Huntington Family Series

by Rachel Ann Nunes

  “That’s wonderful!” She hugged him.

  “I knew it would work,” he said.

  “So did you have fun at your grandmother’s?”

  He nodded. “We got my toy box. And Grandma had some clothes for me and Mara because we didn’t grow too big. See those pink pajamas Mara’s got on? Uncle Blake put them on just now. Mara really likes them. Her was sucking on them.”

  “She was sucking on them?” Amanda gently tried to correct his grammar.

  “Yep. When Mara sucks on them, that means her likes them.”

  “I think you’re right. Babies love to suck on things they like.” Amanda sat down on the couch and drew him over to stand in front of her so she could look into his face. “But remember to say ‘she was sucking on them,’ not her. You almost always use she at the first of a sentence.”

  “She,” he repeated. “Or Mara?”

  She grinned. “Exactly. You are one very smart boy.”

  “My mommy’s coming tomorrow,” he announced then. “Well, her said her was coming. But I’m not going back with her. Or Mara, either.”

  Amanda looked toward Blake, who was coming from the kitchen holding a large metal bowl full of popcorn and a cardboard pizza box topped with a small stack of plates. He nodded in confirmation. “Well, that’ll be fun,” she said, though Blake didn’t look very happy.

  Kevin spun away from Amanda. “I’m putting in the video. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Blake said. “Do you remember the right way?”

  “Uh-huh.” In fact, Kevin proved adept at working the video player.

  “I’m going to meet your sister tomorrow,” Blake said, sitting on the love seat beside Amanda. Leaning over, he put the pizza box on the floor with the lid wide open, keeping the popcorn on his lap out of Mara’s reach. “We’re going over after church. I wanted to meet her and help the kids feel comfortable with her before they actually go to stay on Monday.”

  “They will love her,” Amanda said with confidence. “She’s excellent with kids. You should see all the crafts she does with hers. But, tell me, how did she sound? She was sick this past week—I don’t know if I mentioned that.”

  “She told me, but she sounded good. I know she’s well enough to go to church because she mentioned it on the phone when I asked what time we should come.”

  “Then she’s better. She’d tell you if she wasn’t. She’s very up front about things.”

  He grinned. “Like her sister?”

  Amanda hated the way his expression made her want to smile back and how his eyes made her want to never look away. Worse, her stomach was doing flips. We’re going to be friends, she reminded herself. I am here to help with the children.

  Kevin was back, and he snuggled between them on the love seat, telling Mara that the film was going to begin in just a minute. He showed her the remote control in his hand, but Mara was busy chewing on the straps of Amanda’s purse.

  “I thought we were going to watch it on your friend’s television,” Amanda said to Blake.

  He made a face. “We were, but then I got to thinking about the food and the kids. My friend’s a bachelor, so maybe it’s best if we stay down here.”

  “Wise decision.”

  “I thought so.”

  There was a brief silence as Kevin dug his hand into the popcorn bowl on Blake’s lap. “Wait!” Amanda said. “Stop eating that right now! It’s not finished.”

  Kevin and Blake looked at her, mouths slightly ajar. “Why?” asked Kevin.

  Amanda reached into her purse and drew out a brown bag of M&Ms. “It’s missing these, of course.”

  “Mmmmm!” Kevin bounced on the love seat.

  Amanda ripped open the bag and poured the candies over the white popcorn kernels. “They’ll sink to the bottom, but if you get at least one with every handful, it’ll change the way you look at popcorn forever.”

  Blake shook his head. “I think you’re just trying to cover up the fact that your popcorn is 94 percent fat-free.”

  “Ah, you noticed. It’s healthier, you know.”

  “And M&Ms are healthy?”

  Amanda shrugged. “For chocolate, I’ll take my chances.”

  “Yeah!” exclaimed Kevin, diving a hand into the bowl. Mara tried to follow his lead and fell on top of Kevin. Both giggled.

  “Can she eat popcorn?” Amanda asked.

  Blake’s brow creased. “Probably not. She doesn’t have any teeth yet. But I already fed her a bottle and some spinach soup.”

  “We ate spinach soup for lunch at Grandma’s,” Kevin added, his mouth full of popcorn. “It’s sooooo good. Uncle Blake maked it for us. It has beans in it. We brought some home to eat tomorrow.”

  “Sounds yummy.” Amanda made a face at Blake behind Kevin’s back. The soup most definitely didn’t sound yummy. Can make children eat spinach soup, she mentally added to her list of pros. Opposite this, she would write: likes spinach soup.

  “I’ll make it for you sometime,” Blake said, ignoring her look. “It’s good.”

  “If you say so.” She wished she didn’t feel such a delight that he planned to see her again.

  “Can we watch the movie now?” Kevin waved the remote in his hand.

  “I forgot the drinks.” Blake handed Kevin the popcorn bowl and went into the kitchen, returning in a few minutes with root beer in cans for everyone, except Mara, who had water in a spill-proof Sippy cup. Blake put a plate with pizza on the floor and set Kevin’s root beer on a book nearby. “There you go, bud. You can turn on the video now.” Kevin plopped onto the floor and pointed the remote at the TV. Mara scooted into his place on the love seat to be nearer the bowl of popcorn. Blake set the bowl on the floor behind Kevin so everyone could reach it except Mara.

  The movie came on, but Amanda couldn’t follow the plot, if there was one amidst all the sword fighting or the talk about sword fighting. She and Blake began breaking off tiny pieces of pizza crust for Mara and occasionally giving her half an M&M. She didn’t choke once, and Amanda suspected the baby was accustomed to eating more foods than Blake knew.

  There was a surreal aura about the evening. She, Amanda Huntington, twice failed at love, on a love seat with a good-looking man, a baby between them and another child sitting on the floor nearby, eating pizza with root beer and popcorn with M&Ms.

  I’m here for the children. Amanda had to remind herself that at least five times because every time she glanced over at Blake, he was looking at her with eyes larger and darker than any brown M&M.

  d d d

  Blake couldn’t get over how perfect the evening seemed. He could almost think they were a family. It seemed that in a few minutes they’d put the children to bed and snuggle on the couch together to watch the rest of the film, stealing kisses during the slow parts. Amanda was everything he had ever hoped to find in a wife. She had a wry sense of humor, was creative and kind, and attractive to boot. Every time she looked at him, his insides felt funny and his knees went weak. But could she like him? She seemed to. She liked Kevin and Mara, that was easy to tell. From the first, she’d been concerned about them. Since he couldn’t imagine his life without some connection to Kevin—and now Mara—that was a plus in her favor. Or was it?

  An uneasy feeling came to rest in the pit of his stomach. She had come to the shop to check up on the children. What if her interest now was more of the same? What if she felt obligated to continue playing the good Samaritan? Wasn’t that a lesson they had both learned in church? The pizza in his mouth tasted funny, and he hurried to swallow it.

  When the first show had ended, Mara’s eyes were drooping and her head had fallen onto his thigh. “I’d better put her in bed.”

  “Wait, you haven’t changed her all evening,” Amanda said.

  He grinned. “That’s right, I haven’t. I changed her right before you came, but she’s due.” He rolled the half-asleep baby over, sliding out from under her. Carefully unsnapping her pajamas, he checked the diaper. “Nothing! Maybe it’s over.” H
e couldn’t believe how happy he was not to clean up more mess.

  “Yay!” shouted Kevin.

  “Shhh, we don’t want to wake her.” Blake picked Mara up and rocked her in his arms for a few minutes until she was sound asleep. “Kevin,” he said, “why don’t you go brush your teeth while I put Mara in her crib?”

  “Okay.”

  “You need help, Kevin?” Amanda asked.

  “No, I can do it.”

  Mara nearly awoke when Blake put her down, so he stayed and patted her tummy for a while. When he returned to the living room, Kevin was in his place on the love seat, his head propped up on the armrest. Blake dropped to the floor instead. He didn’t mind, though he couldn’t see Amanda as well from here.

  Kevin’s excitement didn’t wane, and Blake began thinking the boy might still be awake when Amanda left. Maybe that was a good thing. But as the ending credits rolled across the screen, he saw that Kevin had at last given up the fight with his heavy eyelids.

  “Why don’t you take him to bed?” Amanda said. “I’ll clean up a bit.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I know.” She looked at Kevin. “The way his neck is kinked, I’d be sore for a week if it were me.”

  He laughed. “Don’t I know it.” He lifted the child in his arms.

  When Blake returned, Amanda had picked up everything in the living room, including Kevin’s misplaced kernels of popcorn. She had also stacked the dishes in the sink.

  “You don’t have to do those,” he said.

  “Oh, I’m not. I make a habit of never doing dishes after midnight. I never know what I’ll drop.”

  “It’s after midnight?” Blake checked the clock on the wall by the sofa.

  “Not yet, but it will be before we could finish.” She yawned, covering her mouth in a gesture he found extraordinarily attractive. “I better get going.”

  Scooping up her purse from the floor by the couch, she started for the kitchen door.

  Blake retrieved her coat from the closet. “Thanks for coming.”

  She stared at him, and he felt he was drowning in the green sea of her eyes. He found he didn’t care. Let him drown, as long as she was with him. He took a step toward her, his eyes searching her face, hoping for clues to her feelings.

  “You’re welcome.” Her voice came softly. He could find no refusal in her face, though her eyes again had the strange expression they’d held at the shop.

  “I enjoyed myself,” he said.

  The distance between them closed, and the emotion intensified in those green eyes. What is she feeling? he wondered. He wished he knew—or that he could ask.

  “Me too. I really liked being with the children. They’re great kids.”

  Her words hit him like a slap in the face. She liked being with the children. The children, not him.

  “Blake,” she went on, “if you ever need any help—you know, someone to watch them—I’d be glad to help.”

  “You would?” Even to his own ears, his voice was thick.

  “Yes. What are friends for?”

  The nail in the coffin! he thought. The kiss of death! Friends. She wasn’t interested in him. He was someone worthy only of friendship.

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he said. “Thanks for the offer.”

  “I mean it.” She looked up at him, puzzlement etched on her face. “Is something wrong?”

  “Wrong? No. Why?”

  “You just . . . your voice . . .” She shook her head. “Well, I had a good time. Thank you.”

  Despite his hurt feelings, Blake felt himself soften. To be fair, she’d never given him the idea she was interested in him. “Good night,” he said. “Stay in touch.”

  Immediately, he wished he hadn’t added that last sentence. It was too much like what people said when they knew they weren’t going to see one another again soon. But it was too late to recall the words. She was gone, and Blake was left alone with his doubts and self-recriminations. He should have at least kissed her. If he’d kissed her, then he’d know for sure if there was any future for them.

  Chapter Twelve

  Blake was furious at his cousin—again. He was so angry he thought it might be a good thing Paula hadn’t shown up, even late, because he would have strangled her if she had. Then where would Kevin and Mara be? In a foster home with strangers.

  “I don’t think Mommy’s coming.” Kevin looked adorable in his dress pants and white shirt and tie. Blake had wanted to buy a suit, but he hadn’t been able to justify the expense—yet. He wouldn’t be in school forever. Mara looked equally adorable in the burgundy velvet dress that had been in the box of clothes Aunt Bonny had given them yesterday, complete with white tights, black shoes, and a bow for her hair that Blake was sure would not stay on long.

  Not only had he wanted to dress the children up for church but he’d wanted to show Paula he could take care of her children, that they would be safe with him until she was able to be with them herself.

  Except she hadn’t bothered to show up. He’d waited, like he always did, and now sacrament meeting was almost over. He’d missed the most important meeting, missed taking the sacrament, which would have helped him endure the hardships of the coming week, the extra burden he had taken on, however willingly.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go to church. Primary won’t be over yet.”

  “Goody!” Kevin ran to the door. He loved Primary and hadn’t been able to attend the past month since he’d left his grandmother’s house. Mara crawled across the linoleum after her brother. Blake picked her up and put on the coat Rhonda had given her.

  At church he took Kevin to Primary and introduced him around. But when he tried to take Mara to Sunday School with him, she quickly became restless, so he headed to the nursery to see if they’d let her play with some toys. Blake thought how fortunate it was that the bishop had released him from his calling as Sunday School teacher when he’d gone back to school full-time this year. He’d loved the calling and had been reluctant to leave it, but the bishop promised to offer him another position in the spring when his classes were over. Given his new situation in life, Blake could see that the bishop had been inspired. One more thing to do right now might have driven him insane.

  His ward was a family ward, and though he’d had every intention after Paula had taken Kevin to begin attending a ward for singles, he’d been so busy with work and school that he’d put off going. He’d even stopped going to the singles’ dances to drive to Cedar City to be with Kevin. Besides, Blake loved being surrounded by families, despite the pangs of jealousy he sometimes suffered. That would all change once he was graduated. He’d find a woman who liked children and marry her.

  Thoughts of Amanda filled his head. He loved the way she tossed her head when she was annoyed, the way her dimpled smile filled his heart, the way her green eyes . . .

  Stop it! he told himself.

  This was working up to being a very lousy day.

  The children in the nursery, especially Mara, brightened Blake’s black mood. There was something about playing cars and dollies and singing fun Primary songs that made it impossible to stay angry.

  When church was over, Blake left the building, feeling for the first time since his parents had died that he was part of a family. The children had attracted much attention, and people had been quick to offer support. A few even remembered Kevin from before, because he had been staying with Blake when he moved into the ward. Blake whistled on his way to the truck. Mara giggled and put her hand over his lips, patting them to vary the sound.

  Back at the apartment, Blake pulled the spinach soup from the refrigerator and began reheating it for an early dinner. His aunt had insisted he take home the rest of the large batch he’d made at her house the day before, and now Blake was grateful for it. Mara could even eat the soup if he blended it up a bit first.

  “Okay, you have to change your clothes,” he said to Kevin. “You only have that one nice shirt for church, and spinach m
ight not be so easy to get out.”

  “Does Amanda like spinach?” Kevin asked, his mind obviously elsewhere.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I think her would like it if we gave her some. It has beans.”

  “You think she would like it.”

  “I said Amanda would like it,” Kevin insisted.

  Blake snorted a laugh. “Whatever.”

  Kevin grinned up at him. “I like Amanda.”

  “She’s nice.” Blake turned from him and reached into the cupboard for cups and bowls.

  “It’s like her purse is magic.”

  “What?” Blake set the bowls on the table.

  “Her purse. Her has a lot of things in it. Like my sticker book and my bracelet.” He shook his wrist and watched the bugs move.

  “And M&Ms?”

  “Yep.” Kevin grinned up at him. “But I like my bracelet the best.”

  “Well, right now you’d better go change, or I’ll eat all the soup.”

  Kevin glanced at him in disgust. “You can’t eat all that soup. It’s too much.”

  “Maybe I’m starving.”

  “Can we bring some to Amanda?”

  “I don’t think so. We can make it another time for her.”

  Kevin’s brow furrowed. “What if we don’t? What if we never see her again?”

  “Well . . .”

  “Please, Uncle Blake?” Kevin’s blue eyes stared up at him. “Please? I want to give her something.”

  “Yeah, but spinach soup?”

  Kevin’s face fell. He turned to leave the kitchen, but Blake stopped him, unable to bear his disappointment. What did he care if Amanda liked his soup or thought he was an idiot for bringing it over? What mattered was Kevin’s desire to share.

  “We’ll take some over later on our way to see your new baby-sitter.”

  Kevin’s entire demeanor changed. He began jumping up and down. Mara, sitting on the carpet in the living room, giggled.

  “Go take off your shirt,” Blake ordered, “before I change my mind. And lay your clothes out nicely on the bed when you’re finished.”

  Laughing, Kevin fled the room. Blake turned his eyes on Mara. “Okay, dear, it’s your turn.” She was on her hands trying to crawl, but the skirt of her dress made her efforts in vain. At his words, she pushed herself into a seated position and held out her arms. Blake’s heart filled with tenderness. Only a week, and she has me eating out of her hand, he thought.