Unexpected Arrivals(83)
He finally released the death grip he had on me and pulled back to see my face. “What?”
“My mom’s hugs and the way my dad smelled. She gave the best hugs, and he always smelled like spice.” My meek smile told him of the pain that still lingered from my loss, even if he couldn’t verbalize what he saw—he grasped that I understood. “You give hugs just like my mom did.”
He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“What do you miss most about your mama, Legend?” This was the start to never letting him forget.
He thought for a minute and when he finally answered, he said, “Her telling me she loves me. I want to tell her one more time—just to make sure she really knows until I see her again.”
“You know you can talk to her? She can hear you as long as you carry her in your heart. And you can tell her every day how much you love her, and when you do, you’ll feel it right here”—I pointed to his chest—“when she responds.”
“Do you still talk to your mama?”
“Every single day.” Not out loud but in my thoughts. Her and my dad. It kept them both close to me. “And you should, too.” I gave him another squeeze. “How do you feel about a bath?” I didn’t care to draw attention to his accident, but I needed to get him cleaned up.
“Will you make it really warm? And add bubbles?”
“I’ll see what I can do. Come on.” Susan and Brock didn’t have bubble bath in the guest bathroom, but they did have shampoo, and I might have poured copious amounts of it under the faucet to give Legend a foam-filled tub.
I wasn’t sure what the protocol was for little boys being naked in front of their stepmothers, but when I tried to give him privacy, he used my shoulder to steady himself while he pulled his wet pajamas off. Once I had him into the water, I asked, “You okay in here for a few minutes while I go clean up?”
“You’re not supposed to leave kids alone in a bathtub. I could drown in an inch of water.” He stared at me with innocent eyes just before he started laughing.
I exhaled loudly and shook my finger at him. “You think you’re funny. I’ll be back to check on you in just a few minutes. Keep your head out of the bubbles until then.” I winked at him and left the bathroom door open, so I could see him while I stripped the sheets from the bed and grabbed a change of clothes for him. Without waking up the entire house, I couldn’t find another set of linens to put on the mattress, so I grabbed a blanket from my room and quickly changed my own clothes while Legend dried off.
When he finally got back in bed, I pulled the covers up to his chin and kissed his forehead. I’d left the light on beside the bed in case he got scared. His little hand wrapped around my wrist, and I met his sweet, brown eyes.
“Cora, will you stay with me?”
I ruffled his hair and gave him a smirk. “Of course. Scoot over.”
And that’s where James found me the next morning, with Legend wrapped in my arms and owning my heart.
18
Cora
“How are things going?” I hadn’t had much time to talk to Hannah since we’d left New York, and I missed my best friend.
“Status quo. The real question is how are you holding up?” The concern was evident in Hannah’s tone.
“Honestly, I’m struggling, but not with what you’d expect.”
“Oh yeah? Insta-mom has been a walk in the park?” She giggled.
“Hannah, he’s awesome. You’re going to love him. He looks nothing like James, but it’s uncanny how similar the two are. I’m completely gone for him.”
“Then what’s the problem, are you jealous?”
“Of what?” I’d just told her how much I adored Legend. There was no reason to think I’d be jealous of his relationship with his dad.
“The other woman,” she whispered as if Chelsea were a secret.
“You are aware she passed away, right?”
“Yeah, but she still had your husband’s child. And I remember how you felt about her when you were in France. This has to be like a giant slap in the face—her parting gift to you.”
“Oh God, no, Hannah. Not at all. Actually, quite the opposite. I think my jealousy over her relationship with James when I was gone was kind of petty. He never even saw her, yet somehow, it equated to more in my mind than it ever actually was. I didn’t comprehend how much James actually told her about our relationship until I met Legend. Chelsea went out of her way to tell her son how much his dad loved me.”
“I’d be jealous.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” I dismissed her comment and waved my hand in front of me like she could actually see it through the phone. “I’m sure it’s hard to imagine finding out your husband has a child, and I admit, I was shocked. And I struggled with my emotions on that issue alone for days—back and forth. Then once I met Legend, I realized what a blessing Chelsea gave to James, and indirectly, me.”
“Then what are you struggling with? If it’s not Legend, and it’s not Chelsea, what does that leave?”
“Dottie. Gwendolyn. Whatever she goes by these days.” Anger seeped through the line, clutching my words until they reached Hannah’s ear.