The SEAL's Baby
Page 20
“Hello,” she said in a cool tone.
Liz scanned Lana up and down. “You look fantastic. Doesn’t she, Mom?”
At last her mother turned her attention to Lana. Bracing for whatever she might say, Lana sucked in a breath.
“You are wearing a certain glow.” Her mother gave her a curious stare, as in, “Where did that come from?”
This was good, much better than another criticism about choosing single motherhood. Maybe her mother had decided to lay off the awful lectures tonight. Lana crossed her fingers. And thought about the “certain glow” that apparently was still with her.
It had been almost forty-eight hours since her night with Sly. By now any afterglow should have faded. Yet inside, Lana was still purring like a satisfied cat. Turning away from her mother’s and sister’s curious expressions, she washed her hands. “I caught up on my sleep last night—that must be the reason,” she said over the hiss of the water. “Did Dad get a new grill?”
“Yesterday, and this one has more bells and whistles than the old model—it does everything but shine shoes,” her mother answered. “He’s as excited as a boy on Christmas morning. He couldn’t wait to show it to Eric.”
“Men and their toys.” Liz shook her head, her ultrashort bangs and chin-length hair making her appear twenty instead of thirty. “If I know Eric, he’ll want one exactly like it, just to keep up.”
“With Eric’s construction business doing so well, you can certainly afford a new grill,” their mother pointed out.
The kitchen door opened and Connor and Emma rushed inside. “Aunt Lana! Aunt Lana!”
They raced straight for Lana. Her heart swelling with love, she leaned down and hugged them both. She envied Liz, with her loving husband and two adorable children. “It’s been a whole week since I saw you. What’s new?”
“Daddy’s gonna sign me up for T-ball in June,” Connor said proudly. “When is that, Aunt Lana?”
“Let’s see. Today is April 6,” Lana said. “After April comes...?”
Connor screwed up his face. “Summer?”
Lana laughed. “Summer isn’t for a little while yet, buddy. After April comes May, then June.”
Emma gave an enthusiastic nod. “When I’m five, I get to play T-ball, too.”
“That’ll be next summer—how exciting.” Lana made a mental note to get the dates of the games so she could cheer Connor on.
“How are Daddy and Grandpa doing with the hamburgers?” Liz asked.
“Good,” Emma replied. “We’re ’posed to tell you that they’re almost ready.”
“Then you’d both better hang up your jackets and wash your hands.” Liz pointed to the powder room.
The men brought in the hamburgers, greeted Lana and helped set the food on the dining room table. Dinner was the usual chaotic but fun affair, with Connor and Emma causing lots of laughter.
Lana finally relaxed. She was almost home free. With any luck she would skate through the rest of the evening with a smile on her face and then head home filled with the warmth borne out of family harmony. Or so she thought.
Copyright © 2014 by Ann Schuessler
ISBN-13: 9781460333662
THE SEAL’S BABY
Copyright © 2014 by Laura Marie Altom
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