A Forever Kind of Family

by Brenda Harlen

  “He might not remember, but he’ll know,” Ryan said. “We’ll make sure that he knows.”

  “Unless—”

  He reached across the table to cover her hand with his own. “No one is going to take Oliver away from us.”

  It wasn’t really a promise he could make, but she nodded, apparently reassured. Or at least pretending to be.

  * * *

  On Sunday morning, Harper got up early with the intention of being showered and dressed and ready to go before Oliver woke up. Ryan had invited her to brunch at his parents’ house—a Mother’s Day tradition in his family—but there was somewhere else she wanted to go first.

  Of course, she should have known that Oliver wouldn’t cooperate with her plan, and when she went to get him up, she found that he was already awake—and so was Ryan.

  “What are you doing up?” he asked. “I thought you’d take advantage of the opportunity to sleep in this morning.”

  She shook her head. “Since you’re going to brunch at your parents’ house—”

  “We’re going to brunch,” he interjected.

  “Since we’re going to brunch at your parents’ house, I wanted to take Oliver for a short drive this morning.”

  “Anywhere in particular?”

  She could tell by the tone of his question that he already suspected her destination, so she nodded. “The cemetery.”

  Oliver was obviously too young to understand the significance of the day, but she felt it was important to take some time to recognize the woman who had brought him into the world.

  Ryan nodded, somehow instinctively understanding everything she couldn’t say. “Give me fifteen minutes to shower, and I’ll go with you.”

  “You don’t have to,” she hastened to assure him.

  His brows lifted. “Is there a reason you don’t want me to go with you?”

  “Maybe I don’t want you to see me cry.”

  “I’ve seen you cry before,” he reminded her.

  She didn’t need him to remind her of the meltdown she’d had at the hospital—or the kiss that had followed. She’d spent far too much time thinking of the two kisses they’d shared in recent weeks, pondering Ryan’s insistence that the next move had to be hers and wondering if she’d ever have the courage to make that move—or even admit that she wanted to.

  But the only move she was going to make this morning was out the door.

  “Then we should get moving to make sure we’re not late for brunch.”

  * * *

  Harper was quiet throughout the drive, thinking about Melissa and wishing her friend could be here to celebrate this special day with her son. Melissa had loved Oliver so much, and it wasn’t just tragic but unfair that she’d been taken from his life so early.

  “They say that as children grow, they lose the ability to retain any real memories of events that occurred prior to their third or fourth birthdays,” she said when Ryan pulled into the parking lot of Woodhaven Cemetery.

  “Who says?”

  “Most of the books I’ve been reading.”

  “And you’re worried that Oliver won’t remember his parents,” he guessed.

  She nodded. “We can talk about them and show him pictures, but there’s going to come a time when his memories will fade away.” She looked at the little boy in the back, playing with his beanbag puppy, and sighed. “Maybe they already have.”

  “We can’t do anything about that,” Ryan said gently. “All we can do is give him the love and support that Melissa and Darren would have.”

  She nodded. “And we will.”

  “Up!” Oliver demanded when Ryan opened the back door to let him out of the car.

  “Up,” he confirmed, lifting the baby into his arms.

  “Woof!” The little boy held up his puppy.

  “Woof! Woof!” Ryan said, making him giggle.

  They walked side by side between the rows of markers. Ryan carried the baby on his left hip; Harper carried the bouquet of flowers in her right hand, her other linked with his. They might have different opinions and ideas about a lot of things, but in their commitment to honor their friends’ wishes, they were united, and she was glad he’d offered to come with her today.

  The sun was high, the sky clear and blue, the grass lush and green. It was a picture-perfect day.

  “It rained last Mother’s Day,” Harper told Ryan.

  “How is it that you remember that?”

  “Because Melissa told me that Darren had planned to celebrate the occasion with a picnic in the park, but it was too wet. Instead he pushed back the furniture and set up their picnic in the middle of the living room.”

  “That sounds like something he would do.”

  “They ate sandwiches off paper plates and drank wine out of plastic cups, and she loved every minute of it.”

  And then Darren had shoved the picnic basket aside, laid his wife down on the blanket and made love to her—which was something they wouldn’t have been able to do in the park. So maybe the rain was a blessing after all, Melissa had confided. Of course, Harper didn’t share that part of her memory with Ryan.

  It broke Harper’s heart to realize that Melissa’s first Mother’s Day with her son was also the last that she would ever celebrate. And while Harper would always regret that her friend’s life had been tragically cut short, she found some comfort in knowing that every day Melissa had been alive, she had lived.

  Her friend had always urged Harper to do the same—to step outside her comfort zone and try new things. Seize the day, she’d advised, because you couldn’t ever know what tomorrow would bring.

  When they arrived at the polished granite stone etched with their friends’ names, Harper noticed that the vase beside the marker was already filled with fresh flowers.

  She looked at Ryan; he shrugged.

  “I was ordering other flowers yesterday and I thought Oliver would like to get some for his mom.”

  She realized that she wasn’t really surprised. Over the past few weeks, he’d demonstrated his thoughtfulness and kindness in countless ways—this was only the latest example. And only one of the reasons she was fighting a losing battle against her growing feelings for him.

  Oliver dropped his puppy, so Ryan set him on his feet to retrieve it. He picked up the toy, then moved to the flowers by his mother’s grave and patted the colorful blossoms. “Pi-ty.”

  “They’re very pretty,” Harper agreed. “We’ve got some more pretty flowers for Mommy, too.”

  “Ma-ma,” he echoed.

  She nodded, her throat tight, and took the little boy’s hand so that he could help her put the flowers in the vase on the other side of the marker.

  “I bet Darren would rather have a beer than a bouquet,” Ryan commented, making her smile through her tears.

  “We’ll have to keep that in mind for Father’s Day,” she said.

  They stood quietly for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts, while Oliver sat in the grass and played with Woof. When they were ready to go, Harper lifted him into her arms.

  “Can you blow kisses for Mommy?” she asked, demonstrating with her own hand how it was done.

  Oliver mimicked her, putting his open hand to his mouth and making a smacking noise.

  “Just like that,” she confirmed.

  Then he leaned forward and planted his lips on hers.

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, Ryan pulled into the wide driveway in front of his parents’ sprawling bungalow. He parked behind Justin’s sporty new BMW, but he didn’t see any sign of Braden’s Mercedes sedan.

  Ellen greeted all of them with hugs and kisses and immediately stole Oliver from his arms.

  “I was afraid we’d be the last ones here,” Ryan said.

  “You are,” his mother said.

  “Braden and Dana aren’t coming?”

  She shook her head.

  “Dana has decided that Mother’s Day is a personal affront to all childless women.” Justin was
standing at the stove, pushing fried potatoes around in a pan, his tone clearly expressing displeasure with his sister-in-law.

  “Justin,” Ellen chided.

  “Braden and Dana have been trying—unsuccessfully—to have a baby for a couple of years,” Ryan explained to Harper.

  “More like four years,” Ellen said. “They wanted to keep it quiet at first, waiting to share the big news when it finally happened—but it hasn’t happened.”

  “That must be heartbreaking for both of them.”

  Ellen nodded. “Of course, when they told me they wanted to have a baby, I was so thrilled about the prospect of becoming a grandmother I might have made too much of a big deal about it. And I worry now that I might have put more pressure on my daughter-in-law.”

  “I could have stayed home with Oliver,” Harper said. “If the baby’s presence would make her uncomfortable.”

  “You could not have stayed home,” Ellen denied. “I wouldn’t have allowed it. In fact, I was hoping that seeing you and Ryan with Oliver would show Dana and Braden that family is about more than biology.”

  “I feel like I’m missing something,” Harper admitted.

  “After six months of fertility treatments without a pregnancy, Braden suggested that they should look into adoption,” Ellen explained. “Dana nixed that idea.”

  “Why?”

  His mother shrugged. “Near as I can tell, she doesn’t want someone else’s baby.”

  Harper frowned at that but said nothing. Not really knowing Braden or Dana, she was probably reluctant to comment, but he suspected she felt as he did—that a woman who apparently desperately wanted a baby wouldn’t turn away from any child who needed a family.

  “But that’s enough about that,” Ellen said. “Today I want to celebrate my first Mother’s Day as a grandma.”

  They did so by indulging in a meal that included thick slices of French toast, fluffy scrambled eggs, spicy fried potatoes, crisp maple bacon, fresh fruit and mimosas—all prepared by Ellen’s husband and children. At least, that had been the tradition since the kids had been small, but the reality was that John did most of the cooking now and their sons showed up when it was ready to go on the table.

  After brunch they had coffee in the back garden. By then it was getting close to Oliver’s usual nap time and—proof that he was starting to feel sleepy—he asked for Woof. Harper looked through every pocket and compartment of the diaper bag with no success. “Did he leave it in the car?” she wondered.

  “Woof?” Ellen queried.

  “His beanbag puppy.”

  “I’ll check the car,” Ryan said. “I know he had it when we left the house.”

  “He had it at the cemetery, too.”

  Ellen cuddled the boy on her lap while they went to look for the toy.

  Ryan checked the back, even behind Oliver’s car seat and under the floor mats, while Harper checked the front. They both came up empty-handed.

  “Do you think he left it at the cemetery?”

  Harper sighed. “I honestly don’t know where else it could be.”

  “I’ll go back,” he decided.

  “I feel like I should tell you that you don’t have to, but...”

  “But it’s his favorite toy,” Ryan finished for her.

  She nodded.

  “I’ll be back in about half an hour.”

  * * *

  While Ryan was gone, Harper lingered over a second cup of coffee with Ellen while the other men cleaned up the dishes. Justin grumbled that Ryan had probably hidden Oliver’s toy just to skip out on doing his part, but he refused Harper’s offers to help, insisting that “Mother’s Day Rules” meant no one with two X chromosomes was allowed to cook or clean.

  Harper sipped her coffee. “I think I could learn to like those rules.”

  Ellen smiled. “It’s fun to be spoiled by my men every once in a while,” she agreed. “Of course, for the next week I’ll be cursing them every time I can’t find a bowl or a spoon because nothing gets put back in the right place.”

  Harper chuckled softly.

  Ellen looked down at the little boy snuggled against her chest, his thumb in his mouth, his eyes closed. “It seems like forever since my boys were this small.”

  “And he already seems so much bigger than he was two months ago.”

  “They grow fast,” Ellen agreed, gently rubbing the baby’s back. “So what are your plans for the rest of the day?”

  “To do as little as possible,” Harper confided.

  “You won’t be visiting your family later?”

  She shook her head. “They’re all in New York City.”

  “I visited Manhattan once. It was...” Ellen paused, searching for an appropriate description. “...big. And busy.”

  “It is both,” she agreed.

  “Do you get back to New York often?”

  “A couple of times a year.”

  “How did you end up in Charisma?”

  “I was offered a job at WNCC.” She sipped her coffee. “Actually, I also had job offers in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and Ankeny, Iowa—I chose Charisma because Melissa was coming back here.”

  “How long have you been at WNCC?”

  “Almost five years. The last three with Coffee Time.”

  “Is it exciting—working in television?”

  “It’s exhausting,” Harper admitted.

  “But you enjoy it?”

  “I wouldn’t still be doing it if I didn’t.”

  “I watch your show every morning,” Ellen said. “It’s very entertaining.”

  “Caroline is a fabulous host,” Harper agreed.

  “But what is she really like? Is she a taskmaster or a diva? I promise—anything you tell me won’t go any further.”

  “She’s a consummate professional who demands the best from her staff and herself. She’s also an incredibly sweet and warm person.”

  “Really?” Ryan’s mom sounded a little disappointed.

  “Really,” Harper assured her.

  “What about Kane?”

  She smiled. “Women always want to know about Kane—but they never want to hear the truth.”

  “What’s the truth?”

  “That he is a diva.”

  Ellen laughed. “You must meet so many interesting people in your line of work.”

  “I do,” she agreed.

  “I worked at a lot of different jobs over the years, some I liked more than others, but none ever meant more to me than being a mother.”

  “It shows,” Harper said sincerely.

  “It wasn’t always easy—in fact, it usually wasn’t easy at all. But when I look at my three grown sons, I can’t help but feel proud of them and pleased that I was able to play a small part in helping them become the men that they are.”

  “But she’s most proud of me,” Justin said as he came back out onto the deck.

  Ellen smiled indulgently. “Of course, any mother would be thrilled to have a son who is a doctor.”

  “See?” he said, winking at Harper.

  “The title proves that you’re smart, driven and successful,” Ellen noted. “But it doesn’t mean you’re not lonely.”

  “I’m not lonely,” he assured her.

  “Sometimes a man doesn’t realize how much he wants a partner to share his life until he finds the right partner.”

  “I like my life exactly as it is.”

  “Right now there’s no reason you shouldn’t,” his mother agreed.

  “And right now I have to go—I’m on the afternoon shift today.”

  He bent down to kiss his mother’s cheek, then surprised Harper by kissing hers, too. “Happy Mother’s Day.”

  Chapter Ten

  Despite his promise to return in thirty minutes, it was nearly twice that amount of time before Ryan came back. And he came back empty-handed.

  “I traced our route twice,” he told Harper. “I even went back to the house and double-checked, just in case we were wrong about him having i
t earlier.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  Ryan shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  “You might want to stop by the Toy Depot on the way home to see if they have anything similar,” Ellen suggested. “Even if they don’t, he could pick out a new toy that might help him forget about Woof, at least for a few days.”

  “Do you think that will work?” Harper asked.

  “Ryan had a favorite blanket when he was a baby—until he was six years old. He took it everywhere with him, which meant it had to go through the washing machine more times than I could count, until one day it finally fell apart. I bought at least half a dozen blankets trying to replace it, and each new one seemed to make him happy the first time he went to sleep with it—and the next day, he’d scream for blankie again.”

  Harper looked at Ryan, her lips twitching. “Blankie?”

  “I think she’s making it up.”

  “I am not making it up,” his mother said primly.

  “Then maybe you’re mistaken—maybe it was Braden who had the blankie.”

  “It was you,” she insisted. “I’m not making it up and I’m not mistaken, because I ended up sewing a ragged scrap from the original blanket to the ear of your teddy bear so that you could hold on to that while you fell asleep.”

  “Did that work?” Harper asked.

  “He slept with that bear until he was twelve.”

  “And on that note,” Ryan said, picking up Oliver’s diaper bag, “I think it’s time for us to go.”

  “I’m not in a hurry,” Harper said with a devilish smile. “And I’ll bet your mom has a lot more stories to tell.”

  Ellen chuckled. “Days’—maybe weeks’—worth of stories.”

  “Unfortunately, the Toy Depot is only open until five,” Ryan said.

  “Then you better get going,” his mother agreed.

  * * *

  When they got home from the toy store with a stuffed Dalmatian that didn’t really look anything like Woof except that it was a dog, Harper discovered an enormous bouquet of flowers on the coffee table in the living room.

  “Pi-ty,” Oliver said, pointing to the flowers.

  Harper nodded as she picked up the card, her eyes blurring with tears as she read the childlike printing.