by Rita Hestand
"Don't you dare."
"Alright. I believe you. I want to thank you for not making fun of me."
"Hey, since Jerry gave me the ring, he wants sex too. But if they really love you, they can wait. You can use foreplay a long time to entice them and it's completely safe. When Jerry gets the preacher, then he can have all he wants. Not until. If matrimony is on your mind, listen to me. Don't give in all the way."
"Okay…I'm beginning to understand that, but it is very hard because my blood boils when he touches me…"
"Oh yeah, I know the feeling. But let it keep boiling. When the temperature is right, then you can. And that's not going to happen until they marry you. Not just propose, but marry you."
"Yikes, it's time to get Mike. Want to come?"
"Sure…." Leanne pulled on her shorts over her bikini and followed Sarah out the door.
"If I have any more questions can I come to you?"
"Of course, any time. Remember the hold out is worth it all. It won't be long and you, Mike and my brother will be a real family."
"I hope so…"
"I know so." Leann chuckled.
"Sometimes I worry about being untrue to my sister's memory. She loved him, you know."
"But she's gone. And even she would rather you be Mike's mother now, than someone else, right?"
"Si…this is true."
"Don't worry. I want Mitch to be happy, and I know just from watching you with Mike, you will make a great mother and a terrific wife."
"But Claire is rich. She comes from his world."
"Claire is a cold you know that. Don't fret about her."
"Alright…"
"Keep your eye on having fun and making love up to a point, but just don't cross the line. He'll finally figure it out for himself."
"Is this plotting too much against him?"
"All's fair in love and war." Leann chuckled.
"Si….oh, there's Mike." She saw him just as she pulled up.
Mike jumped in the car and Leann turned to him. "How was school?"
"Great…"
"Good, how about we go for some ice cream?"
"Where?"
"About five blocks down this same road." Leann pointed.
"We are on our way." Sarah laughed.
"I'm so glad you got off early today, Leann."
"Me too, it's fun having another girl in the house."
"Carlos is coming over in an hour, is that alright?" Mike asked.
Leann nodded, "Of course it is. We'll fix some sandwiches and chips and maybe even a cola for you two."
"Oh he'll love that. He's invited me over this weekend, to spend the night. On Friday, can I go?"
Sarah thought about it a moment. "If his mother approves of it, I see no reason why not. I'll drive you over myself."
"He lives on Third Street."
"I'll find it."
Sarah felt so much better having talked with Leann and so happy that Leann accepted her like she did. She felt almost like Cinderella herself.
Chapter Nineteen
No one came home for supper so it was Leann, her, and the kids. They spent some time in the kitchen making sandwiches. The kitchen was well equipped and the cupboards were always stocked with their favorite foods. Mitch made sure they had plenty of the things that her and Mike liked to eat too.
There was a long aisle that stretched the length of the entire kitchen and plenty of room for several people to work in there at one time.
Sarah was shocked at how easy he turned things over to her, the kitchen, his car, the use of the pool. She felt like some kind of princess.
After they ate, they played a couple of board games with the boys. The boys enjoyed it and talked up a storm. They laughed when Sarah or Leann would goof up too.
It was relaxing and both the girls enjoyed it.
"Want some popcorn?" Sarah asked after two games.
"No, we're kind of tired. Can we be excused to go and watch television in my room?" Mike asked.
"You sure can. But lights out in an hour."
"Okay."
Carlos, was a cute little boy, a little pudgy, but still very cute. He had black hair and eyes and he looked as though he wore his best clothes today. "Thank you for the supper and playing games with us. Mom says that's what makes a happy home, playing with your kids."
Sarah nodded. "And she is very right."
"Goodnight…we're going to get into our pajamas and brush our teeth and go watch Cujo. It's scary, it has a really big dog in it."
"Well, I hope that doesn't give you bad dreams." Sarah frowned.
"No…we know they are only play acting." Carlos said.
"How can a dog play act?"
Carlos seemed to think about that and then said. "They train him to, that's how."
"Oh!" Mike accepted that answer.
Leann laughed.
"Goodnight."
Mike kissed Sarah and Leann. "Goodnight."
"I've got a little project for tomorrow I need to get done, want to keep me company?" Leann asked.
"Si, I will help you. Sounds like fun. I enjoy doing projects usually if they aren't too difficult."
"I was hoping you would say that. You can cut out the pieces for me. I hate cutting. My hands tend to cramp."
"Great."
They went to a back closet and got the supplies that Leann kept for just such projects, and then they piled the things they would need on the kitchen floor and began.
Al the while they worked, they talked.
"Does Mike notice girls yet?" Leann asked.
"No, I don't think so."
"It won't be long you know." Leann laughed.
"At least he can go to Mitch and talk to him." Sarah sighed.
"Tell me about your family?" Leann encouraged.
"I have two brothers; both of them are successful business men. I rarely see them. My parents are very old fashioned and it has caused much distress in the family, as they don't accept anyone they bring home. So they quit coming home much. Then there was Maria. My mother almost went crazy when she found out about the baby. But the real problem was that it belonged to Mitch and not her intended. I moved away from home to get away from them too, I'm afraid. It is impossible to live around them, now that we are grown." Sarah said sadly.
"But you seem so family oriented; I figured you came from a big, warm and friendly family."
"No, I was the youngest and the last to leave. I left right after I got out of college. When I left I took Mike with me. They did not approve of that either, but they were completely unfair to the child, and I loved him so. I would babysit him when Maria went out so we spent a lot of time together."
"That must have been hard for you to support him. Did you date much?"
"Not until I left home. I had a few boyfriends, but nothing really serious. Julio, he wanted to get serious. I would not let him. I liked him, but I did not feel the passion and fire for him. Can you understand that? Or am I crazy?"
"You aren't crazy." Leann assured her.
"Did you date Julio long?"
"I was still dating him when I left."
"Did you tell him that you were leaving?" Leann asked with concern.
"I told him on the phone in the truck driving here with Mitch."
"Oh my, how did he take it?"
Sarah shrugged. "He was angry. But what could he do?"
Leann looked at her a moment. "So you just up and left at a moment's notice, to come here and take care of Mike?"
Sarah nodded. "Si, he was my little boy. When Maria died, I think I clung to Mike as my family. I was raising him like my own. I loved him so much. When Mitch showed up and wanted to take him, I felt myself falling apart. I could not let Mike go with him alone. He was a stranger. He would have been too frightened. I was frightened for him. I did not know your brother then."
"Wow, you just pulled up your life, packed your bags and went. That's really something. That speaks so highly of your love for Mike. No wonder you two ar
e so close."
Sarah leaned back in the chair for a moment to reflect. "Maria was so close to me, and Mike too of course. She depended on me so much because her husband was a very cruel and violent man. He hit her many times. But my family would never believe it. I did, I saw the bruises on her body. She was afraid of him most of the time and so was Mike."
"Does Mitch know all of this?"
"Not all of it. It would do no good to tell him now. He does know the man did not want Mike. But one of the things that made me trust your brother right off was that he had the test done before he ever came out. Not because he didn't believe, Mike was his, but to prove to Maria's husband that he had a claim to Mike. I liked that. Did he tell you I thought he was the plumber when he showed up at my door?"
"No, really. What happened?" Leann laughed trying to imagine that.
"What was I to think? He came in his sweat brimmed straw hat and cowboy looking jeans and boots. He walked right in and asked me if I had a coat hanger. Then I begin to look around for his tool pouch, and I discovered his truck had no sign on it and I became suspicious of him even though he did manage to unstop the bathtub."
"How funny." Leann laughed. "Mitch surprises me all the time."
"Did Mike seem to have a difficult time with believing Mitch was his father?"
"No…not when I told him who he was. He believed me."
"There was no animosity?"
"No…Mike was happy once I took him away from his home."
"I'm so glad he had you. And I’m so glad you love him that much." Leann reached her hand and put it on her arm.
"I loved Mike from the moment I saw his little black head peaking out of the sheets at the hospital. He was sucking his thumb back then and I thought him precious." Sarah sighed. "Maria was so strong during that time. Knowing her husband knew the child wasn't his and standing up for him as best she could. I feared for her."
"I know why Mitch cares so much for you now. You really are a remarkable young lady." Leann looked at her.
"Mike has been my only family since I left home?" Sarah cried, tears gathering in her eyes. "But make no mistake, if Mitch and I don't work out. And he finds another lady; I will be the first to back away, so that Mike can learn to love her."
"That's very brave of you, knowing how much you love him." Leann smiled.
"When you have a child, you must do what is best for that child no matter what that is….I love him, I would try always to do what is right for him…"
"You know," She patted her arm now. "You make a good team, you, Mike and Mitch. Mitch always wanted a big family. He loves kids. Most men are irritated when kids fly through the house and make a lot of racket, but not Mitch, he loves the sound."
"Tell me about your folks…"
Leann was quiet a moment. "Our mother died early on, I barely knew her, barely remember what she looks like. Our father was not a family man. When she died, he didn't know how to take care of us. We always had a nanny. It always bothered Mitch. Especially him, because he had known life with mother and he tells us to this day how so much was different when she was alive. There was love in the house. But the day they buried her, that love seemed to fade away. Our father wanted to build and empire and he did. But he didn't raise us. He didn't love us, or if he did, he didn't show it."
"So you all have known loneliness too." Sarah's eyes clouded over with tears. "I am so sorry. It must have been so hard for you, without a mother."
"Yeah, but my brothers made up for it. We all made a pact, we'd stick together no matter what, and we did."
"Perhaps that is why Mitch and I get along so well, we do have similar backgrounds."
"Yes, that's true…I hadn't thought of that."
"Thanks for telling me about it. I can understand him better now."
"Dad was roughest with him than anyone. He expected so much. That's why Mitch threw himself into work. And he's done well. But he worked for everything he had."
"I don't understand why families can't all be happy." Sarah said whimsically.
"One thing about it, you sure learn about life, real fast."
"Yes, most of the time."
"Why didn't your mother talk to you?" Leann asked.
"When Maria got pregnant, my mother thought it scandalous and she refused to even discuss the subject. That's why I grew up ignorant. I was ashamed to tell my friends, and I could not learn enough on the television."
"You poor kid. I was the only girl in the family, but I guess because I had such loving brothers, I didn't find it hard to talk to friends about things."
"I feel so much better after talking with you…"
"I'm glad. You can talk to me about anything. And Sarah…."
"Yes?"
"I'm very glad you are here."
"Thank you."
They finally finished the work and Leann gathered it all and put it in a shopping bag to take to school the next day. "It's late, I've got to get some sleep or I'll be a zombie tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Mitch hadn't come home yet and Sarah went to bed, missing him. But she wasn't going to wait up for him.
She went to her room, took a bath and got ready for bed. She looked outside and saw Mitch staring out at the pool. He looked tired and lonely, but she would not go out to him. It would only lead to more making love and as Leann said, she needed to cool it a bit.
But in her heart, she wanted to go to him…
She lay down in her bed, and closed her eyes, thinking about Mitch and how much she loved him. How she did wish they would someday be a family. And maybe he was right, it was like a fairy tale, of Cinderella. She was a Cinderella Nanny; she laughed to herself and wrapped her arms around herself. Maybe she could live the fairy tale. If Mitch loved her even half as much as she loved him.
She thought about their lovemaking too and how she tingled when he touched or kissed her. She'd never loved a man before and the experience sent shock waves through her. How could one person make you feel so wonderful?
And how would she ever live without him, if he was not in love with her?
Could a man make love to a woman like he had her and not love her? She could not feel this way about another man, she was sure of it. Except for Mike, there was no one she cared about more than Mitch. What they had was special and she would do anything to keep their love, even refuse his lovemaking if she had to. Still, as she lay in her bed alone, she ached to be with him.
There was more to her feelings than just the magnificent lovemaking. He was a wonderful father to Mike. It only took minutes for Mike to latch onto Mitch. He too felt some deep inner connection to the man. How could she not love a man that loved her nephew?
She remembered the first day he came into her life. How he fixed her stopped up tub, without a word to who he was. How he wouldn't take pay for it. How he allowed her to stay in Mike's life. For that, she loved him most. He could have refused her and took Mike away from her, easily. She knew that. And her love magnified as she realized this. To think he would bring her here, not even knowing her, open his house, his family to her. How could he so easily trust her with his car, with his son? How could she not love him?
Still, she knew how fragile love could be. She had loved her parents once, and they had practically disowned her. She had loved her sister, and she died. Now she clung to her love for Mike and his father. She'd risk anything to make a family with them. Anything!
Chapter Twenty
The next morning she found the kitchen full of people. Ray was about to go back on his shift. Leann was about to go to work. Lucas was going on television today. He was nervous and buzzing about the kitchen in frenzy.
"It's going to be alright, Lucas. You'll be great. I just know it." Leann was telling him.
"I wish Emily was better trained, but she has so much to learn and I'm nervous for her." Lucas said as he mixed himself an energy drink of vegetables in the blender.
Ray patted him on the back. "Don't think about being on televis
ion, think about winning and enjoying that win in some exotic location."
"My job takes me all over the world now; I'd rather spend a summer home, planting tulips than running all over the country."
"Then do it. Even if you don't win, do it. You've been hard at this job for a long time now. You've earned a good vacation. Take it. You only live once." Ray told him.
"Maybe I will, when this is over. Or at least when next summer rolls around." Lucas poured his drink in a glass and saw Sarah getting the eggs from the refrigerator. "Making breakfast again?"
"It certainly gets you off to a good start," Sarah smiled.
"You'll spoil everyone. They'll start expecting it of you. Don't let them take the advantage." Lucas warned.
"I enjoy it. I enjoy lots of people around me, especially in the kitchen. It's feels so cozy and warm."
Everyone stared at her. "Am I wrong?" She asked.
Leann cracked a big smile. "She likes big families guys. I predict she'll have many children someday."
"Si, I would like many….someday." She answered.
Mike buzzed through the kitchen with his car running it along the long counter right up to her. "Good morning."
"Good morning. Hungry?" Sarah asked.
"Si…"
"Then we will have pancakes."
"Oh boy. Auntie Sarah makes great pancakes." He informed everyone.
"Count me in," Ray hollered.
"Me too," Leann came up to her." I need to learn to cook."
"I am not as great a cook or chef should I say as Lucas, but I have a few recipes I love. I'll share them with you. If you can read a recipe, you can cook." Sarah said.
Lucas walked up to Sarah and elbowed her in the rib. "Have you ever tasted Leann's cooking?" His nose snarled.
"Hey…." Leann took offense then laughed.
Carlos walked into the kitchen and Mike waved him over to the table. "Pancakes."
"Told you." Carlos gave him a high five.
She was nearly done with a huge stack of pancakes when Mitch walked in the room. His eyes flew to hers as though no one else was in the room. "Smells great. Can I join you?"
"Of course." Sarah smiled.
Everyone sat at the table and Mike was grinning from ear to ear. Sarah noticed. She knew he felt as she did, it was good to have a big family. Only, she wasn't really part of this family. And that thought haunted her most of the morning. She truly wanted to be.
