daddy. Mommy said she has a cold. Her nose is all stuffy and she talks ruff. I said I hope she feels better.
Daddy talked to her and to Daddy Matt. Then I said goodby to Mommy. Im almost eight and I cant be a baby like Jenny. But I have a hurt inside, like bein afraid when I jump off the divin board only not the same. I think its time to go home. Good Night.
Your friend
Erin Elena Brennan
KRISTIN LAY AWAKE in the darkness of Sadie Chisholm’s best bedroom, shivering. She could hear Jenny’s sobs in the silence. Her throat closed and her eyes filled. Again.
Beside her, Matt rolled over and put a hand on her arm.
“Kris, you’re going to make yourself sick like this. Let me hold you.”
She stiffened as he slipped an arm under her head and the other around her waist to pull her back against him. If Sadie was right—and Kristin thought she was—there was a baby under his hand when he did that. She should tell him. Tell him right now.
A long time later, Kristin was still silent, still tense. The words wouldn’t come. All she could think about was Jenny. And Erin’s quiet little voice. Luke had assured her things were going fine. But her girls had to be hurting as much as she was. They belonged together.
Matt kissed the top of her head. “You know, when I was in Africa, there were certain guards I stayed awake for. If they found you asleep, they got their fun kicking you awake. Or dumping water and garbage over you.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “Matt, you don’t have to…”
“Ssh. That’s over.” His hand smoothed her hair back from her face. “It wasn’t so bad during the day, but when they worked the night shift, I struggled to keep my eyes open. So I’d sit there and stare at the western wall. I imagined I could look through it, all the way across the ocean to Myrtle Beach and into your room. I’d watch you sleeping, and in my mind I’d crawl in behind you, like this, and just hold you until dawn. I didn’t want to go to sleep then, didn’t want to miss the chance to be with you.” He gave a slight laugh. “Worked every time.”
And while he was imagining them lying together, Kristin reminded herself, she had been married to his brother, starting a new family. She’d endured her own sleepless nights, of course, her own brand of nightmares. After two years of a platonic marriage, those horrible dreams had finally driven her into Luke’s arms, where she’d found a measure of comfort, a chance to rest. And where Jenny had been conceived.
Whatever Matt might think, Jenny was not a mistake. Neither was Erin, nor the baby Kristin felt sure was growing inside her. And yet the four of them seemed to be fighting each other, and forcing her to choose sides. How long could she ignore Matt’s need for the truth in order to protect Erin from the hurt that truth would bring? Erin and Jenny would have trouble adjusting to the idea of yet another new person taking their mother’s attention. Should she sacrifice them…or the child yet to be born?
Like a spear of iron through her chest, she heard that last thought.
Oh my God. I can’t believe it even crossed my mind.
She had to stop thinking. Had to stop considering the options, weighing the alternatives. She would go crazy. She would make yet another hurtful, disastrous mistake.
“Matt.” She turned in his arms, her mouth seeking his. After a second of surprise, his arms tightened and his kiss deepened. Gratefully, Kristin gave herself over once again to the distraction of desire.
THE SUN SHONE on Antietam Battlefield, on mile after mile of gentle green slopes, wooden fences, shady stands of trees. Matt drew imaginary lines of battle on their picnic blanket, explaining the course of the battle.
“You make it sound simple,” Kristin said finally. “Maybe if I’d had you for American history in high school, I might have learned something.”
“Or you might just have gotten me into trouble as the teacher who ran away with his underage student.” He leaned over to kiss her. “School boards tend to frown on that kind of thing.”
She linked her arms behind his neck. “I was chubby, and I had braces in high school.”
“And I’m Robert E. Lee.” He got to his feet, reached down and pulled his wife to hers. “I remember hearing Luke talk about his friend Kristin, back when he was in high school. ‘Fox’ was the term I believe he used.”
“Oh, he did not.” She was blushing—the color in her cheeks was nice to see.
“Sure he did. In fact, we had to have a talk about that before I took you out the very first time. I didn’t want to break up something he had going.”
“But we never—”
She stopped, and Matt saw awareness flood into her eyes—the knowledge that she and Luke had, in fact, been together, as husband and wife, as parents, as lovers.
Damn. There didn’t seem to be anything they could talk about that wouldn’t lead back to exactly the subjects they wanted to avoid.
Maybe now was the time to settle this once and for all.
He laid his palm along the line of her jaw. “Kris, stop worrying about the past.”
She dropped her gaze, but didn’t reply.
With a gentle pressure, Matt forced her to look at him. “I was mad, when I got home from Africa. Mad…and jealous as hell. But that’s over. You did the right thing, marrying Luke.”
As she stared up at him, her wide eyes filled with tears.
“You had a baby to take care of. You gave her a dad who loved her. I’m slow, but I have realized that much. Don’t punish yourself anymore.”
“Erin…”
“We’ll tell her together, one day soon. I know we can’t rush it. I’ve been a jerk about that, too. I’m pretty amazed you’ve put up with me, as a matter of fact.”
He put his arms around her and drew her close, felt her tears wet his shirt. This was as close as he could come to asking the questions that tortured him—Why are you still with me? I’m not the same man I was before Africa. Do you love me…or the memory of the man I was?
He was afraid to put that question into words.
THE PHONE RANG at the Chisholms’ that night while they still sat at the dinner table listening to George’s railroad stories. Sadie answered the call, then poked her head around the doorway. “Kristin, Sarah Brennan wants to talk with you.”
She felt suddenly sick. Sarah and Luke wouldn’t call unless something was wrong. Her hand shook as she took the receiver. “Hello?”
“Kristin, it’s Sarah. Don’t be upset—everything’s okay with the girls. But we wanted to tell you that we’re heading back home tomorrow.”
Her brief moment of relief died. “Is somebody sick?”
“No, oh no. But…well, Jenny’s not happy. Erin’s dragging a little bit, too. Maybe we should have realized ahead of time that two weeks would be too long for them.”
Kristin had known. And yet she’d let her need to settle things with Matt override her knowledge of her daughters. “I’m sorry you won’t get to stay.”
“We’ve had a great week, but I won’t mind being at home again, myself. I don’t want you and Matt to hurry straight back, though. I think Jenny will feel better in her own room at our house, with her own bed and all her toys. We’ll be glad for them to stay with us until you finish your trip. Are you and Matt…having a good time?”
“Of course.” The automatic reply covered her feverish thoughts. If they left tonight… “When are you planning to be home?”
“Tomorrow evening. But please, Kristin, don’t rush. You two need this time together.”
Matt’s hands came to rest on her shoulders. She hadn’t even realized he was there behind her. “I know. We’ll talk about what to do and leave a message on your machine about when we’ll be back. Can I talk to Jenny?”
“Luke took them to the pool while I spoke to you. We can call back when they come in.”
“No, that’s okay.” The girls would probably get upset. They would see each other tomorrow night. The next morning at the latest. “Y’all have a safe trip home.”
“You, too. We’ll see you soon.”
The phone went dead. Kristin stood gripping the hand-set, willing her heartbeat to slow down, trying to keep her eyes dry.
Matt came around to face her. “What’s wrong?”
“Luke and Sarah are taking the girls home tomorrow.” She explained what Sarah had said. “I’m sure she’s right. Just being back where she’s comfortable will make Jenny feel better.”
When she looked up, Matt was watching her with an expression she couldn’t interpret. Holding his gaze, she saw him come to a decision.
He brushed back her bangs with his fingertips. “I think we should go home tomorrow, too.”
Irrationally, she protested. “But your trip—”
“Will wait for another time. Gettysburg hasn’t fallen into the ocean in over a hundred years. It’ll still be here next fall, or next summer…whenever I get there. Erin and Jenny are more important.”
Than what? Than battlefields and monuments, sure. But were the groundless fears of two little girls worth more than her marriage?
Kristin didn’t know the answer, couldn’t consider the right thing to do. She could only follow her heart.
“Thank you.” She reached up and kissed his cheek. “I do think this will be for the best.”
As they went back to finish dinner, she realized her priorities had now been set. Her daughters came first.
She could only wonder if doing her best for them would destroy her relationship with Matt.
Sunday
Dear Diary,
We didnt stay in the mountains as long as we were sposed to. Jenny was bein real whyny, and she didnt want to eat. I was nice to her. I let her sleep with me and Buster and I read her stories and made her peanut butter sanwitches just like Mommy does. Nothin helped.
So now we are drivin home. Mommy won’t be there. She and Daddy Matt are still on vakashun. Ill be glad when I can see her. Sarah is nice. I love bein with Daddy.
But Mommy just kinda makes things right.
Your friend
Erin Elena Brennan
MATT DROVE the eight hours from Maryland to Myrtle Beach as fast as legally possible. Beside him, Kristin seemed to wind tighter and tighter the farther south they got. She barely ate the lunch they stopped for in Richmond. She didn’t fall asleep at any point, though Matt knew she hadn’t slept much the night before, because he hadn’t, either. They’d waited through the darkness side by side, locked separately into their own thoughts.
He really didn’t mind cutting the trip short. Kris would have been miserable knowing the girls were home and she wasn’t. He still had a few days of leave left—the four of them could have some fun together. A real family vacation.
If he was lucky. Very lucky.
When they finally pulled up on the curb in front of Luke and Sarah’s house, they found luggage piled on the driveway. The travelers couldn’t have been home too long, themselves.
“Mommy!” Jenny flew out the front door and across the grass, straight into Kristin’s hold. Arms tight around her mother’s neck, she burst into tears.
Luke and Erin stepped outside, and in another second, Erin was locked onto Kristin, too. Keeping his brain carefully empty, Matt crossed the front lawn to meet Luke on the driveway.
His younger brother saw too much. The understanding in his eyes was almost more than Matt could take.
But Luke didn’t address the issue. “How was your trip home? Much traffic?” He bent to grab the handles of an ice chest. Matt picked up two of the clothes bags and followed him into the house.
“Not too bad, until we got off the interstate.”
“Believe me, the traffic coming into town was light compared to what we drove through on I–40. Between construction and crazy drivers, getting here in one piece was a real challenge.”
Matt laughed—sort of. “Don’t let Kris hear you say that. She’ll never let them get into a car again.”
“She’s not that unreasonable.” Luke set the cooler beside the kitchen sink.
“She wasn’t, before this trip.” He realized he was discussing his wife with her ex-husband. That he was, in fact, close to admitting how unhappy Kristin seemed to be these days.
Wrong. Matt set the bags on the floor out of the traffic path. “But everything will settle down again now that we’re all home. How’s Sarah?”
“She’s just fine,” Sarah said, coming out of the door to the back hallway. “But I wish you hadn’t cut your trip short.”
“No problem. We’ve seen enough battlefields and museums to hold us for a while.”
They all turned toward the front door as Erin came into the house, followed by Kristin carrying Jenny.
“Well, munchkins.” Luke tilted his head, surveying them. “Does this mean you’re not spending the night here after all?”
Jenny hid her face against Kristin’s neck.
Erin nodded. “You got us all week, Daddy. It’s Mommy’s turn.” After a beat, she added, “And Daddy Matt’s.”
“Fair enough. We’ll get your stuff into the other car and you’ll be ready to roll.”
Matt bit down on his automatic reaction to having his brother directing the situation. “Sounds good.” He passed Erin on his way outside, and allowed himself to brush his hand over the top of her head. “Thanks, Erin.”
She flushed and dropped her chin. With a pat on Kristin’s shoulder, he followed Luke outside to transfer his family’s belongings so he could get them all home.
Kristin shifted Jenny on her hip, then looked at Sarah. “I hope this isn’t a problem. Matt thought we should come back.”
The other woman’s smile looked a little sad. “Not for us. I’m sure the girls will be glad to get settled right away. And they’re welcome here anytime. You know that, right, Erin?”
“Right.” But her grip on Kristin’s hand was tight. “We get to have two moms and two dads. Most kids don’t have that many.”
Sarah gestured to a chair. “Do you want to sit down for a few minutes? We can talk about what we saw on our different trips.”
Fighting down the impulse to rush out the door and get her daughters home as fast as possible, Kristin sat. “We spent our anniversary night in Washington, D.C., at a very fancy hotel,” she said. “That was really special.”
“As fancy as the one at Walt Disney World?” Erin asked.
“Fancier. Can you imagine?” She could tell by the dead weight on her arm that Jenny had fallen asleep.
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