by Ava Miles
She remembered other kids asking her questions about her dad. Some had said mean things about him. Others had told her maybe her father was dead. Bottom line was that she knew what Jess was going through.
“She’s always going to value your opinion, Riley. You share it with so much love. You don’t force it on anyone.”
“Thanks,” he said, rubbing his neck like it was stiff. “I’m going to read more parenting magazines. Sometimes they’re my friend and sometimes they’re total bullshit.”
She laughed. “See what I mean.”
“And I really want to keep Jess in the same home,” he added. “I mean, Haley is her BFF and—”
“It’s fine. I’ll love being next to Paige and her family.” She would never have dreamed of living next door to her secret sister a few months ago. God was so good.
“I’ll put you on the mortgage,” Riley said. “Women need to have their fair share of things.”
“Riley. It’s okay. We’ll work it all out.” She knew that. Trusted that.
He took her hands in his, turning serious. “There’s something else I have to mention. I’m… Okay, straight out and straightforward. I know going to church is important to you, and I… Well, I don’t believe in things the same way.”
“I know that.”
“Let me get this out. I’m spiritual, if you have to put a word on it. Not religious. I want to make sure you’re okay with that. I know your mama is a preacher and all and your whole family goes, and I…I would be okay with our children going to church with you, but I would like them to hear my thoughts on things too. I’d never undermine you on big points, Sadie. Ever. But I’d want you and I to discuss the things we see differently before talking to them. Kids are… They need to know we have their back.”
She tightened her hands around his when he looked her in the eye.
“I would want them to decide what’s best for themselves,” he finished. “It’s important they know what’s true for them. Not just what other people tell them.”
Her mama said as much from the pulpit on Sundays, but Riley didn’t know that. “I’m grateful you brought this up. It’s important for us to talk about these things. Shelby has talked about it with Vander some, and he feels much like you do, but he’s open to their children going to church.”
He kissed her hands. “I’ll give this whole praying together thing a shot for you so long as you promise you won’t make fun of me. You said that—”
She pressed her mouth to his and kissed him until he settled down. “You’d do that for me?” Somehow this offer struck her more than anything else he’d said, likely because he was stepping out of his comfort zone for her.
“I don’t have a clue what to say to God or the Universe or whatever,” he admitted, his cheeks flushing, “and I’ll probably talk superhero from time to time, but I figure I can give thanks for everything I’m grateful for every night. I’ll thank the Universe of God or whatever for you…and Jess…and any children we have together.”
Her hand caressed his face. “I give thanks for you and Jess every night before I go to sleep.”
The look he gave her would have made her knees melt had she been standing. “That makes me… Man, that gets me. Right here.” He slapped his chest. “Sadie McGuiness, I love you to pieces. Thank you for coming into my life.”
She snuggled closer, awash in her love for him. “Thank you, Riley.”
And they sealed their future with another kiss.
Chapter 25
When Paige arrived at Oodles of Spools for her quilting class, Sadie met her at the door with her eyes dancing.
“I have the best idea,” she announced, closing the door behind Paige. “Would you like to help me finish the lap blanket I made for Me-Mother? The idea struck me last night. I mean, what with us visiting her together, I thought it would be a lovely gift.”
Paige couldn’t help clutching her workbag in response. Every time she thought of meeting her grandmother, she got a little queasy. But she trusted her new siblings and had decided she needed to accompany them on their visit, especially since Louisa had decided they should go together as siblings without her coming along.
“Of course, I’d be happy to help,” she said, and then promptly cleared her throat.
Sadie wrapped her up in a tight hug. “I know you’re worried. Heaven knows I was so scared the first time, I could have peed my pants.”
“I don’t think I’m that bad off.”
When her sister started laughing, she felt her mouth turn up into a smile.
“That’s a relief,” Sadie said, squeezing her one last time before releasing her. “Come on. Let me show you the design I struck upon. I want you to add a few of your own touches. It will be great. We’ve never collaborated before.”
“Have you ever?” Paige asked, daunted by the prospect. “Collaborated?”
Her sister looked off to the right, thinking. “No, actually. This will be the first time.”
Paige felt oddly honored. “I hope I can add something. I’m still a newbie.”
“You’re doing great,” Sadie said, ushering her into the store to where the others were starting to gather. “You’ve already made three baby quilts.”
“And I have the sticks in my fingers to prove it,” she said, holding up her fingers. “The pins and I are still making friends.”
Ada laughed. “It’s a badge of honor, honey. I still stick myself from time to time.”
“It usually happens to me when I fall asleep while quilting. Horace starts sawing logs,” Leanne said, “and I come awake and forget where I am, and prick myself in the process.”
“My honey acts like me getting stuck could hurt the baby,” Whitney said, putting her hands on her slightly round belly. “He’s such a worry wart.”
“Some men are even bigger babies than the ones we carry inside us,” Mae said. “That’s why I know God was right to give child birthing to us.”
“Hear, hear,” Leanne said, making a fist in the air.
“Let me set what I have so far down on the work table,” Sadie told Paige, and together they moved to the station.
“What are y’all doing over there?” Leanne asked.
“None of your beeswax,” Ada told her. “Work on your own quilt. From the looks of your seams, you need to.”
Leanne held up her baby quilt, a lovely one in the pattern of zigzag rainbows. “There’s nothing wrong with my seams, you old battle axe.”
“Ladies,” Sadie said with a crinkled brow. “Please.”
Paige could see that Ada was biting her lip. The women genuinely enjoyed teasing each other—even if it went further than most of them would have taken it.
When Paige turned around, she gasped. “Oh, Sadie. It’s beautiful.”
The lap quilt depicted a few happy puppies frolicking in the grass with a happy sun overhead. The puppies were made from a combination of light and dark brown fabric, and when Paige touched it, she thought it might be flannel. The use of different variations of browns made the puppies seem real.
“Me-Mother’s greatest treasure is her bulldog, No-no. When I thought about what would make her happiest, it was puppies. I have a feeling she’d have more dogs if she could afford to take care of them.”
Paige already knew about their grandma’s obesity and how it had impacted her overall health. “This is wonderful, Sadie. I mean, I feel happy looking at it.”
“Then we’re on the right track,” she said, fussing with one of the edges of cloth. “This sucker just won’t lie flat. It’s stubborn, but I’m more stubborn.”
So far Paige had ironed and ironed, but if one of her pieces remained stubborn, she didn’t fight it. Sadie, on the other hand, was a perfectionist, and her quilts showed it.
“I don’t know what to add,” Paige said honestly. “It’s perfect the way it is.”
“Oh, I bet you’ll think of something.” Sadie patted her hand. “I’m going to check on everyone. You stand here for a spell and thin
k on it.”
She touched the pattern, hoping that the tactile connection might jog her mind. While her siblings had shared their impressions of their grandma with her, she didn’t know much of anything about Lenore. After all, she’d never met her. Maybe she needed to focus on the puppies. What did puppies like? Bones? Squeaky toys? It would be weird to depict that in a quilt, wouldn’t it? Then her eyes shifted to the corner of the quilt, where Sadie had used some green fabric to convey a yard.
“I’ve got something,” she cried out, only then realizing she’d interrupted Sadie and Imogene, who must have walked in while she was looking at the quilt.
“Be right there,” Sadie said with a smile.
When her sister came over, she pointed to the corner. “How about we add a dog house and a hole where the puppies have dug in the yard? I couldn’t possibly add that to the quilt, but you can.”
“I love that!” Sadie unpinned the corner pieces with quick efficiency. “Come with me. Let’s find some fabric.”
Sure enough, Sadie managed to pull some already cut squares that would work, and then she brandished her scissors and started cutting them into puzzle-like pieces.
“You’re ridiculous,” Leanne said, coming up behind them. “I mean, seriously, girl. You have a gift.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful.” Mae had joined them too as she snacked on a gingersnap. “If you add this piece…” She pointed to the one she had in mind.
“Yes,” Sadie said, picking it up. “It will fit better here.”
The other women clustered around, watching as Sadie worked. Soon the lap quilt had the suggestion of the doghouse and the hole in the ground Paige had come up with.
Whitney shook her head. “I’m never going to be that good. Sadie, the only word I can muster is wow.”
“Puppies,” Mae said, running her hand over the trio of them. “This is going to make your grandma very happy.”
Paige hoped so. But mostly she hoped her grandma would be happy to meet her. Everyone had assured her she would be, but the dark seeds of self-doubt had reared their head. In some circles, she would be seen as a love child, a bastard… She knew all of the ugly words. She’d been called them frequently as a young girl, even by her grandparents.
Sadie dragged her out of her funk by asking for her help with the sewing. For a woman who liked things to be perfect, Sadie always included Paige despite the fact that she was still very new to this quilting thing and her seams were a little off here and there. Sadie handed over the ironing to Paige so she could check on the others. So far they’d donated twenty baby quilts to the NICU with the promise of more on the way. Ada and Mae and Sadie had made the most, no surprise. Whitney was starting her third one now that she’d finished the quilt for her own baby.
Paige thought again how nice it would be to make a baby quilt for a new baby, but what would be, would be. Pretty soon, she’d start Haley’s princess quilt, something she’d only be able to pull off with some serious help from her sister.
Sadie came back and whipped together the back of the quilt lickety split, joking it was always the easiest. They picked out a happy yellow ruffle for the border, and once Sadie had zipped that along on the sewing machine, she held it up.
“Looks pretty good,” Sadie said, turning it under the light.
“Your grandma is going to feel like the luckiest woman in the world,” Leanne said, coming over. “You can feel the love in it.”
“Yes, you can,” Paige heard a stranger’s voice say from behind them.
Sadie gasped and flew around, the quilt billowing like a ballroom dancer’s skirt. “Mama. What are you doing here?”
Paige felt a punch land in her diaphragm. Sadie’s mama was here? She gulped and turned around. Louisa McGuiness was smiling softly at everyone, but her blue eyes were looking directly at Paige. Could she see the imprint of her first husband’s features? Paige hadn’t realized how much she took after the father she’d never known before meeting her siblings. She stood rooted to the spot, waiting for…something.
“I thought I’d swing by and say hello since y’all are about ready to finish,” Louisa said. “I hope y’all don’t mind none.”
“Of course she doesn’t,” Ada said, hugging the woman. “We always love to see you. Come. I’d like to show you my quilt.”
Louisa headed off with the older woman, and Sadie set the quilt aside.
“I didn’t know she was coming,” she explained.
“It’s okay,” Paige said. “Riley…ah…told me it’s not like she’s Maleficent or anything. Oh, that’s a horrible thing to say.”
Sadie’s mouth twitched. “I’m becoming fluent in Riley. I know what you mean. Come on, let’s iron this ruffle one more time.”
Normally Paige would have groaned, but she was too fixated on watching Louisa from the corner of her eye. She went from woman to woman, saying hello and exclaiming over their work. Sadie kept her busy until the other women had said their goodbyes. Sadie had told them the truth—or most of it—so they were aware of the sisters’ true relationship. They covered any concern or curiosity they might have felt with kind smiles as they hugged the pair of them on their way out.
“So Mama…” Sadie fidgeted with her hands. “What brings you this way?”
Paige realized her sister was nervous, and somehow that helped. Louisa took Sadie’s hands in one of her own and caressed her daughter’s cheek. Seeing the love in her eyes, Paige felt like she was encroaching.
“I should leave y’all,” she said, knocking into a chair when she went for her workbag.
“Actually, I was hoping you might let me buy you a cup of coffee, Paige,” Louisa said. “There’s a shop next door. I’ll just run over before they close. Sadie, if you’d leave me the key, I can lock up for you.”
Sadie’s eyes shot to her hairline. “Are you serious?”
“As the pope,” she said, her lips twitching. “Bad joke. Yes, honey, you go on home. Paige and I’ll be fine. Paige, what kind of coffee can I get you?”
An Irish coffee? she wanted to joke. “How about a cappuccino?”
“Excellent. I’ll be right back. Sadie, the key.”
When she held out her hands, Sadie sprang to life. “But Mama—”
“What am I? An ogre? Come on, honey, give me the key. And then you say goodbye to Paige while I get the coffee.”
Sadie stared at her for a moment before walking to her purse to produce the key. “I need to take it off my key chain.”
“Then do so, honey,” she said. “You can leave it with Paige. Come on and kiss me.”
Sadie went over and kissed her mama on the cheek, looking dazed.
“I’ll be right back with the coffee, Paige.”
When Louisa left, Sadie opened her hands. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. You don’t have to stay.”
She remembered how Riley had assured her about Louisa, telling her she had nothing to be nervous about. No, she would stand her ground. If Louisa wanted to talk to her like this, then she would hear her out. If she needed to defend herself, she would. But she hoped not. Everything was going so great with her siblings.
“I… It’s time for me to meet your mama properly. I’ve been putting it off.”
“I can stay,” Sadie said, taking her hands.
Paige knew Sadie was partly trying to buoy up her emotions, but it wasn’t necessary. She knew her own strength. “Go on. I’ll be fine.” And if she needed to fall to pieces later for a spell, Mark would hold her until she felt strong again.
“All right,” Sadie said, “but call me afterward and let me know you’re okay.”
“Go.”
Sadie quickly folded up their grandma’s quilt and handed it to Paige. “I want you to keep it until we make the trip to see her. Maybe it will boost your own spirits this week.”
Then she was off, and Paige was left holding the gift they’d made for yet another relative she’d never expected to meet.
When the store door opened and Louisa re
turned, Paige turned to face her with the quilt still in her hands.
“My daughter has done me a disservice,” Louisa said without preamble. “I’m only here to meet the woman everyone I love has said is so wonderful.”
She extended a to-go coffee cup to Paige, who realized with some amount of alarm that she’d have to put the quilt down to take it.
“Come sit,” Louisa said, gesturing to the circle of chairs now abandoned by the rest of the quilting circle.
Paige rested the quilt on her lap, feeling its warmth seep through her cold skin, and took the coffee.
“I’m sorry for the surprise visit,” she said. “After meeting Riley, I didn’t want to wait much longer to tell you how happy I am that my children have found you. You’ve…brought great love and joy into their lives.”
Paige’s throat thickened.
“I’ve prayed about what to say to you,” Louisa said. “Some of my old feelings about the past have gotten stirred up, but that only showed me they needed resolution. I also want to make sure you understand that I’m genuinely glad you’re in their lives. It bears repeating. I never imagined it, frankly.”
“Neither did I,” she said softly. “But I’m so glad it’s happened. They’ve brought me joy too.”
Louisa smiled and sipped her coffee. “I can see why everyone has fallen for you. You have an aura of kindness and a warmth about you.”
Paige could feel the words rear up inside her, and the pressure of them was so great, she had to say, “I’m not my mother.”
“I know that,” Louisa said softly. “And I’m not Preston, your father.”
Paige nodded. “Of course not. You’ve raised four amazing people.”
“Thank you,” Louisa said. “But you deserve more credit. After all, you raised yourself. From what J.P. and Vander told me, no one really looked after you.”
Sadness returned as images of her childhood flashed though her mind: all of the peanut butter and jam sandwiches she’d made herself for dinner and all the times she’d had to wear a jacket over her tattered clothing to hide its neglect.
