by Kat Brookes
Lila’s parents had eventually gotten back together, but not for Lila’s sake. It had been over their mutual love of illegal substances. But Finn would never have to deal with anything like that, Mason vowed. Never.
* * *
“Grits!” Lila shrieked as she reached for the shoe the naughty pup had taken from the porch, only to lose her footing on the wet earth of Mama Tully’s garden. Down she went into a face-first slide between the collard greens and the potatoes, taking a few unfortunate pieces of vegetation with her as she went.
“Lila?” a voice boomed. The slapping sound of booted footsteps crossing the rain-soaked garden followed. A second later, Mason’s large form was kneeling next to her. “Are you okay?”
Anybody but him, she thought to herself as she lay trying to catch her breath. Grits, apparently realizing the chase was over, scampered over to stand in front of Lila. She could see his muddied paws through the strands of hair hanging limply over her face.
“Lila?” Mason repeated with more urgency.
A shoe dropped onto the rain-soaked ground in front of her. Her shoe. The whole reason she was lying there in utter embarrassment. As much as she’d like to continue to lie there in silence, wishing Mason away, Lila knew there was no possibility of that happening. Pushing up onto her elbows, feeling the ooze of damp earth and rainwater soak even deeper into her clothes, Lila replied, “I think so.” Then, glancing back over her shoulder with a frown, added, “I’m not so sure Mama Tully’s potato plants are, though.”
He responded with a soft chuckle as he followed the line of her gaze. “That was definitely a major league–level home plate slide, if ever. Thankfully, the collard greens were spared. The potatoes are ready to be picked anyway, and you only mangled a few plants, so no real harm was done.” His attention swung back around to her. “Speaking of harm, are you sure you’re all right?”
“Other than being beyond embarrassed and having a dress that will probably never make its way into a church again—” she paused to look at the muddy shoe in front of her “—make that dress and shoes, I’m just peachy.” At least, she hoped she was. There was far too much distraction, Mason’s being there in particular, to really be able to do a full assessment for any injuries. It had been two weeks since she’d returned to church, and, in that time, Mason had been coming around more often to spend time with Finn, including her in some of their outings, as well. That was something he hadn’t been obligated to do, but the kindness touched her deeply. Made her wish for what she could never have again—Mason’s love.
“I think you’re right about this shoe’s fate,” Mason said with a grin. Reaching out, Mason plucked it from the mud and then stood. Then he extended his other hand to her.
Lila felt as if she was going back in time as she reached for his offered hand and felt his fingers close around hers. It was something Mason had done countless times when she’d lived there. Following long talks under their peach tree, he would always help her to her feet. Only she’d usually been in a sitting position, not sprawled across the dirt. And Mason had done so not only because he’d been raised to be a gentleman, as he was no doubt doing right now, but because he’d loved her back then.
Grits barked and danced around them as Mason helped Lila to her feet. She rocked unsteadily as her bare feet sank into the mud.
“I’ve got you,” Mason said, sliding a supportive arm around her waist. Rain came down harder, streaming down his face as he looked at her. “We’d best get back to the house. I think we’re in for a lengthy downpour.”
She nodded, trying not to think about how it felt to have his strong arm wrapped around her. “I think you’re right.”
Together, they hurried back to the house, making it onto the porch only moments before the clouds opened up fully. The deluge of rain cast a thick curtain between them and Mama Tully’s front yard.
“Made it just in time,” Mason remarked.
Lila glanced down at her muddied self. “Maybe I should have stayed out in the yard. The rain could only have helped me.”
“I would ask what you were doing outside in the garden in this weather,” he said as they shook the excess rainwater from their hair and limbs, “but I think the shoe Grits attempted to gift you with answers that question.” He held the wet, mud-covered wedge sandal up between them.
“That used to be one of my favorites.”
“I feel like I can safely say it’s not going to be any longer,” he teased, just as naturally as he once had.
She shook her head. “If I had known he had a thing for shoes...”
“Ahh,” he said with a nod of understanding. “Grits here decided to play a game of catch me if you can, using your shoe as a lure.”
“That pretty much covers it,” she agreed. “Mama Tully went inside to start fixing lunch and Finn took Honey to find her ball. I stayed out on the porch to take in some fresh air and mull over this morning’s sermon while I sat watching the storm roll in. My mistake was in taking off my dress sandals. The rest, as they say, is history.”
Grits chose that moment to shake the water and mud from himself.
With a startled squeal, Lila took cover behind Mason.
Sputtering as the water sprayed across the front of him from his head down to his toes, Mason groaned, “Grits!”
When Lila decided it was safe to come out of hiding, she burst into laughter. “Maybe you and I should both step out into the rain to rinse all of this mud off us.”
“Momma...”
They both turned toward the sound of their son’s voice.
Pushing the screen door open, Finn stepped outside with Honey at his heels. The pup adored him, choosing to stay at Finn’s side while Grits was off doing his own thing more often than not. That day’s thing just happened to be swiping her shoe.
Finn smiled wide the second he caught sight of Mason standing there on the porch. “Daddy!” That happy expression faltered slightly. “Is it okay if I call you that?”
The corners of Mason’s mouth tilted upward. “It’s more than okay, son. I’d like nothing more.”
Lila’s heart melted at both Mason’s response and the joy that moved across their son’s face with his reply.
It was then Finn took notice of his father’s rain-soaked state. “Why are you all wet and muddy?”
“I got caught out in the rain.” He looked to the dog. “And then Grits here decided to give me a mud bath.”
Finn’s brows drew together in confusion.
“It’s a saying,” Lila explained. “Grits was muddy and shook, spraying it all over your daddy.”
Her son looked her over. “Is that why you’re so muddy?”
“No, I was already muddy. I fell in the garden while I was chasing Grits,” she explained as she pushed the damp curls from her face.
“This ornery mutt stole your momma’s shoe,” Mason said as he reached down to scratch the panting pup behind his ear.
“Then how come you’re the one holding it?” their son asked. Of course, Grits, the rascal, sat there, looking completely innocent of any wrongdoing.
Mason chuckled. “You don’t miss a thing, do you?”
Lila couldn’t help but smile. “I slipped in the vegetable garden when I was chasing Grits, and your daddy came to my rescue.”
“Not soon enough,” Mason acknowledged as he took in the sight of her.
“I should go get cleaned up,” Lila said, growing slightly chilled in her damp clothes.
“Would you mind if I stuck around a bit to visit with Finn?” Mason asked.
Finn jumped right in. “Can he, Momma? Please?”
She looked to Mason. “Don’t you want to get home and get into something dry?”
“It can wait,” he replied. “I know I should have called first to make sure you didn’t mind my coming over.”
“There’s no need,”
she told him. They had never called first when she used to live there. It wasn’t that far of a walk between houses if their visit ended up being poorly timed. She saw no reason to require a call from him first now. He had every right to see his son when he wanted to. “You’re welcome to stop by and see Finn anytime.”
He nodded. “I appreciate that. Especially since I’d have to walk home in that,” he said, glancing beyond the shelter of the porch’s roof to where the storm continued.
“You’re welcome to come inside,” she offered.
“And drip all over Mrs. Tully’s floors?” he said, looking down at his wet clothes. “Better not. But thank you for the invite. Finn and I will make use of these porch chairs.”
“If you’re sure,” she said and started for the door. Pausing just inside, she glanced back. “And Mason...”
He looked her way. “Yes?”
“Thank you for coming to my rescue.” She smiled at the memory of it.
“You’re welcome.”
Lila left them to their visit, something she wished she could be a part of. She’d missed the talks she and Mason used to have on this same porch. The playful conversations that had verged on beyond silly at times. Conversations her son would now be able to share with his daddy. And for that she was beyond grateful, because Finn’s happiness meant the world to her. As did Mason’s.
* * *
Mason and Finn settled themselves into the matching rockers, watching the rain fall. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to really talk to you after church this morning.”
“It’s okay,” his son said. “Momma said you wanted to but couldn’t get away from all the people asking you questions about me.”
He appreciated Lila assuring Finn that he’d had other intentions where his son was concerned. “My having a son came as quite a shock to everyone.”
“Are they mad at my momma, too?”
“I’m not mad at her,” Mason said. “Well, maybe a little,” he said, preferring to be honest with his son. But at the same time, he didn’t want to draw Finn into his and Lila’s issues. He was a young boy, deserving of a carefree life. He and Lila were adults, ones who had a lot of complicated issues to work through, despite their brief moment of shared laughter. “But I’m working on it.” It was hard to hold on to the anger when his heart had finally come back to life after so many years.
“I’m mad at her,” Finn declared with a pinched frown.
“Finn, I understand why you might be upset with your momma,” Mason began, “but we all have to figure out a way to let go of our anger. Otherwise, it’ll fester inside us and keep us from appreciating all the good things we have in our lives. And as far as other people being upset with your momma, I don’t think they are. They’re mostly just trying to take all of this in.”
“Uncle Jake is mad at her,” Finn stated matter-of-factly. “Aunt Violet, too, but she still says hello.”
Mason nodded, hating that Finn was picking up on his siblings’ conflicted emotions. He was still harboring some resentment toward Lila himself, but he did his best to keep those emotions firmly tucked away whenever Finn was around. His family needed to put Finn’s happiness first, and slighting Lila was not at all conducive to that. Nor was it the Christian thing to do. In his heart, he knew that he would forgive Lila. It was the right thing to do. Because of Finn, but also because he still loved her. He’d tried not to, but his heart refused to cooperate.
Mason shifted in the porch chair to face his son. “Your aunt Violet and your uncle Jake are hurt that they missed so many years of your growing up. It’s something they’re going to have to work through. Something all of us are working through,” he said honestly. “But it will get better.” He’d see that it did.
“I like it here.”
One corner of Mason’s mouth pulled upward. “I’m glad. I know you live in Alabama, but I want you to know that Sweet Springs will always be your home, too.”
“Can I come live here with you?”
This wasn’t a subject he’d been prepared to delve into. Not until he’d spoken to Lila about how they would work out custody arrangements. “I think your momma would be really sad if you were to live so far away from her.”
Finn’s smile drooped.
“We’ll figure something out,” Mason assured him. “Maybe you can spend your summers here. And some of your holiday breaks.”
Fortunately, his response managed to spark some life back into his son, as dark brown eyes that mirrored Mason’s own lifted to him full of hope. “Or maybe Momma and me can move here to live. And then I would have all my family with me all the time.”
If only life were that simple, Mason thought to himself. And his was anything but. “I can’t make you any promises,” he said honestly. “But your momma and I will work together to come up with a plan that has your best interest in mind.” He prayed he could figure out a way to keep both Lila and Finn a part of his future, because his life felt blessedly complete with them in it.
Chapter Six
My time here is coming to an end far too quickly, Lila thought with a sad sigh as she reached into the back seat of her car to grab the two bags of groceries she and Mama Tully had picked up after church. Mama Tully was nearly back to full strength and summer was more than half over. Addy would be coming soon, while she and Finn would be heading home to Alabama. She would miss the days spent sitting with Mama Tully on the porch, reminiscing about the past. Miss the moments she’d shared with Mason and Finn, laughing and playing. Miss church and picking peaches and the life she’d almost had. Nudging the car door closed with her hip, she followed Mama Tully into the house.
“Well,” Mama Tully said as she set her purse along with the half gallon of milk she’d carried in down atop the hall table, “that was truly an inspiring sermon.”
While Lila had attended church services for the past three Sundays, she had still been struggling to get past the guilt and find her way back to the Lord. That morning’s service had moved something inside her, though. She realized she needed the Lord in her life, needed to know she could turn to Him in prayer in times of strife. Needed to know that He was watching over her son, which she now realized He was.
“So heartwarming,” Lila agreed as she walked over to let Grits and Honey out of their room. A family of five from the next town over who had lost their home in a recent fire had attended that morning’s service. Though they were not members of this church, they had expressed their gratitude for the monetary contributions the church and its parishioners had given them to help with replacing clothing lost in the fire.
Honey and Grits began barking excitedly as they waited for Lila to unlatch the gate, their tails wagging. “Okay, okay, hold your horses,” she said, laughing softly.
“Patience has never been one of their virtues,” Mama Tully said with a joyous smile.
The moment the gate opened, the pups greeted Lila and then raced toward Mama Tully, loving her up, but with a more noticeable gentleness. From the moment she’d come home from the hospital, they’d seemed to sense she was in fragile health. The animals never pounced on her the way they did Lila and Finn, or even Mason, for that matter.
Lila hurried to change out of her church shoes and into her sandals to take the dogs out. “Ready?” she asked them as she headed for the front door.
Barking in response, the pups followed her out onto the porch. Lila prayed they would see to their needs and return without a chase. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn’t.
That thought had barely surfaced in her mind when both dogs took off toward the orchard. “Honey! Grits!”
“Let them go,” Mama Tully said behind her as they disappeared into the orchard. “They’ll come back. I’m sure they’ve just gone off looking for Finn.”
Finn had gone to Mason’s place after church, something their son had done the past two Sundays. Only today, he’d accep
ted their offer to stay longer than the hour or so he normally visited to join them for lunch. They’d been so patient, giving Finn time to acclimate to his new family without pushing him into any situation he wasn’t ready for. Lila had no doubt he would enjoy taking part in lunch with the Landerses. She always had, could still remember all the happy chatter and playful teasing.
“I’ll take a walk over there,” Lila said. “I’d feel better if I knew for sure.” Mama Tully’s heart would be broken if anything happened to the dogs.
Mama Tully smiled knowingly. “Are you certain that’s the only reason you’re going to Mason’s? To check on the dogs?”
Lila sighed. “Mama Tully, you have to stop hoping for something that will never be. It doesn’t matter how I feel. I gave up any right to Mason’s heart a long time ago. I can’t force him to love me again, just because that’s how I wish things were between us.”
“There’s a reason he’s never gotten married,” she pointed out.
Lila’s heart stirred for the briefest moment before she tamped the unrealistic flicker of hope down. “Because he hasn’t met the right woman yet.”
Mama Tully quirked a thin brow. “Or maybe it’s because the women he’s met weren’t you.”
As much as she’d love to believe that was the case, Lila knew better. Mason’s heart wasn’t hers to hope for. She’d given that chance up a long time ago. But when Mama Tully had her mind set on something, there was no changing it. Redirecting the conversation was her only hope. “I really should get going. You wanted to start on those bows for Mrs. Landers, and I need to see where those little escape artists of yours have gotten off to.”
