Faded Dreams

by Kari Lemor

  Luke patted her hand, then brought it to his mouth to kiss. “I like being around, Mrs. Storm.”

  After removing his hand, Luke pushed up the blinker and moved to the right lane. She hadn’t been paying much attention to where they were. A sign indicating the Hyannis exit hung overhead. Elle had never been to the Cape before and was excited to explore.

  “Will we be able to see the town at all or are we hanging out at the house the whole weekend?”

  As Luke maneuvered down the off ramp, he said, “The baptism is tomorrow at two in the afternoon. We can cruise around today for a bit or tomorrow before church. Maybe my mom or Gina will offer to watch Dawn for a bit, and we could even go off by ourselves.”

  The thought of having some time with just Luke filled her with delight. “Ooh, seriously? I’d really like that. But I’m sure your mom will be with the newest grandbaby.”

  “Between all the other people there, I’m sure we can find someone to keep an eye on our little munchkin for a short while.”

  Elle practically bounced in her seat thinking of spending time alone with her husband. There hadn’t been much of that since Dawn had been born. The most wonderful had been up in Maine when they’d taken a walk along the ocean. Where Luke had said he loved her.

  He’d said it a few more times since then. She hadn’t said it back. Yet. No doubt she loved Luke. What was she afraid of? That he didn’t mean it and was only saying it to placate her? Maybe that if she said it, he’d use it against her at some point? Was it fair of her not to tell him? No. But she wouldn’t tell him this second. He was driving, and she didn’t want him distracted. Would something like that distract him? Had he been waiting for her to say it? It wasn’t something he’d ever mentioned or seemed to expect her to say back to him.

  Maybe tonight if they found some time to themselves. She hardly wanted to do it with his whole family hanging around. The Storms were wonderful, and she couldn’t have asked for a nicer family to be part of, but she wanted her first I love you to be special. Yeah, hopefully Molly wouldn’t mind keeping her eye on Dawn for a bit.

  A few minutes later, they turned onto a street that ran along the ocean. Absolutely beautiful. The driveway they pulled into was next to a large, white house with a view of the water.

  Elle didn’t have time to check out the location, because as soon as they got out of the car, they were inundated with Luke’s family. Pete offered to take one of the bags, while Alex picked up the other. Luke detached Dawn’s car seat from the base, then slung the diaper bag over his shoulder as he carried their daughter into the house. Grabbing her purse, she followed after everyone.

  The inside was a mad house. It wasn’t necessarily noisy, but kids and dogs were everywhere. She’d forgotten that Alex and Erik had the offspring of TJ’s dog, Freckles. TJ and Sara had also kept one of her puppies. Domino, if she remembered correctly.

  Joey and Kiki sat on the kitchen floor with the dogs, while Matty stared at the new baby in his mother’s arms. Tessa hadn’t wasted any time in checking out the new addition.

  She and Luke went around giving hugs and kisses to everyone there. Sara looked beautiful as always and simply beamed when she stared at her daughter. TJ’s expression was more than proud.

  Molly bustled about, ordering her husband and Alex to bring their bags upstairs and which room to put them in. Leave it to her to have everything planned out ahead of time. When they came back down, Molly clasped her hands to her chest and sighed.

  “I have all of my family together. I love this so much.”

  Erik raised one eyebrow. “Mom, we get everyone together at least once a month. This isn’t a new thing.”

  Molly pursed her lips. “But you and Tessa will be having your fourth child soon enough, and it won’t be as easy to bring them all down. Sara has little Mary Sonata now, so they won’t always be able to come up. Once Alex and Gina have their new little one, they might not want us descending on them all the time.”

  The poor woman was feeling her wonderful growing family possibly not being as close anymore. Elle took Luke’s elbow and squeezed.

  “Luke and I have talked about possibly having everyone over to our place every now and again. Alex and Gina shouldn’t always be the ones to host. We also have plenty of bedrooms for anyone needing a place to stay overnight. It’s one of the reasons Luke wanted the house. To keep the family together.”

  The excited, and possibly relieved, expression on Molly’s face made any hardship she’d just brought on herself more than worth it.

  Her mother-in-law hugged her thoroughly and whispered in her ear, “Thanks, Ellie. You are such a wonderful part of this family, and I’m so thrilled Luke married you.”

  “I’m glad he married me, too.” She laughed at the joke but meant every word.

  Molly softly clapped her hands—there were sleeping babies nearby—then ordered everyone to take a short rest after the long drives.

  “Except these three.” She rounded up Matty, Kiki, and Joey. “I understand they had naps in the car and must be ready to stretch out. How about Nana and Papa take the kids and the dogs for a run along the beach?”

  “Are you sure, Mom?” Tessa asked, then tried to hide a yawn.

  “I could use a stretch, too. I’ll go with you.” Luke glanced down at her. “Is that okay while you feed munchkin?”

  “That would be perfect.”

  Alex trotted along after them, and Erik mentioned using the pool. Tessa yawned again and passed Mary back to Sara. “I may rest for a bit, if I don’t have to watch the kids.”

  “I’ll show you which rooms you’ll be in,” Gina said.

  Sara took the baby into the first-floor bedroom, while Erik grabbed his suit and went to change in the downstairs bathroom.

  “Erik loves to swim in a pool if he can. Says it helps his leg almost feel normal,” Tessa said as Gina pointed out the bedrooms upstairs.

  “Then, he should swim here all weekend.” Gina yawned, patted her expanding baby bump and said, “I’m with you on the resting.”

  The room Elle and Luke had been put in had a view of the ocean. A comfortable chair rested in one corner with a bed and dresser in the others. Their bags sat on the bed.

  Digging out the small changing pad and a new diaper and wipes, Elle quickly changed the baby’s bum, then parked in the chair to feed her. From here, she could see the kids and dogs scurrying about the sand, the adults a few steps behind.

  She’d worried about having the baby here with so many other people, but she should have realized Molly knew exactly what all the kids needed and made arrangements to let the pregnant or postpartum moms get much needed rest or feeding time.

  With the comfortable chair and relaxing atmosphere, nursing Dawn was easy today. Too often, if she was stressed, the baby felt it and fussed. After allowing her to feed on each side, and making sure she’d gotten gas out, Elle stretched out on the bed with the baby next to her. It was a queen size, but she still plumped pillows behind the baby to keep her far from the edge.

  Soon enough, the kids would be back in, and she’d need to be at her best. With the way Luke had been treating her so sweetly lately, she didn’t have a doubt she’d be all right.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Mom, I was wondering if maybe you could watch Dawn for us for a short while,” Luke asked as they walked along the sandy shore. “Either later today or tomorrow morning. Ellie wanted to see the town and maybe have a short break from the baby.”

  His mom grinned. “Spend some time with my granddaughter? What a hardship.”

  Luke gazed around at Erik’s kids as they cavorted with the dogs. “I know your other grandkids are here, too.”

  “Yes, they are. As are their parents. Although, now that you mention it, I’ll bet Erik and Tessa, perhaps even Sara and TJ, might like a little time without the children.”

  “All of them? At once?”

  Mom tapped a finger to her lips. “Hmm. How did I ever take care of four children all on
my own?”

  “We all know you’re super mom, but Dawn and Mary are both infants.”

  “And parents of twins and triplets do it all the time. Your father’s here with me. He also raised four children, and he wasn’t a hands-off kind of dad. I think I’ll suggest to any of you who want to go out tonight that your father and I will watch the kids.”

  Luke wanted to object, but he had a feeling Molly Storm would be in her element with all her grandchildren at once. Gram and Gramps used to do it for a few weeks every summer, and they had ten grandchildren. Granted, they never took the babies overnight.

  When the sun started to lower and the kids ran out of steam, they all tromped into the house. His mom made sure to go through the back yard first and shake all the sand off into the grass. For the dogs and the kids. After swishing their feet in the pool, Mom, Dad, Alex, and Luke helped dry the little toes and get them in the house.

  Erik sat at the kitchen table, while TJ rocked the baby near the island.

  “Where’s Ellie?” Luke asked, glancing around.

  TJ cocked his head toward the front room. “The ladies are in the living room. Erik and I decided to man it out in here.”

  Erik coughed and narrowed his eyes at TJ with the newborn snuggled in his arms.

  TJ faked a scowl. “What? I can still be a man with a baby in my arms.”

  Luke held up his hands. “I never said anything. I need to go show my manliness and find my own baby.”

  He found Elle with Dawn, sitting on the couch next to Gina, Sara, and Tessa.

  “Do you need me to take her?” He caressed his daughter’s head.

  “If you’d like. We both took a bit of a nap.”

  Gina laughed. “I think we all took a bit of a nap. It’s all I do these days.”

  “I wish I could take a nap most days.” Tessa folded her hands on her belly.

  The kids bustled in followed by the others. His mom shushed Matty as he shouted to Tessa how they’d played with the dogs in the surf.

  “It’s going to be time for these littles to eat soon.” His mom took center stage, and no one dared interrupt. Most likely, she’d made arrangements for food.

  “We brought a few boxes of mac and cheese,” Erik said, pulling Joey into his arms so he’d stop running after the dogs. “I can cook those up for our kids and anyone else who wants some.”

  The face his oldest brother made indicated he didn’t think anyone else would want it.

  “Well, I was thinking—” his mom smiled at all in the large living room, “—your father and I will watch all of our grandchildren. The rest of you need to take a few hours to go someplace nice to eat.”

  “Oh, Mom, that’s sweet, but—”

  “No buts, Sara. If you make sure to feed Mary before you leave, we’ve got everything else covered.”

  “All five kids?” Alex raised his brow. “Gina and I can stay and help.”

  Mom shook her head. “No. You and Gina will have a little one soon enough. Take this opportunity to enjoy yourself. You can all go together somewhere or split up and just take time for the two of you.”

  Tessa glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’d love it, honestly. But Erik and I will get the kids washed up and ready for bed before we go.”

  “That’s perfect, honey,” Dad replied, tousling Kiki’s hair. “I’ll start the mac and cheese right now, so it’s ready by the time they’re cleaned up.”

  “Your father’s offered to watch a movie with the older kids before they go down. He’ll give me a hand if both babies need cuddling at the same time.”

  “I can cuddle, too,” Kiki said, her arms held up. “I’m almost four. Mama said I can cuddle the new baby.”

  “Are you sure you can handle five kids?” Alex narrowed his eyes and asked the same question Luke had earlier.

  Mom waved him away. “I had four of my own. This is only one more.”

  Luke snorted. “But you were a lot younger when you had all four of us.”

  Planting her hands on her hips, his mom rounded on him. “You better not be calling me old, Lukas Frederick Storm.”

  His siblings all oohed and widened their eyes. “Oh, the middle name. That’s not good.” Alex snickered.

  Luke frowned at his brother. “I can’t wait to see you with a baby waking you up four times a night.”

  “Hey,” Sara said, pointing to Gina. “Didn’t you have an ultrasound yesterday? How was it? Everything all right?”

  Gina bit her lip, looking sheepish. “We did. Alex has the pictures on his phone.”

  Alex froze, then a strange look came over his face. He dug his phone from his pocket, scrolled through, and held up the screen.

  Erik scowled as he checked it out. “I can never figure out what is what in these things.”

  “Did you find out the gender of the baby?” Molly questioned. “You are far enough along, aren’t you?”

  Gina’s brows shot up, and Alex bit his lip. “Yes, they do blood work for that now. But that was inconclusive. The ultrasound cleared everything up.”

  “So is it a boy or a girl?” Tessa asked.

  “Yes,” both Alex and Gina responded at the same time.

  Luke ripped the phone from his brother’s hand and examined the grainy photo. “Okay, I can see this is the head and body. But what’s this? It almost looks like a mirror image. Did they have a double exposure?”

  Gina and Alex gave each other a secret look, then Alex pointed to the picture. “This is a little boy.”

  Their dad’s eyebrows drew together as he pointed. “Then, what’s this?”

  “That’s a little girl,” Gina answered, her voice higher than usual.

  “Twins?” Mom yelled, causing Dawn to startle in his arms. “Are you really having twins?”

  Gina and Alex nodded and were suddenly inundated with hugs and congratulations. Luke just rocked his daughter back and forth. He couldn’t even imagine having to take care of two at once.

  Once the excitement had died down, Molly waved her hand in the air. “Then, you definitely need a night out. Once these twins arrive, you’ll have double the work.”

  Everyone scattered to their respective rooms. Luke winced as he passed the one Erik and Tessa were using. It was the largest one up here and had a full-sized, blow-up mattress on the floor. For the kids? Joey was almost two and wouldn’t need to be in a crib. Then, they were having another one in December.

  Whoa. Luke swallowed at how much work that was. Still, Tessa and Erik seemed to take it all in stride. He’d bet he and Elle would do just fine, too, with any other children.

  As he entered their bedroom, he grinned, and Tessa gave him a look.

  “What’s that smile for?”

  “Just wondering what it would be like to have a set of twins. Or four children.”

  Elle reached in the closet and pulled out a sundress. “Are you making plans already? Dawn’s only two months old.”

  He pressed his lips to hers. “Not yet. Someday. If you’re up for it.”

  Relief and delight ran across her face. He hated the relief and the reason for it. “Let’s get through a few more months with this little gal, then we can talk about working on the next one.”

  “I do like that kind of work. If you wanted to practice at all…”

  Elle laughed. “Not at the moment. We have an opportunity to go out without the baby. I’d like to take advantage of it. Let me feed her, so she’ll be good for your parents.”

  After Elle settled in the chair with her nursing pillow, he lowered Dawn to her arms.

  “I’m going to jump in the shower and rinse off all this sand. The kids and the dogs had a blast, but they got sand everywhere.”

  An hour later, Luke stood by the back door with his siblings and their spouses saying goodbye to their parents and kids. They had decided to go to two different places. The pregnant ladies wanted nothing to do with seafood, but Sara and Elle liked the idea of having fresh Cape Cod shellfish.

  Luke sat up front w
ith TJ on the ride, so the women could talk babies and stuff, but as soon as they got to the restaurant, he took his wife’s hand and drew her close.

  “You look beautiful tonight, babe. I’m glad we got some time to ourselves.”

  Elle glanced at TJ and Sara. “Almost ourselves.”

  “TJ knows the owner and made reservations for two intimate tables. Close to each other but still separate.”

  Elle’s eyes softened. Luke caressed her cheek and kissed her sweetly.

  “That’s so nice, but what if I wanted to chat with Sara all night?”

  He laughed. “Then, I guess TJ and I sit together talking baseball, while you and Sara talk women’s issues.”

  Elle’s eyes narrowed. “We could be talking baseball, too.”

  “Nah, Sara’s more of a basketball fan.”

  When they got to the door, the maître d’ puffed up and strode forward. “Mr. Bannister. It’s so good to see you again. I have the tables you requested ready for you and your friends. Follow me, please.”

  Luke tipped his chin at his brother-in-law. “Top service. You must tip well.”

  TJ scowled. “I’ve been a member of the Chamber of Commerce for a few years, but when it came out to the public who my parents are…some people started being a little friendlier. I take advantage of it at times.”

  They were led to two small tables, side by side, both with a view of the bay.

  “Is this satisfactory?”

  “It’s perfect, Phillipe. Thank you.”

  TJ held Sara’s chair for her, and Luke did the same for Elle, so she sat with the better view out the window. The waitress appeared minutes later asking if they would like a drink.

  Sara held up her phone to Elle. “I Googled. White wine has less alcohol. One glass might be okay.”

  Elle’s face lit up, and she bit her lip. “Ooh, a glass of wine would be so lovely. Do you think it’d be okay?” She eyed him with her question.

  Reaching across the table, he took her hand. “I’m sure one glass will be fine if you want it.”

  Raising her chin, she nodded at the waitress. “I don’t know much about wine.”