by Sharon Coady
“Nope, just on the weekends, holidays, and almost any time that I could sleep in. She wakes up early and wants me up to make her breakfast or play.”
“Well, I think we will have to make some rules about rushing into the room in the morning from the looks of things.” She laughed and felt the heat cover her face.
“That might be a good idea. Or maybe some locks?” He flipped her over and kissed her until she was out of breath. Pulling back, he placed a kiss on her nose. “I hate to say this, but we better start getting ready to head back to Pop’s. We can stop downstairs and eat breakfast.”
“I’m definitely hungry.” She pulled him down for another kiss before they got up to shower.
After they dressed and walked out of the room, Anne glanced back and sighed. “I want to come back here another day to stay. It was so special.”
“Well, why don’t we try and come back every year on our anniversary? I think we should be able to manage a babysitter, don’t you?”
“I would think so.” Sadness washed over her. She knew it wouldn’t be too much longer before Pop wouldn’t be there with them anymore. She prayed he would stay healthy and happy for a few more years. After all, his mother lived to be ninety-nine. However, she had seen firsthand how sad he was, missing Gram. She knew that sometimes the grief of losing a spouse could cause the other person to decline rapidly. Maybe having the little one around would lessen some of his sorrow.
“Hey what’s wrong? Where did you go just then?”
“Nowhere.”
“No secrets, remember? Something is wrong.” He glanced at her, the corners of his mouth turned down.
“I was just thinking how Pop probably doesn’t have too many more years. It just made me sad.”
“Oh Anne, I’m sorry. When I said about the babysitter…” He pulled her into his arms.
“It’s not your fault. I just hate the thought of losing him so soon after losing her. I’m being selfish, I know.” She wiped her eyes as tears overflowed down her cheeks and she moved out of his arms again.
“Why is it selfish to want to keep around someone you love? It’s human nature.” Kyle took her hand, and she instantly felt better. Just having him would be such a good thing for her and Pop.
****
They pulled into the drive and parked. “Are you ready, Mrs. Shafer?” he said as he opened her door to help her out of the car.
“I am. Let’s go see what damage has been done, Mr. Shafer.”
He pulled her in for a quick kiss before they went inside.
“Kyle, Anne. Well, you two are back early.” Pop stood and shuffled to Anne, giving her a huge hug. He turned and shook Kyle’s hand. “Morning, son. Your mom is in the kitchen making brunch. Melanie is still sleeping. She didn’t want to go to bed last night. I think she had too much sugar.” He leaned close and whispered, “That’s what Nancy said.”
“I heard that, Walt.”
Kyle’s eyebrows went up and he looked at Pop. “Walt? She’s calling you Walt?”
“Yes I am, son. It seemed a little disrespectful for me to call him Pop. Just seemed more appropriate for me to call him by his given name.”
“I’ve told her more than once, my given name is Walter,” he grumbled loudly as he shook his head. “Fool woman insists on calling me Walt. Never liked being called Walt. Either call me Walter or Pop, not Walt. But she won’t listen. I think she’s doing it just to irritate me.” He shoved his hands in the front pocket of his jeans.
Nancy came out of the kitchen. “Now Walt, I’m not doing anything to irritate you. I just like the way the name sounds is all. No harm in that, is there?”
“Well Nance, I think if someone asks you not to do it, there is harm in it.” He shook his head and shuffled into the bathroom, mumbling the entire way.
“Nance? He knows my name is Nancy.”
“Mom! Do you hear yourself? He asked you to call him Walter, that’s his name. He called you Nance to prove a point. It is rude of you to do that.”
“Kyle, don’t talk to me in that tone. Especially in front of my new daughter-in-law.” She put her hands on her hips.
“Well don’t disrespect my new bride’s grandfather, and I won’t talk to you like this.”
Anne placed her hand on his arm. “Kyle. It’s all right.” She put her arms around her mother-in-law and gave her a quick hug. “Something smells wonderful. Thank you so much for taking care of things for us last night.” Anne found herself being the peacekeeper of the family. She loved her husband, and Pop seemed to be getting along with Nancy, and she wanted to keep it that way.
“Oh honey, it wasn’t a problem at all. Your grandfather is a very interesting person. All those stories he has are so fun to listen to, and I always love spending time with my granddaughter.” She hugged Anne. “Anytime you two want to have some time to yourself, just give me a call,” she whispered. “Now, come on, let’s eat. Walter said he loves steak and twice baked potatoes.”
Pop shuffled out of the bathroom and glanced around. “Are we getting ready to eat? I’m pretty hungry.”
“Yes, Walter, I was just telling Anne and Kyle everything is ready. Would you like to sit at the dining room table or in the kitchen?”
“Why don’t we just sit in the dining room, Nancy, there’s more room.” He looked over his shoulder at Kyle as he raised his eyebrows.
“That sounds perfect.” Anne took Pop’s arm before he could say anything else and walked him to his chair. Kyle went into the kitchen to help his mother plate the food so they could bring it to the table.
“Melanie! Lunch is ready.”
Melanie skipped into the room with Mavy running behind her and ran straight to Anne. “Mommy, you’re home.”
Anne scooped her up and smiled at Kyle. Her heart filled with love, hearing her daughter call her Mommy. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. “Hey sweetie. I missed you so much.” Hugging her tight, she knew without a doubt that she was meant to be this little girl’s mommy. Placing Melanie in her favorite spot next to Pop, she patted her shoulder. “I hope you’re hungry. Your grandmother made a wonderful lunch for us.”
“I am. I’ve been waiting all morning ‘till you and Daddy got home. Me and Maby have been playing. Poppy said we are a real family now. Isn’t that right, Poppy?”
“Yes, girl, it sure is. We are a real, true family now and I couldn’t be happier.” Anne saw him take the little one’s hand and give it a tiny squeeze.
Nancy placed the platter of steaks on the table. “Walter, would you mind cutting one of those in half for Melanie?”
“I can do that. How big do you want your half, girl?”
“As big as you always make it.” Melanie giggled.
Kyle handed Anne the platter of twice-baked potatoes and sadness flowed through her for a minute as she thought of Gram again. It was the special dish her gram always made when she visited because she knew Anne loved it so much. Her heart was full of so much happiness, but the empty spot that ached for her gram seemed to always be there. She smiled at her new husband when she realized he was watching her intently, his forehead scrunched. She patted his hand and took a small piece of steak from the other platter, not knowing how she was going to eat since she was full from breakfast She didn’t want to offend Nancy.
“We had so much fun with Melanie last night, didn’t we? She wanted to watch that pony movie again. I brought her a new one, The Black Stallion. She loved it.”
“She sure did. I think she’s just like you were at this age, Anne. Anything to do with horses and she is a happy little girl.” Pop’s eyes danced every time he talked about his great-granddaughter.
“I want a horse so bad, Daddy. One day, I want to ride all over the place on my horse. Maybe I can even ride to Grandma’s house.” She was wiggling all over the place and almost toppled off her chair.
“Whoa there little one, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves yet.” Kyle caught her just before she tumbled to the ground. “Sit still, ho
ney. It would hurt if you fell.”
She put her little head down and her bottom lip out. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“It’s fine, honey. No one wants you to get hurt.” Anne smiled and patted her knee.
Chapter Four
Anne woke, sat up, and bolted from the bed. She made it to the bathroom just in time. Rinsing her mouth, she looked at herself in the mirror as a smile spread over her face. Could it possibly have happened? Did she dare hope? It had been two months since they were married, and she had been disappointed when she hadn’t gotten pregnant the first month. She glanced at the calendar that Pop kept hanging beside the mirror. She was three and a half weeks late. Pulling the pregnancy test out of its hiding place, she used it and waited, holding her breath as the seconds ticked off. Suddenly, there it was—the telltale pink plus sign.
Anne felt as if her heart would burst through her chest with excitement. She didn’t know if she should tell Kyle just yet and get his hopes up. But she was so happy, she knew he would see right through her. He would just have to agree that they waited until she was further along before they told anyone else.
A knock on the door broke through her thoughts. “Anne, are you all right?”
She opened the door and held out the stick.
Kyle’s eyes widened and that lopsided grin spread over his lips.
Shaking her head, she put her finger over his lips. “I don’t want to tell them yet. Not until we go to the doctor and we’re further along,” she whispered.
Kyle put his hand under her chin and tilted her head up so she was looking into his eyes. “That’s fine but I don’t think anything is going to happen. However, we should probably wait until you’re further along before we tell Melanie. She’ll drive us nuts wanting the baby now.”
Anne knew her smile mirrored his; her heart was so full, she thought it might take wing and burst through her chest. Just as he leaned down to kiss her, Melanie’s bedroom door opened.
“Daddy, I’m hungry. Where’s Mommy?” Mavy was dangling in her arms, one of Melanie’s doll skirts around her middle.
Anne slipped by Kyle, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m right here, sweetie. What do you want for breakfast? And what have you done to that poor cat?” She couldn’t help but giggle.
“Oatmeal, like Poppy. But I want brown sugar in mine.” She set Mavy down and climbed into the chair next to Pop’s. “Where is Poppy?” Her little eyebrows scrunched down as she looked at his empty seat.
“He should be up soon, honey. I’ll start the oatmeal and Pop’s coffee. Kyle, would you please see if Pop is up yet? And please take that skirt off the cat.”
“Sure.” Kyle bent down and rescued the cat from the skirt. Mavy turned and scurried into the living room. Kyle started whistling as he made his way to Pop’s room. He knocked softly. “Pop. You up yet? Anne is making breakfast.”
The door opened and Pop shuffled out, his mouth open in a huge yawn. “Did I oversleep? What time is it?”
“Eight. You did sleep in a little bit. Melanie must have worn you out last night. I warned you she could play for hours.”
“Well, we were really into that Junior Monopoly game. She was teaching me as we were playing.” He snorted. “She’s very devious, that one. Won all my money.”
“Well, we used to play it almost every night. So I tried teaching her how to be strategic and smart about purchasing houses and land.”
“She’s awfully good at it for such a little girl. Never thought about it being a teaching game. Good move, Kyle.” Pop patted his shoulder as he continued his slow shuffle to the kitchen.
“Morning, girl. Morning, Anne.”
“Good morning.” Anne kissed his cheek. “Sit down and I’ll get your coffee for you. The oatmeal is almost done. Melanie is having hers with brown sugar.”
“Hi, Poppy. Do you want to play ‘opoly again today?”
“We’ll see. You beat Poppy pretty darn quickly last night. Maybe you could teach me more about the game.”
“Sure. I can teach you everything my daddy showed me.” She slid off her chair and gave him a big hug.
Anne watched as Pop’s eyes sparkled and his face lit up when the little girl hugged him. She couldn’t wait to see his eyes when they told him about the baby.
“Oh Anne, I forgot to tell you, I invited Nancy over for dinner tomorrow. I told her you would make my favorite, meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I hope that was okay. You know it’s just her at the house now, and I imagine it gets lonely. Nothing like having family around to cheer you up.”
“I’ll have to go to the store today to get everything I need. I can make a cake, too, if you want.” She glanced over at Kyle, who was standing there chewing on his bottom lip. “Honey, is something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just surprised my mom agreed to come. She doesn’t usually like to go out in the evening.”
“I asked her and she said sure. Actually, I think her exact words were ‘Walter, I would love to come for dinner with my new family.’ Sort of surprised me. But family is family.”
“I’m glad you invited her over.” Anne glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. He seemed to be enjoying the new family dynamics and it made her very happy.
Pop stirred his oatmeal. “Why wouldn’t I? You know your gram would have, too.” He laughed. “She didn’t know a stranger. I swear that woman could become friends with anyone.”
“I know, and it seems like some of that rubbed off on you.” She watched as his jaw clenched and his lips pressed together. She plastered a smile on her face. “Take it as a compliment, Pop.
He looked down at Melanie, who sat watching them with her eyes wide and her little mouth turned down. “It’s okay, girl. Poppy isn’t mad. I just get grouchy sometimes. I don’t mean to, and it was silly to get grouchy over a nice thing someone said.”
“It’s okay. I get grouchy sometimes, too, ‘specially when Maby doesn’t want to play with me. It happens.” Anne watched her smile as she looked up at Pop.
“How did you get so smart?” Pop grinned. “Did you get that from your daddy?”
“I guess so.” She beamed. “Do you really think I’m smart?”
“Yep, I sure do. Now, let’s stop talking and eat this oatmeal before it gets cold. Nothing worse than cold oatmeal.” He put his elbow on the table and rested his forehead in his hand before picking up his spoon. Anne knew he was thinking about Gram again, judging by the way he sat with his head in his hand.
After washing the dishes and putting everything away, Anne, Pop, Kyle, and Melanie sat down to play Junior Monopoly. Melanie picked the cat, because according to her, it looked just like Mavy. She sat patiently and explained things to Pop as they went along. Anne thought she seemed much older than her almost six years. She must have gotten it from her dad. Kyle was the most intelligent, patient man she had ever known.
“All right guys, I’m going to get ready and go to the store. Kyle, do you want to come or are you going to hang out with Pop and Melanie?”
“We’ll be fine if you want to go with her,” Pop said, giving Melanie a wink. “We can watch some of our cartoons.”
“Yay! Then after dinner, maybe we can play some more ‘opoly.”
“Sounds good to me, girl.” He pulled her into a hug, his blue eyes twinkling.
“Are you sure?” Anne bit her bottom lip, nervous about leaving him alone with a six-year-old.
Pop gave another nod before giving Melanie a squeeze.
Anne gave him a hug, and then squatted down to hug Melanie. “Be a good girl for Poppy. Don’t let him do too much.”
“Don’t worry, Mommy. I can watch Poppy just fine,” she declared.
“I’m sure you can. If you are both good, I’ll bring you back a surprise.” Anne giggled when Melanie and Pop both gave her the thumbs up at the same time. “I think you both are two are peas in a pod.” She shook her head. “Kyle just give me about thirty minutes, okay?”
Anne made quick wor
k out of getting ready. When she returned to the living room, Pop and Melanie were watching a “My Pretty Pony” episode. Mavy was curled up in Pop’s lap sound asleep. “I’m so glad the market is right here. I would be nervous about leaving them alone for longer than a half hour,” she whispered.
“I think he’ll do fine with her. He’s just sitting watching TV, and she shouldn’t need anything until we get back. You don’t need to worry so much.”
“I can’t help it. He’s not getting younger.” She sighed as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. “Oh lord, I hope I’m not going to spend the entire nine months crying about every little thing.”
“You just might.” He shrugged his shoulders. “You’re still very emotional about Gram and with everything else, I think it’s understandable. Come on, let’s grab everything, and get home so I can cook dinner tonight. What kind of cake did you want to get?”
“Pop likes chocolate the best.”
“Then chocolate it is.” He hugged her close, placing a kiss on the top of her head.
Once they got home and put all the groceries away, Kyle chased her out of the kitchen. “Go spend some time with those two. We’ll eat an early dinner and finish off the monopoly game then call it an early night.”
“Sounds good to me.” She made her way to the living room and sat down to watch the latest princess movie Melanie had declared her favorite. Mavy meowed, and jumped into her lap. She rolled over and waved her paws, begging to have her belly scratched. “Silly cat.” Soon, wonderful smells were coming from the kitchen, and she realized she was hungry again since they had skipped lunch. “Something smells very good,” she yelled to Kyle.
“Let’s hope it tastes as good as it smells.” He chuckled.
“I’m sure it will.” Just then, Melanie hopped up onto the sofa beside Anne.
“Mommy, do you think if I’m very good that Santa will bring me a pony for Christmas?”
“I don’t know, honey. That’s a big present. I’m not sure where we would put a pony if he brought you one.”
