A Family of Their Own(75)

A frown crinkled her smooth forehead. “That’s not why.”

“I guess it’s because I’m so happy that your medicine is helping you. It could change your life.” His imagination soared.

“Maybe we could actually go on a vacation, Dad.” She gave him a silly smile. “Someplace that’s not next to a hospital.”

A chuckle burst from Kelsey, and he laughed with her. “I was always afraid to be too far from a town that had a good medical facility.”

“We’ve been through the same thing with Lucy, except not quite so bad. At least her problem gave us more warning.”

Hearing Lucy’s name, Ross eyed his watch. Another half hour. “Does Lucy have a place she’s always wanted to go?”

Kelsey chuckled. “You know my daughter. She read a book about a girl in Paris. She wanted to go there. Then it was Hawaii. In another book, the girl went to New York City. Now she wants to go everywhere.”

“Me, too.” Peyton’s eyes glistened, and Ross loved to see her excitement. “Paris. We could see the Eiffel Tower and ride to the top. Dad?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “It’s the city of romance.”

Romance. Air drained from Kelsey’s lungs. She’d waited too long. Even Peyton had made assumptions about their relationship.

“Peyton.” He gave her a playful smack.

She giggled. “How about Hawaii? I could wear flowers in my hair and learn to hula.” Her gaze shifted to Kelsey.

Kelsey felt compelled to respond. “Hawaii sounds lovely.”

Ross’s mind captured the excitement. A honeymoon in Hawaii. He drew in a deep breath and relaxed in a pool of sunny thoughts.

“You know, I should call Audrey, and I promised Karen I’d call her.”

Kelsey’s voice nudged away his dreams.

She scooted back her chair. “I’ll go out in the hallway where it’s quiet.”

He nodded. “We’re almost done here. Go ahead and we’ll meet you there.”

She scurried away, digging out her cell phone, leaving Ross with romantic images zinging through his mind. He tucked those away and gazed at Peyton across the table. “It’s wonderful to see you and Lucy friends.”

She lowered her head a moment, then looked at him. “I’m ashamed of how I behaved when we first met. I’d never had a friend since I got sick. Even when I tried to be nice, kids seemed to avoid me, so I decided to ignore them. It hurt me and made me sad.”

He slipped his hand over hers and squeezed. “It’ll still take some time for the kids to see that you’ve changed, and you’ll always have to be careful. Your arrhythmia will hopefully stay under control, but you still have a heart that needs watching. You know that?”

“I know, Daddy, but not living with that fear of a blood clot and having to take coumadin—that might be over, and I’m so happy.” She leaned forward, her eyes locked with his. “And I love Kelsey. She’s like a second mom to me, and Lucy’s a pain sometimes—especially when she can’t keep her mouth closed—but I love her, too. I realized that when she got sick.”

Ross’s voice hung in his throat. Happiness swelled in his chest, and he gazed at his grown-up little girl, wishing away the tears that pushed behind his eyes. “Do you really mean that about Kelsey?”

“You mean being like a mom?”

He nodded.

A worried look grew on her face. “Is that wrong? I still love Mom, but she’s—”

“No. No. It’s not wrong. I’m thrilled hearing you say you really care about her, and Mom would be so happy.”

She studied his face. “You think so?”

“I know it.”

A smile seeped from under her concern. “I’m finally feeling sort of like a family.”

He slipped around the table and sat beside her, his arm around her shoulders. “Me, too. A complete family.”



Kelsey paced the living room, her attention drawn to every noise she heard outside. The sound of a car caused her to veer for the window. When she looked out, her shoulders slumped, and she rubbed the taut cords in her neck. She’d gone over and over her thoughts a thousand times, and she ended up back at the same place. With God all things were possible, but with her, they weren’t.

Another sound alerted her, and when she looked, her lungs failed her. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, not knowing what to pray for but needing guidance. Ross’s car door slammed, and she approached the front door. When she touched the knob, ice ran down through her veins. She’d never felt so alone.