His Unexpected Family

by Patricia Johns

  “I am.” His mother blushed and looked away. “Tony will be back soon, I’m sure.”

  “This is Greg,” Emily said, then stopped, sensing a mistake. It didn’t seem to faze his mother, though. The old woman rubbed a hand over her stomach.

  “It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? I’m going to be someone’s mother.”

  Emily nodded. “I still can’t get over that.” She laughed softly. “This must be your first?”

  His mother nodded tiredly, a smile on her lips. “Our very first. I’m positive it’s a boy.”

  Greg couldn’t help but grin, and he attempted to hide it behind his hand. In her mind, she was pregnant with him.

  “Do you know what you’ll name him?”

  Greg’s gaze flickered toward Emily’s face, but she didn’t look in his direction at all. Her entire attention was focused on his mother.

  “I like Ernest.” His mother smiled. “That’s my father’s name. But my husband wants to name him Gregory.” Her eyes moved over to Greg, and she frowned slightly.

  “I like them both,” Emily said quietly. “I guess you’ll know when you see him.”

  His mother’s eyes flickered toward him again, and her frown deepened. He tensed. Was it coming—the confusion, the anger?

  “Your husband looks a lot like my husband,” his mother said, looking at Greg more closely. “Isn’t that strange....”

  “Do I?”

  “Well.” She batted her hand, letting it fall back onto her stomach. “They say there are only so many faces in the world, and we have to share them around.”

  Greg nodded, relaxing. She said the same thing to him every time he visited. It was almost comforting. Cora squirmed in the car seat, and his mother looked down at her.

  “She’s adorable,” his mother said. “What’s her name?”

  “Cora.”

  “That’s pretty. I really like it.”

  The women were getting along splendidly, and Greg couldn’t help but smile watching them chat. The fear and shouting that normally surrounded his visits didn’t seem to be coming, but he wasn’t sure if it was safe to feel relieved yet. It was all talk about babies, but he could see his mother relaxing and looking happy. So this was what she’d been like when she’d been a young woman. Couple that sweet personality with her looks, and he could see why his father had asked her to marry him after two weeks. She was a catch.

  “It’s very nice of you to come visiting with your wife,” his mother said, turning toward him. “And you two have such a beautiful baby.”

  “Thank you.” Greg grinned, glancing at Emily. A small blush had risen in her cheeks, and he thought it suited her.

  “What do you do?” she asked politely.

  Before thinking better of it, he said, “I’m a cop.”

  “So is Tony.” A rare smile broke over her lined face. “Imagine that. Well, this has turned out very well. Emily and I will have someone who understands while we worry about our husbands.”

  “I think we’ll be good friends.” Emily reached across and took his mother’s wrinkled hand. “Maybe I could come by again, and we’ll visit.”

  “I’d like that.” She smiled back. “I wonder when Tony will be here. If you see him, Greg, please tell him his wife is asking about him.”

  His mother smiled wistfully, and for the first time Greg froze, watching that expression on her aged features. It had been a long time since he’d seen his mother smile like that—a good twenty-five years. She had her husband back.

  “You and Tony seem really happy,” Greg said.

  “Madly in love,” she replied, a twinkle in her eye. “It was nice to meet you both. I’ll let Tony know you stopped by. Emily and Greg, right?”

  Emily nodded and stood up. As she rose, his mother pushed herself from her chair.

  “It was wonderful to meet you,” Emily said, and she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his mother, giving her a gentle squeeze. His mother looked surprised at first, then she smiled and squeezed Emily back.

  Tears misted Greg’s eyes, and he turned away to hide it. By the time he looked up, Emily was ready to go.

  “Come on by, Emily, anytime at all,” his mother called. “Goodbye, Greg.”

  As they stepped outside the room, Greg felt a surge of relief. He’d been waiting for everything to fall apart on them, for his mother’s confusion to come back, for her fear to turn into anger. Her voice would rise in pitch, and she’d point a finger at him, shaking in fury. “Get out! Get out!” It hadn’t happened, not this visit, and he was grateful. Emily looked up at him, her eyebrows raised. “Was I okay?”

  “You were great.” He heard the catch in his voice, and he cleared his throat. When he looked back into his mother’s room, he saw her resettled in her chair with the Bible back on her lap. She’d always been a woman of faith, and even when her mind was confused, he was glad she had that comfort.

  “Are you okay?” Emily asked quietly.

  “I’m great, too.” He smiled. “You hugged her.”

  “Of course.”

  “She hasn’t let me hug her in over a year.”

  Emily’s face suddenly fell, and she shook her head. “Really? Oh, wow. I had no idea. I’m sorry if I...” She didn’t seem to know how to finish the sentence.

  “No, don’t apologize.” They walked back down the hall. He resisted the urge to look back again toward her room. “If it can’t be me, I’m glad someone is hugging her. She needs hugs.”

  Risking a look down at Emily as they reached the outside door, he saw tears in her eyes, and then they broke out into the summer sunlight. He took a deep breath of fresh air.

  “Thanks,” he said, clearing his throat again. “I appreciate this.”

  “What are friends for?” She put her cool fingers on his arm. Her hand felt comforting there—more than comforting, if he had to be brutally honest. She sparked something inside of him that made him want to pull her closer, run his fingers through her dark, glossy waves...

  He pulled his eyes away from the pinkness of her lips, just parted. She didn’t seem to notice. Instead she said, her voice low and quiet, “And for the record? Your mom raised a very sweet son.”

  Greg felt a smile come to his lips. “Want a coffee?”

  “I’d love one.”

  * * *

  Cafe au Lait was one of the last local coffee shops left in Haggerston, hunched on the corner of Main Street and Fourth Avenue, across the street from the library. Emily sat in front of an iced cappuccino while Greg sipped a regular coffee, black.

  “How long has your mom been sick?” Emily asked.

  “For a few years. It started with her forgetting special dates, like her grandchildren’s birthdays, that sort of thing. Then when people reminded her, she’d claim she hadn’t forgotten at all. There were a lot of hurt feelings. Especially since my sister lives out in Cincinnati, so figuring it out long-distance wasn’t easy.”

  “I could see that.”

  “I realized something was wrong when she called me to take her grocery shopping, and when I arrived, she’d completely forgotten. I mean, completely. She demanded to know why everyone was trying to make her feel bad all the time. I got her a doctor’s appointment for the next week.” Greg tapped two sugar packets against his palm, then tore them open. “A couple of years ago, she had to come to this nursing home. We couldn’t take care of her anymore. Not safely.”

  “Was she mad?” Emily asked.

  “Furious.” He shot her a grin. “My mother always was a tough woman, and when she was angry, she was a force of nature.”

  Emily laughed softly. “I know the type.”

  “But she’d lock herself outside, wander around her neighborhood in her nightgown. It wasn’t safe anymore.”

  “That has to b
e hard.”

  The spoon clinked against the side of Greg’s cup as he stirred. “Well, you do what you have to.”

  Late-afternoon sunlight poured through the window, warming her arms despite the air-conditioning. Emily took a sip of her sweet, icy drink.

  “Your mom seems like a neat lady.”

  Greg smiled. “She is. She doesn’t know me anymore, though.”

  “I’m sure she never thought she’d live to forget her child.” Emily looked into Greg’s sad face. He nodded slowly.

  “I really appreciate your help today.”

  “You’ve been doing this alone, haven’t you?” she asked.

  He chuckled. “Am I that obvious?”

  She shrugged. “You’re that kind of guy. Capable. Responsible. Stubborn.”

  He shot her a grin at her last descriptor. “I guess I’ve always been the one people came to for help.” He lifted his cup to his lips. “Being chief of police around here plays into it.”

  “So who do you lean on?” she asked.

  “God.”

  She smiled at that. “Which human being, then?”

  Greg shook his head. “I take care of it myself.”

  “Everyone needs someone to lean on.”

  He was silent for a long moment, then smiled. “I suppose one day I’ll find someone to rely on. Can’t say I’d ever lean on her, though. But it would be nice to share things.”

  “She might end up being stronger than you think,” Emily said with a soft laugh.

  “Everyone is strong if they have to be,” he agreed. “But I need to be the strong one. I just can’t seem to help my mom.” He sighed. “Sometimes being the strong one isn’t enough. Sometimes that just scares her.”

  “And you hate having someone else help her when you can’t.”

  He smiled. “Normally, yes, but it’s different with you.”

  “How?”

  “You’re—” he paused, shrugged “—hard to resent.”

  Emily burst out laughing. “That’s a good thing.”

  He nodded. “Definitely.”

  The waitress came by with a pot of hot coffee. She tucked her pad of paper into her apron and lifted the pot.

  “Warm you up, Chief?” she asked.

  Greg lifted his cup for a refill.

  “You want pie? Cake?” she asked as she poured.

  “This place has the best cherry cheesecake. Have you had it?” Greg asked, fixing Emily with a mischievous smile.

  Emily shook her head. “Not yet.”

  “Could we get two pieces?” Greg asked, holding up two fingers.

  “We only have one piece left,” she said with a wink. “But don’t worry—I’ll bring two forks.”

  Before they could object, the waitress whisked away from the table, heading across the café to another table, her coffeepot held aloft.

  Greg chuckled and shook his head. “It’s worth it. You’ll love this cheesecake.”

  The bell above the door tinkled, and Greg turned to see who came inside. He raised a hand in a wave.

  “This is Benny, one of the officers at the station.”

  “Hi, Chief,” the big man said with a grin. He ambled over to where they sat and pulled up a chair. “Hey, it’s Sweet pea.”

  Emily grinned as he bent over the car seat and made a face for Cora’s benefit. “Hi there, Sweet pea,” he crooned. “You’re looking good, kiddo. Growing right up.”

  “This is Emily,” Greg said.

  Benny shot out a hand and shook hers with enthusiasm. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise.” She nodded down at Cora. “Do you want to hold her?”

  “Sure do.” A grin split his face as Emily lifted the baby into his arms.

  “Here we go,” the waitress sang out as she deposited a large wedge of cheesecake onto the middle of the table. “And forks.”

  She put two forks down, then looked at Benny dubiously. “An extra fork?” She held out a third fork questioningly.

  “Thanks.” Benny took the proffered fork and beamed at Greg. “You’re a peach, boss.”

  Greg rolled his eyes, but pulled the plate out of Benny’s reach. “Hey, ladies first. Let her try this.”

  Emily took a forkful of cheesecake, and when she put it into her mouth, she couldn’t help but sigh with pleasure. Creamy, tangy, topped with cherries... It was perfection.

  “Right?” Greg grinned.

  She nodded. “Amazing.”

  “Boss, I know this is your day off, but—” Benny suddenly blanched. “Oh, man. It’s your day off, and you’re with a woman eating cheesecake—” He looked from Greg to Emily, his face reddening. “You’re on a date.”

  “No!” Emily and Greg blurted out at once.

  “Just chatting,” Emily said. “You’re more than welcome to join us.”

  Benny looked at Greg, who didn’t answer.

  “I actually should get going,” Benny said slowly, eyes still on Greg. “Yep, definitely need to move along.”

  Emily laughed. “It was nice to meet you, Benny.”

  “Same here, ma’am.” Benny handed Cora back, giving her a wink. “He’s kind of gruff and he acts like a big toughie, but the chief is a decent guy.”

  “Move along, Benny,” Greg retorted drily.

  Benny chuckled. “See you.” Pushing himself to his feet, he headed for the door.

  Emily stifled a laugh behind her hand.

  “Yeah, that’s the raging respect I get around the station,” he joked.

  “Oh, it’s obvious he really likes you.” Emily smiled. “Your officers trust you.”

  He nodded. “And I trust them. That’s the kind of ship I run.”

  Emily looked at her watch. “I have an appointment with my grandma. I’m helping her book some vacation tickets. I’d better not leave her waiting too long.”

  Greg smiled. “Sure.”

  “It was nice to just talk, though. I liked this.”

  “Me, too.” He chuckled. “Sorry about Benny.”

  “Oh, he’s harmless.”

  “And thanks.” His tone became more guarded, and he broke eye contact. “For today. It meant a lot.”

  Emily nodded and cleared her throat. “Anytime.”

  The moment had passed. His smile turned professional, and he gave her a nod.

  “Take care,” he said.

  As she left the coffee shop, car seat in one hand, Emily heaved a sigh. Greg was a man with such depth and strength, but he used that strength to maintain his solitude.

  Everyone needed someone to lean on, she thought as she unlocked her car. Men might like to think they were invulnerable, but she knew better. Not every woman needed rescuing, either. While he appreciated her help, she could feel his resistance.

  Greg had been holding everything together on his own for so long that Emily felt sure it had become a habit for him. He was the strong one, the rescuer, the knight in shining armor for the whole town of Haggerston.

  Emily didn’t need Greg to be a knight on a white horse, but she did wish some of his walls would come down and that their friendship would deepen.

  Maybe that was too much to ask.

  Chapter Ten

  Monday lunch with Beth and Nina was a tradition. They met at their favorite spot, Lou’s Diner. It didn’t look like much on the outside, complete with a big glowing sign that only lit up the L and U, but Lou’s had the best salads in town, hands down. They sat in a booth at the back, Cora sleeping soundly in her car seat on the bench beside Emily, and Nina and Beth on the other side facing her. Past the little wire basket of ketchup, mustard and sugar packets, she could see the parking lot out the window. Not much of a view, but this booth just about had their names on it. Monday l
unch, the servers always kept it available. Nina’s generous tips probably had a lot to do with that.

  Emily looked down at Cora. Her big blue eyes were open now, and she looked at one of her tiny clenched fists, nearly going cross-eyed in the effort. Emily ran her fingers over Cora’s silky red curls. As she looked up again, she heard the ding of the bell over the front door and glanced over to see Greg stepping inside. He was in uniform, his hat tucked under one arm in a way that drew her attention to just how defined those biceps were. He squinted from the summer sunlight, and as he came into the dimmer interior, he paused for a moment, resting the heel of his hand on the heavy belt that held his gun, badge and pepper spray. Emily thought she’d veiled her reaction, but apparently not, because Beth and Nina both turned to look where Emily’s attention had gone.

  Greg gave her a grin and raised a hand in hello. Emily felt the blush rising in her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, Em, but I don’t have much time before I’ve got to get back to work,” Nina whispered, then turned toward him and beckoned. “Hi, Chief!”

  Emily let out a tortured sigh. This was part of what she was afraid of. She adored her friends, but they were meddlesome at best, and the last thing she needed right now was to parade this fledgling friendship out in front of the two most observant people on the planet for them to dissect.

  Greg gave Nina a strange look, then his gaze slid over to Emily again. She gave him a bashful shrug, and a smile toyed at the corners of his lips. He held up a finger to say he’d be a minute and turned back to the young man receiving take-out orders at the counter.

  “Nina.” Emily kept her voice low. “What are you doing?”

  “Saying hello,” she replied innocently. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’ll be perfectly well behaved.”

  Greg gave the young man a smile and a nod, then turned back toward their booth. His thick, black police-issue shoes squeaked against the linoleum on his way over, and when he arrived at their booth, he leaned against the top of the seat next to Emily and looked down at them with an easy smile.

  “Hi, ladies. Nice afternoon.” His voice was deep and quiet. Emily looked up at him, the soft scent of his aftershave wafting down to her. His eyes met hers, and he gave her a slow smile. “How’s Cora?”