A Mother's Homecoming(72)
“What?” The impassive mask fell away. Shock and tender vulnerability lay beneath it.
“You were right,” she repeated. “I do love you.”
“Yes!” A high-pitched whoop came from the next room.
Nick pressed the heel of his hand to his head. “I’d send her upstairs, but it seems too late for that to do any good.”
Pam sighed. “I suppose she can come join the conversation if it’s all right with you. After all, this affects her, too.”
Faith skidded into the room in her socks so quickly that she almost crashed into the refrigerator. “Are you staying? You’re staying in Mimosa!”
Pam nodded, her eyes locked on Nick. “I’m staying.”
He crossed the kitchen in two strides and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
After a minute, Faith tittered. “Guys? I’m totally on board with celebrating the good news, but … ew.”
Nick angled back, resting his forehead against Pam’s. “We’re squicking out our daughter,” he whispered.
“Squicking?”
“I’m told it’s a word.” He tightened his embrace around her as if disbelieving she’d stay of her own volition. “You’re really not leaving?”
“No. I worked too damn hard on that house to go just when it’s getting good.”
“It’ll get even better,” he swore. “I’ll get you a dishwasher for Christmas. Top of the line!”
She laughed, but then pulled back so that she could think clearly enough to articulate what needed to be said. “I want to promise you that I’ll never touch another drink, that I won’t panic and freak out at the thought of permanent commitment, but …”
“Pam, you’re one of the strongest people I know,” he told her. “Even when you bolted before, you acted out of a sense of integrity. And you were a kid! That’s not going to happen again. If you ever did happen to fall off the wagon, we’d find a way to cope with it and move forward.”
Her vision blurred. “You think?”
His own eyes were damp with emotion, too. “I know. Hey, it’s not like you get off so easy. You’ll have to deal with my grouchy, hotheaded temper when I get angry and act irrationally. And what about the times when this one behaves like a brat?” He jerked his thumb toward his daughter.
“Hey!” But she was grinning from ear to ear, pleased to be included.
“As long as you both understand that we can’t rush into anything,” Pam cautioned. “No crazy talk of people moving in together or getting married.”
“No, not yet!” Faith yelped, looking harried. “You know how long it will take me to write the perfect song to sing at the wedding? Not to mention working up the courage to perform in front of people. And a person doesn’t learn to play guitar overnight!”
Pam looked from the love of her life to their daughter and smiled. “Don’t worry, we’ve got time.”
Most importantly, they had each other.