A Family of Their Own

by Gail Gaymer Martin

  Ross’s mouth stood agape as he observed the girls. He pulled his gaze away and looked at her. “Another prayer answered.” He slipped to her side and slid his arm around her back.

  Kelsey stood in his embrace, cherishing the moment. With God all things were possible, and she would try to cling to that truth, even though everything felt hopeless.

  Kelsey watched through the window and saw Ross standing at the door while Peyton rolled her overnight case up the walk. That was a first. Usually Ross didn’t let Peyton carry a thing. Kelsey stepped from the dining room into the foyer and pulled open the door as Peyton’s case bounced up the low steps to the porch. Ross stood back as she rolled it inside.

  “Peyton.” She gave her a one-armed hug. “You can take your luggage into Lucy’s bedroom.”

  Peyton turned down the hallway.

  When she vanished, Kelsey faced Ross. “If she and Lucy want to share the room, that’s fine, or Lucy is willing to sleep upstairs if Peyton wants a room of her own.”

  “She’s never spent the night with any girlfriend. I think she’ll want to have a real pajama party.” He studied her face, but she was unable to control her grin. “If that’s what they still call it.”

  “I do, but the girls call it an overnighter.” She chuckled at his lack of knowledge.

  He grinned back. “Thanks so much for this. You’re sure you won’t mind? I’m not inconveniencing you?”

  “I’m glad to have her here. It’s a good distraction for Lucy. She’s off all her medication that could be a problem during surgery, and now it’s just wait. You know what that means.”

  From his expression, he understood. “And she’ll still have labwork.”

  She nodded. “Probably a day or two before the surgery.”

  “Which is coming up too fast.”

  His comment jarred her, yet it was true. “But it will be wonderful to get it over with.”

  He gave her a thumbs-up. “And to hear the good news.”

  She realized that his action stemmed from the concern she couldn’t hide. Good news had been her prayer since she’d heard that Lucy needed to undergo yet another surgery.

  He checked his watch and sidled closer. “I hope Peyton’s okay spending the night.”

  Typical parent. Kelsey chuckled. “Don’t worry. She’ll be fine. Anyway, we have plans that’ll keep them both busy. And really, don’t rush. Pick her up anytime tomorrow.”

  “Thanks.” His expression changed. “Today Ethan suggested I arrange a Dreams Come True trip for Peyton, but I—”

  “That’s a great idea, Ross. She’s been sick so long.”

  “But it wouldn’t be right now.”

  “Right?” Her mind spun. “Why?” He made no sense.

  He touched her cheek. “Not with Lucy’s problems again. The girls have finally gotten closer. A Dreams Come True trip for Peyton could be their undoing.”

  “Ross, no. She deserves—”

  “No. Lucy deserves it, too, and now she can’t.”

  Her emotions spun out of control. His comment proved what her heart told her. They couldn’t spend their lives stopping one daughter from enjoying life because the other was ill. That’s what their relationship would be. That’s all it could be.

  “Really, it’s for the best. Maybe another time.” He glanced at his watch again. “I’d better be on my way. I’m picking up Ethan and he expected me fifteen minutes ago.” He grinned. “Two guys out on the town.”

  “Right.” She gave him a playful swat, realizing that he was trying to lift her spirit.

  Then Kelsey saw it coming. Ross lowered his lips and gave her a quick kiss. When he drew back, she glanced around him. The girls had never observed affection, and she didn’t want to confuse them. And she didn’t want to confuse herself.

  “Drive carefully.” But as she looked into his eyes, her wavering heart gave another kick. Being close to someone who cared about her felt so good. She tilted her head and pressed her lips to his again, but this time they lingered. Her heart took flight as it did when he touched her, and when he left, the same loneliness would seep into her chest until she saw him again. The growing sensation rioted inside her. What was she doing?

  Ross headed to the car, and when he turned around, she wiggled her fingers in a goodbye wave, her heart tripping again. Goodbye. Could she ever say it and mean it? Goodbye forever? She watched his car vanish, headed back to the living room, but as she passed the hallway, Lucy’s door opened, and the girls peeked out.

  “Is he gone?” Lucy glanced toward Peyton leaning over her shoulder.

  “Peyton, he didn’t say goodbye again, because—”

  “That’s okay.” Peyton’s smile brightened. “We said goodbye, but I’m anxious to start the Father’s Day present.”

  Kelsey’s tension lessened, seeing the excitement on Peyton’s face. “The present. Great.” She drew closer to Lucy’s room. “Did you find some photographs like the ones I mentioned?”

  Lucy flung the door open and Kelsey saw photographs spread out on her bed. “Wow! That’s a lot of pictures.” She’d only purchased one scrapbook.

  “Mom, she brought lots so we can pick the best.” Lucy’s eyes rolled, as they so often did.

  “Okay. That was smart.” She wandered into the room and gazed at the photos. Her heart knotted when she saw Ross’s wedding photo with Ruthie, photos of them with Peyton as a baby and as a toddler. “How did you find these?” Her expression looked like a conspirator’s.

  “Dad didn’t move everything out of the bedroom when I moved in. Those built-in shelves that have doors on them are filled with old albums that my mom kept there. I think he forgot, but I used to look at them after my mom died so I wouldn’t forget her.”

  Kelsey grasped a photo and gazed at it, pressing her lips together to hold back her sob. She’d been about six when her own mother died. Picturing Peyton stealing away to look at these photos broke her heart. Managing to hold back her tears, she placed the photograph back with the others and drew Peyton into her arms. “That was a good thing to do, Peyton, but I don’t think you’d ever forget your mom, even though you were young.”

  “I won’t.” Her embrace tightened, and Kelsey struggled again to waylay her emotion.

  “Okay.” She eased back and motioned to the photos. “Pick out about twenty of your favorites and if we have room, we can add some more.”

  Peyton nodded as she eyed the spread of snapshots. “But—” She swung around. “I don’t have any of you and Lucy. I want some of those, too.”

  Kelsey’s pulse skittered. “Are you sure?”

  Peyton’s eyes widened. “You’re like a mom to me, and Lucy’s like my sister. You should be in the scrapbook, too.”

  Peyton undid her. She pulled the girl into her arms and kissed her hair, holding her close. Her cheek quaked with emotion, and she grabbed a breath before she tried to speak. “Thank you, Peyton.” The love in the girl’s eyes struck her like a blow. Saying goodbye to Ross meant walking out on Peyton. Kelsey’s wounds deepened.

  Lucy looked on, her eyes shifting from her to Peyton, and Kelsey wasn’t sure how she felt about the girl’s declaration, but in moments, she wrapped her arm around Peyton. “You are just like a new sister.”

  Kelsey willed herself to straighten. Her legs trembled as she moved toward the door. “Here’s what we’ll do. While you start on the scrapbook, Lucy can go through a few of our photos. We have some nice ones from Lucy’s birthday party.” The silly photo of Ross and her balancing on one foot to please Audrey came to mind. She wouldn’t call that one nice. It was ridiculous, but it was fun.

  A few minutes later, the two girls sat at the dining-room table covered in newspaper while they sorted photos and looked at the scrapbooking supplies she’d purchased. “You know how to do this, right?”

  Peyton shuffled through the background sheets she’d bought. “I saw a TV program about scrapbooking so I know a little.” She looked up. “But if I have a problem, I’ll let you kn
ow.”

  Kelsey pulled out some of the decorative accessories. “Here you have these little bubbles where you can add words and make it look like they’re talking—like in a cartoon. And these are different things to make the page fun.” She gave them a few stickers and die cuts. “I’m going into the kitchen, and if you need me just holler.”

  Both girls were already delving into the supplies before she finished speaking. She shrugged and slipped through the doorway. In the kitchen, she started making cookies, forcing herself to forget her depressing concerns. In the background, the girls’ voices jumbled together in conversation, although she couldn’t make out their words.

  The scent of cookies filled the air when she pulled them from the oven. As if she’d rung a fire alarm, Lucy and Peyton charged into the room, sniffing the air. She poured each one a glass of milk and set out a small plate of warm cookies. They slipped onto stools at the island and watched her make another batch.

  “Mom.”

  Kelsey turned and waited.

  Lucy’s eyes shifted as if she were uncertain what to say.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No, but I want to know when I’m going to start getting curves like Peyton.”

  Peyton gave her a poke.

  The question caught her off guard, and Kelsey stood a second without knowing what to say. She licked her lips. “Peyton’s a year older, so you’ll get more curves in another year.” She pointed to Lucy’s slender waist. “See, you have curves starting already.”

  She gazed at herself a moment before raising her head. “The day school let out, a boy flirted with Peyton. He told her he’d miss her during the summer.”

  “You weren’t supposed to say anything, Lucy.” Peyton jammed her fists into her waist. “I’m not going to tell you anything again.”

  Lucy’s eyes widened. “But this is my mom. I thought you meant not to tell your dad.”

  Peyton huffed while Kelsey got her bearings. So this was the problem. Boys. Her mind spun. “Maybe the boy just wants to be a friend, Peyton. They’re not always flirting.”

  She looked down at her lap. “He told me I was pretty.”

  Pretty. Kelsey swallowed. “That’s a nice compliment. Do you think he’s handsome?”

  “Sort of.”

  “See. He did more than think it. He told you.” She bit her lip. Yes, she was a mother, but she was new at this. Inadequate. “Your dad would know more about how boys think.” She pictured Ross wanting to chase the boys away with a shovel. The image made her grin.

  “I heard girls talking in class about things, but I don’t think Dad knows about them or else he doesn’t want to tell me.”

  A knot formed in her stomach. “It’s hard for a father to talk with his daughter about personal things and the changes she goes through.”

  “But who’ll tell me so I know it’s right?” Peyton’s eyes searched hers.

  Kelsey grasped her wavering common sense. She pulled up a stool and grabbed a cookie. Anything to delay her response. Her mind worked overtime until she’d organized her thoughts. “Would you like me to explain some things to you, Peyton?”

  She nodded, a grateful look spread across her face.

  “Mom, what about me?”

  “You’re old enough, too, Lucy.” She drew in a breath. “I’ll explain a few things and then if you have questions I’ll try to answer them.”

  She sent up a quick prayer and began. The girls didn’t flinch nor did their eyes waver. They seemed to drink in what she explained, and when her mind had run dry, she paused. “Do you understand?”

  They both nodded, but she read Peyton’s expression and knew a question was coming. “And that’s going to happen to me someday.”

  “Soon, Peyton. You’re growing up fast so don’t be afraid when it happens. It’s natural.”

  Lucy leaned forward. “And then she can have babies, right?”

  Babies. Kelley’s lungs drained. “Yes, God had all this happen so when a woman gets married and has a husband to be the father of the baby, her body will have everything she needs.”

  A faint frown settled on Lucy’s brow. “I can have babies, too, in another year maybe.”

  “Lucy, the Bible tells us to be chaste until we have a husband who can be the father.”

  “What’s chaste?”

  Her shoulders slumped. Chaste. Another way to phrase it would have been better. She stared at Lucy, her mind tumbling. Get yourself out of this one, Kelsey.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Ross unwrapped the large box and pulled off the tissue. A photograph of Ruthie at his wedding adorned the cover. His heart surged, and he raised his eyes to Peyton. “You made this?”

  She nodded. “Look inside.”

  Somehow, Peyton had found photographs from the past. Memories coursed through his mind. Peyton as a baby, a toddler, Ruthie reading her a book, her first birthday. She’d decorated it with hearts and baby rattles stickers. He shook his head, amazed that she’d created something so special. “I’ll bet you had lots of help on this.”

  “She didn’t.”

  He gazed at Kelsey, a smile bursting from her face.

  “No?” He’d guessed Kelsey had done most of it.

  “I found the scrapbooking equipment, and she did it all. Lucy helped with the photos.”

  “Thank you.” He flipped to another page where she had created a tie-shape design with a photograph of Peyton and him in a suit, standing by his old sedan. “Heading for the Easter service here.” He tapped the photo.

  His heart swelled as he turned pages, watching his life flash past—the Christmas tree with gifts beneath and Peyton trying to snoop, a backyard barbecue, and Ruthie just home following a long stay in the hospital. A “Welcome Home” banner hung from an archway with Peyton’s crayoned message.

  Another page decorated with flowers took his breath away. Photographs of Lucy and Kelsey scattered across the page, and on the opposite side, he studied the precious shot of Lucy and Peyton skating together at the roller rink, the day things changed. He grinned as he focused on the laughable snapshot of Kelsey and him on roller skates.

  The last photograph framed in white and decorated with a cross and a large bridal bouquet decoration showed Kelsey and him standing together in front of the Lexie’s fireplace the day of her wedding to Ethan. It seemed long ago when he and Kelsey stood beside them to witness their wedding. He sensed that the Lord had been at work in his life that day.

  They’d struggled a long time to make themselves accept God’s plan for them. So much seemed to be against the rationale that two people with seriously ill children could find love and contentment together. But they had.

  “I love this, Peyton.” He rose and wrapped her in his arms as he kissed her forehead. “You did a beautiful job, and Lucy…” He looked over his shoulder so he could see her as she hung over the back of his chair. “Thank you for the photos of you and your mom.”

  “And you, too, Kelsey, for providing the album and all the decorations.” He slipped his arm behind her waist and shook his head. “I’m surrounded by women. You two girls are so grown-up. It seems as if every day—”

  “But we aren’t old enough to have babies yet.” Lucy’s voice sent his thoughts scattering. “Peyton will have them before me.”

  He stared at her, dazed and confused. He sought Kelsey for help.

  She looked as startled as he felt.

  Peyton slammed her fists into her sides. “Lucy, you weren’t supposed to say that.”

  He eyed Peyton. “She wasn’t supposed to say what?”

  Kelsey held up her hand. “Girls, why don’t you two go into the kitchen and get the cake ready so we can eat. And snap the button on the coffeemaker. It’s ready to go.” She shooed them away.

  Peyton hadn’t moved until Lucy gave her one of her looks. “Let’s go.”

  They bustled into the kitchen, and Kelsey sank beside him. “I’m sorry, Ross. I didn’t have time to tell you.”

  His f
ace burned with indignation. “You gave Peyton a talk on womanhood and didn’t tell me. Didn’t ask me?”

  She drew back as if he’d slapped her. “Listen to me, Ross.” She glanced toward the kitchen doorway and lowered her voice. “How many times have you told me you wished Ruthie were alive to talk with Peyton? I didn’t choose to do this. Lucy asked me a question about Peyton’s maturing figure, and one question led to another. Did you want me to lie or be evasive?”

  “No, but—” But what? She was right. He’d dreaded the day he had to explain Peyton’s maturing body and all the things that were beginning to happen to her. “I—I.” He closed his eyes and focused. “I’m just startled. I suppose I wanted time to prepare. What if she asks me questions? I won’t know what you told her or how to answer her.”

  Kelsey rose and stood over him. “Tell her the truth. I’m sorry, Ross. It happened. She wanted to know things, and I didn’t want to ignore her or even scare her by not explaining. The girls both accepted it and seemed relieved to understand what they were hearing in school.”

  “In school.” He hadn’t thought about that. Some parents were quicker to talk to their kids, and some kids probably learned from street talk. Which would he prefer? “Forgive me.” Embarrassed by his reaction, Ross looked into her eyes, hoping she saw his regret. She’d done him a huge favor. “I’m surprised at my response. I wasn’t prepared for Peyton to open up to you.” Envy. Mortified, he shook his head.

  “Please don’t apologize.” She settled beside him again and touched his arm. “I think I understand. You’re her dad, and you missed out on sharing something precious with her. I should have thought about it first, but I was in a spot.”

  “You did the right thing. I’m being silly.”

  She leaned closer to his ear. “She won’t ask, but you can talk to her about boys.”

  His pulse skipped. “What about boys?”