Reagan chuckled. “I didn’t miss that part with little Malin. Adopting her almost felt like cheating.”
As Ashley turned off the engine, she saw her dad pull into the driveway behind her. Kari and Brooke and their kids were gathered at the door, squealing. They ran out and met the group halfway up the walk. There were hugs all around.
John glanced at the sky. “Let’s move it inside. Looks like those clouds could break any second.”
Cole was telling Maddie that Tommy liked him best because he was a boy, but Maddie could be second best. Ashley held hands with Erin’s two oldest daughters-Chloe and Clarisse. Luke was talking to Kari about how much he’d missed Ryan, and Sam was hearing from John about the recent storms.
It wasn’t any one conversation that made Ashley smile. Rather the combination, the chorus of all their voices combined that created a sound the Baxter house had been missing.
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It took several minutes to get the children and luggage inside. Hayley, Brooke’s younger daughter, stood just inside with her walker, grinning at everyone who walked past her.
Ashley was one of the last in, and just before she was through the door, lightning flashed nearby. She winced and hesitated, counting slowly. One…
two … three… The thunder hit then. Three miles away, if the trick really worked.
Kari came to the door to find her. “You okay? Everyone else is inside.”
“I know,” Ashley said. “Just watching the storm. I don’t want to lose electricity tonight. Landon won’t be here until seven o’clock-and it’ll be later than that if it gets bad.”
“Well… I wasn’t going to say anything yet. Not for a few minutes anyway.” Kari studied the sky. “But Bloomington’s under a tornado watch.”
Ashley sighed. “Great.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Kari took her arm and gently led her inside. “Most of the bad weather is north of here.”
“Still…”
“Come on.” Kari laughed. “You’re missing all the fun.”
Ashley shut the door behind her. It wasn’t like her to worry about the weather.
She’d spent most of her life here in Indiana, dealing every spring with the thunderstorms and tornadoes that came their way. Every year they spent a day or two in the basement, waiting out a warning, but Bloomington had never been hit by anything devastating.
Not as far back as she could remember.
Kari seemed to sense her anxiety. “Hey-” she put her arm around Ashley’s shoulders-“I know how you’re feeling. It’s the pregnancy. Both times I was like that.” She patted Ashley’s middle. A smile played in her eyes. “Irrational fear is part of being a mother.”
“You’re right.” Ashley willed herself to stop thinking about 220
the storms. They were heading through the living room and into the kitchen. “You made Mom’s Spanish casserole, right?”
“Gads of it.” Kari held up her fingers. “These hands haven’t done so much cooking since Thanksgiving.”
“Good!” Ashley stepped away from her sister and opened the fridge. “I’ll toss the salad.”
Another thirty minutes passed before they were all seated around the Baxter dining-room table. Kari and Ryan had added a large folding table, so there was seating for everyone, including three high chairs-two that they rounded up from family and one that their dad borrowed from a neighbor. The setup was cozy and would allow everyone a chance to share in the same conversations once dinner got started.
The storm was stronger than before, moving closer. But the sounds of wind and thunder were drowned out by the joyful noise of the family being together, remembering days gone by and catching up on what they’d missed since the last time they had all been in the same room.
There was a knock on the door, and they heard it open. “Off early.”
It was Landon!
“Daddy!” Cole raced from his chair and around the corner. They could hear the sound as Cole jumped into Landon’s arms.
“Hey, sport… everyone here?”
“Yep, Daddy, and guess what?” Cole was holding Landon’s hand when they rounded the corner. “Tommy says I’m his best cousin.” Cole looked at Maddie and back at Landon. “Isn’t that nice of him?”
Landon had a wary look in his eyes, and as Ashley stood and headed toward her husband she hid a smile. Landon knew Cole every bit as well as she did, knew the competition that existed between Cole and Brooke’s spunky Maddie.
“Well, now-” Landon cleared his throat-“I’ll bet Tommy thinks everyone’s his favorite cousin.”
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Propped up on an old Yellow Pages book, Tommy’s expression was blank-as if he wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about.
The ones listening to the exchange laughed, and half the table emptied as Erin and Sam and Luke and Reagan exchanged hugs and handshakes with Landon.
Cole returned to his place next to Tommy, and Ashley waited a few feet away for her turn with Landon. Her heart soared as the scene played out, because Landon belonged here. He was part of this, the way he always should’ve been part of it.
What if she hadn’t married him? What if she’d allowed herself to remain stubborn and jaded the rest of her life? A shiver passed along her arms and at the base of her neck.
When everyone was making their way back to their seats, she stepped in and gave Landon a side hug-the best she could do with the baby taking up so much space in front of her. “I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered near his ear.
“Things were slow at the station, but we’re all on call until the tornado watch lifts.” He kissed her and then hesitated. “You okay?” He searched her eyes. “You look scared.”
“The storm.” She made a face.
Concern became fine lines around his eyes. “Storms don’t scare you, Ash.”
“I know.” She let her head fall against his shoulder. “Kari thinks it’s because of the baby.”
“It’ll be fine.” This time he kissed her forehead. “It’s supposed to be gone by midnight.” He led her to the table. “Besides, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
As they took their places, Ashley noticed her father. His eyes shone, but they were distant. Probably remembering Mom. That, or thinking about how he was going to tell the others they had an older brother. She watched him, the way he surveyed each of his kids and their families. When everyone had quieted down, he smiled. “Let’s pray.”
Around the two tables it took a few seconds for everyone to 222
hold hands. Then their dad closed his eyes. “Lord, thank You for bringing us all back together safely.” There was a pinch in his voice, and he hesitated.
Ashley peeked at him and saw Ryan put his hand on Dad’s shoulder. She felt her own throat tighten as he continued praying.
“It’s the greatest thing in the world having everyone together, Father. We thank You for allowing it. Thank You for each one here, for the lives we lead and the blessings You’ve given us this past year. We pray that Your hand of blessing be on this meal and on these next few days together.” Again he seemed overcome by emotion. “If it be Your will, Lord, please … give Elizabeth a window tonight.
In Jesus’ name, amen.”
After he finished there was a moment of somber silence, a knowing that their mom was being missed by all of them-even if they hadn’t talked about her yet. The conversations would be there-the admissions from each of them about how much they missed her.
But tonight, they would celebrate being together.
The children broke the silence first. Cole looked at Tommy. “Have you learned how to jump on one foot?”
Maddie craned her head around Cole and nodded big. “I can teach you better than Cole.” She stuck the very tip of her tongue out at him.
“Hey …”” Cole looked for a witness.
But before he could say another word, Brooke shot her daughter a look. “Let’s remember our talk, young lady.”
“Yes, Mommy.” Maddie’s pout was adorable, and it brought a round of laughter that lightened the mood.
Before she reached for the casserole, Ashley allowed herself to soak in the sight of them-all of them-together in the warm Baxter dining room. The place where so many of their gatherings had happened over the years. She looked at her father at the head of the table. Next to him were Ryan and Kari, their son, 223
Ryan Jr. between them. On around the table sat Luke and Reagan with little Malin in a high chair beside Reagan. Next came the big kids, as Cole liked to call them. Tommy sat next to Cole, and then came Maddie, Hayley, and Jessie. Ashley and Landon rounded out the circle.
At the other table were Erin and Sam, situated on either side of their four girls-Chloe, Clarisse, Amy, and Heidi-two in high chairs. Brooke and Peter sat with them, though they were all close enough to visit with each other.
Suddenly a wave of sorrow washed over Ashley. The only one missing was their mom.
Kari turned in her seat and smiled at Erin. “Ever think we’d be surrounded by so many kids?”
“No.” Erin’s eyes glowed with something soft, tender. “I prayed for it.” She looked at her four daughters. “But I never thought it’d be like this.”
Just then, Erin’s youngest took a spoon of Spanish casserole and flicked it at her sister.
Sam took a deep breath and grinned. “Can’t say I did either.”
They all laughed, and Ashley looked at Reagan. “Malin is absolutely precious. I couldn’t be happier for you.”
“Thanks.” Reagan kissed her little dark-haired girl on the top of her head. Next to her Luke put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “You can pray for us come May, though.”
“May?” Landon finished a bite and set his fork down. “What’s happening in May?”
“The trial.” Luke leaned forward so he could see Landon better. “I’ll spend a week or two in LA.”
“Same time my mom’s headed for Iowa to visit her sisters.” Reagan blew at a wisp of her bangs. “It’ll just be me and the kids.”
“I’m a helper, Mommy.” Tommy raised his spoon in the a ir. “Right?”
“Right.” Reagan gave the others a look. “The other day I 224
found him feeding Malin a bottle.” She smiled at her son, then turned to the others again. “Nothing in the bottle, of course.”
“So 1 singed to her.” Tommy made a face and looked at Cole. “She had a sicky tummy.”
The sisters laughed and exchanged understanding glances.
Brooke dabbed her lips with her napkin and leaned sideways so she could see Luke. “That’s the trial with Dayne Matthews, isn’t it?”
Luke nodded and poked his fork into his salad. “The defendant’s that crazy fan, the one who tried to kill Dayne and Katy Hart.”
Ashley took a drink of water. “Katy has to go out for the trial too. So far the tabloids haven’t mentioned her name.”
“Exactly.” Thunder rocked the house, but Luke didn’t miss a beat. “We’re doing everything we can to keep her name out of the press for now. Eventually we won’t have a choice, but at least until the trial we want to maintain her privacy.”
Ashley took a bite of salad, and as she did, she caught her father’s expression.
The joy and sentimentality from earlier were gone, and he seemed anxious, staring at his dinner and chewing slower than usual. What was that in his eyes?
Maybe conversation about the trial didn’t interest him; maybe he’d fallen into thoughts about their mom instead.
But he looked more than anxious. He looked almost guilty. Ashley studied him a few more seconds before turning back to the others. She’d have to ask him about it later.
Across from her Kari ripped up pieces of a wheat roll and placed them in front of Ryan Jr. “Hey, has anyone seen that new Dayne Matthews movie, the one that just came out with the scenes from Bloomington?”
“Dream On” Erin said. “Sam hired a babysitter the other night, and we hit the town. Dinner and the movie.” She grinned. “I thought they were going to kick me out of the theater.”
Sam rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Every time there was a 225
scene filmed in Bloomington she would gasp and point at the screen. ‘Oh … I know where that is!’ or ‘That’s the park; I swear it’s the park!’”
The others laughed and Reagan raised her hand. “I saw it too.” She pointed at Erin. “We should go see it again, together. That way we won’t embarrass each other.”
“Kari and I were going to see it last week, but Jessie got sick.” Ryan took their son’s sippy cup, unscrewed the lid, and poured his own water into it. He handed it back and smiled at the others. “Sick kids take precedence over a movie-even one with Bloomington in it.”
They all generally agreed that yes, they’d like to see the movie. Erin and Reagan both gave the film a thumbs-up.
“You know what was really weird about it, though?” Erin fed her littlest daughter a spoonful of casserole. “How much Dayne Matthews looks like Luke.”
“Yeah, see.” Reagan gave Luke a playful shove. “I told you so.”
“Nah.” Luke set his roll down and shook his head. “The guys at the office thought that too. I even thought it for a while, but it’s just the hair.”
“It’s more than the hair.”
Ashley swallowed her bite and joined in. “I saw the preview. Erin and Reagan are right. And here’s something else …” She looked at the faces around the table, and her tone dropped a notch. “Dayne gave me a ride home last summer.” She held up three fingers in the classic Girl Scout pledge sign. “Scout’s honor.”
There was a round of disbelieving and teasing looks.
“You were always the drama queen.” Brooke grinned at her. “What, he got done filming, pointed you out of the crowd, and offered you a ride home?”
Landon chuckled. “No, it’s true. I dropped Ashley off at the church to watch the rehearsal.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “She comes home and tells me Dayne Matthews gave her a ride.”
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“No way!” Erin nearly jumped out of her seat. “Why die you tell us before?”
Ashley patted her round midsection. “I guess I’ve been p occupied.”
“Come on, you know Ashley.” Landon leaned close a hugged her neck. “She wanted an audience, that’s all.”
A dozen questions were fired at her at once, and Ash explained the situation.
But just as she got started she noti( her father again. He pushed back from the table and headed ii the kitchen with his empty water glass. He looked pale.
She stopped her story midsentence. She felt her heart ski beat. “Dad, you okay?”