Bent not Broken (90 page)

Andrew already had Daniel’s smile, the same one that rendered me helpless. I found myself constantly grateful that Andrew was such a good child because I had no idea how I would ever discipline him. And those eyes, they were as if God had seen his perfect work in Daniel and simply replicated the same magic in Andrew.

Still, Vanessa was there, seen in the faint freckles that ran over the bridge of his button nose and sprinkled out under his eyes, in the hint of red in his hair that could only be seen when the sun hit it just right. It was an odd feeling to be so indebted to someone I hated so much.

That day in the hospital had been a harrowing experience for Daniel. Vanessa had left without signing anything, and the hospital staff questioned whether Daniel was even Andrew’s father. Though
we
didn’t need medical confirmation that Daniel’s blood flowed through Andrew’s body, the state did. Daniel had willingly yielded to a paternity test that confirmed him as Andrew’s biological father. As stressful as that all had been, it had become the single most important day in my life—the day I went home with Daniel and my son. Nothing could compare to arriving in front of our house and walking through the front door with my family. It was the first time in my life I had ever truly been home.

That April, on what would have been Daniel’s and my anniversary, I was given the wedding I’d always wanted, a simple one in which Daniel and I stood hand-in-hand in Patrick and Julia’s backyard and professed that we would love each other forever.

The very next day, I signed a petition to adopt Andrew, seeking that he not only be my son in spirit but legally as well. It didn’t take William Bailey long to track down Vanessa, and while I could never understand her reasoning behind it, she relinquished her rights to Andrew that day. Two months later, I officially became the mother of Andrew Daniel Montgomery. No longer did I have to live in fear that someday he would be taken away from me. He was mine.

“Andrew, sweetheart, Daddy’s going to be home from work soon.” I stood, dusted the traces of wet dirt and grass from my pants, and extended my hand to him. “We should head in and start dinner.”

His sweet face brightened at the mention of his father, and he barreled over to me, throwing his arms in the air for me to pick him up. I swept him off the ground and into my arms.

“Here, let’s get your hands washed.” I walked to the kitchen sink and leaned over it, running his hands under the warm water and washing the residue from his afternoon of play down the drain.

I kissed his forehead and set him on his feet. Andrew went straight for his little table standing in the corner of the kitchen. He settled into the small chair, picking a dark blue crayon, his favorite color. He set to work, drawing a picture for his dad, something he did most every day while I cooked dinner.

I looked around the kitchen I loved, warmed by its comfort.

I glanced down at my son, so intent on the picture he was drawing, his small hand flying across the page as he scribbled his wonderful, indecipherable thoughts for his father.

I started on dinner, and seconds later, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I reached for a towel, patting down my hands before digging the phone out to see the name on the screen. I grinned. “Hey, Katie. How are you?”

Katie and I were still very close, though we didn’t get to spend as much time together as we would have liked. The last few years had been rough on her and Shane.

Nicholas had been sentenced to only three months in jail for the assault and ordered to undergo anger management classes. To me, the penalty had seemed much too lenient, but in the end, it had cost him his company. During the months he was away, their clients steadily dropped off and no new contracts came in. People seemed unwilling to do business with a company that had Nicholas’s name attached to it. Nicholas had always been about image, and he was forced to leave Chicago where people knew him for who he truly was. He’d sold his portion of the company to Shane and left town without a trace.

Shane had changed the company name and Katie went to work for him. Unfortunately, their first year was incredibly trying as they tried to salvage what was left of Shane’s years of hard work. He’d used all his profits from Daniel’s building to buy Nicholas out, and Katie and he had struggled to stay afloat. Not surprisingly, though, considering Shane’s work ethic and skill, it all paid off. By the time Katie gave birth to their son Jordan a little more than a year ago, the business was flourishing, and she was able to turn her duties over to a new office manager so she could stay home to raise their son.

“I’m great, babe, how are—” She was cut off by the shrill cry of Jordan, obviously coming through a baby monitor. Her voice was somewhat muffled but still loud as she pulled the phone away from her mouth, yelling, “Shane, I’m on the phone. Get Jordan.” I was unable to restrain my giggle. Their house was screaming chaos every time I spoke with her, but it was a happy, loving chaos in which they all seemed to thrive.

“Sorry,” she laughed under her breath. “Every time I pick up the phone, one of my boys suddenly needs me for something.”

“No problem. Everything is good here, just making dinner.”

“Good. So, Shane and I are taking Jordan to the zoo on Saturday and wanted to see if you guys might want to meet us?”

“I’m sure Andrew would love that. What time?”

“Noonish? Thought we could just get lunch there. Why don’t you see if Erin wants to tag along?” Erin had settled in a house just ten minutes from us, and we saw her at least a couple of times a week. She’d always show up unannounced, saying she needed to practice with my son for the children she hoped to have in the near future.

“Sure. I’ll give her a—”

The sound of something crashing in the background interrupted us. Shane yelled for help and Katie snapped, her voice no longer directed at me, “Seriously, Shane?” She grunted her mild annoyance into the phone. “I’ve gotta go, Melanie, Shane just made a huge mess. See you on Saturday?”

“Yep, we’ll be there.”

“Okay, bye.”

“So guess what, Andrew,” I said, drawing his attention from the paper in front of him that was now nearly black from all of the different colors he’d mixed together.

He looked up, excited by the tone in my voice. “What?”

“That was Katie, and she asked if you wanted to go to the zoo with Jordan on Saturday. Does that sound like fun?”

He nodded his head, emphasizing the movement. “Yes, I love the zoo, Momma.”

I ruffled my hand through his curls and placed a kiss against his head. “Good, because I love the zoo, too.”

With the sound of the garage door opening, Andrew jumped to his feet, squealing, “Daddy!” He grabbed the picture he’d colored and raced down the hall to meet his father at the door.

My heart did its own little flip-flop, ever anxious for the reunion with its match. The door opened and Daniel’s voice echoed as it carried down the hall. “There’s my little man!” Shrill laughter and commotion followed as the daily round of tickling and loud, exaggerated kisses commenced. Loud steps hurried down the hall and Daniel shouted, his question obviously meant for me, “Where’s Mommy?”

I hollered back, “Kitchen.”

They rounded the corner and came into view. Andrew laughed hysterically as Daniel carried him upside down over the shoulder. Daniel’s face was alight with love, glowing with complete joy. “There she is.” His voice softened when he spoke, his words holding more meaning than any other could ever know. He stood before me, the energy thick, drawing me to the man I could never live without. He flipped Andrew and set him upright on the floor before he reached out to wrap his arms around my waist. He drew me into a closed-mouth, albeit fierce kiss.

I grinned, my lips still pressed to his, and murmured, “I missed you too.”

He nodded, smirking against my mouth, lingering for a second longer. He stepped away and took Andrew back into his arms. “So, what did you and Mommy do today?”

Andrew proceeded to give Daniel a play-by-play of our entire day, his jumbled, sweet words clear to Daniel and me. He ended his speech by telling Daniel of our planned trip to the zoo this weekend.

“The zoo! I can’t wait,” Daniel said, throwing Andrew into the air, an act I had long since given up telling him to be careful about.

“Okay guys, dinner’s ready.” I took two of the plates I had already filled, and Daniel grabbed the special one for Andrew. We all settled around the table in the breakfast nook. Daniel’s hand found my knee, his thumb caressing over the fabric of my pants, distance for us never an option.

“How was your day, baby?” He watched for my reaction as he speared a piece of chicken and placed it into his mouth.

I really never had a bad day. Some were more stressful than others, but I had been given back my life, and I never let the small things skew that truth.

“Perfect.”

He grinned and shook his head, knowing exactly what I meant. He lived his life the very same way.

“Oh,” I sputtered through my full mouth, chewing and swallowing my food. “I talked to my mom today, and everyone’s coming out for the Fourth of July.” Mom came out to visit often, but Mark and my sister had only been here a few times. I couldn’t wait to have the house filled with all of my family. In the past three years, we had all become very close. That piece of me had been lacking for so long, and I now found I couldn’t go long without seeing them.

The only missing person had been my father. My chest tightened a little as I thought of him. Even though he had caused me so much pain, he was still my father, and I had been willing to forgive him. I had reached out on more than a few occasions, sending him an invitation to our wedding and cards with pictures of my family on every holiday. I had also left him numerous phone messages, trying to get in contact with him. He’d never replied.

When he’d died last year of a sudden heart attack, I’d had to accept I would never reconcile our relationship. As angry as I was at him for being so prideful and unwilling to allow us to come to terms with our past mistakes, I would never deny that his death had been a huge blow.

Daniel smiled and tightened his grip on my knee. “I can’t wait to see them too.”

It had taken Daniel a while to forgive Mom, but after they’d had several heart-to-hearts and hashed out their past differences, they’d accepted that they had both been guilty of harming the other. Once they had resolved them, though, they’d become impossibly close.

Andrew kept us entertained through the rest of dinner, making us laugh at every turn. His innocent insight into the world was something that left us feeling pure and hopeful for the future. Finished with dinner, Daniel rose to clear the dishes from the table and took them to the sink. “Why don’t you give Andrew his bath, and I’ll take care of these.”

I nodded, released the straps of Andrew’s chair, and drew Andrew into my arms. “You ready for your bath, pumpkin?”

Bathing him was hardly a chore. His little body was covered to his chest in bubbles and his face was my very light as he laughed and played in the warm water.

Every moment with him was a treasure.

My son.

Never would I forget Eva, my precious girl I knew only in my heart, but she was there, ever present and forever a part of me. My love for her would never diminish and Andrew would never take her place, but he’d completely filled the gaping hole in my heart that had been reserved only for him. I’d longed for him my entire life; I just hadn’t known it until he made his undeniable claim on my heart.

I massaged shampoo against his scalp and through his hair, carefully rinsing the suds away. I wrapped him in a towel, hugging him to me as I walked him to his room and dressed him for his night of sleep. I drew the covers down, and he crawled into his small bed.

Daniel appeared in the doorway, smiling at us. He snuggled in beside me, and we took turns reading our son his favorite poems. Andrew’s eyes drooped more and more with each rhyme we sang. When his lids began to flutter, I closed the book and leaned in, kissing him reverently on his forehead. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

He yawned and rubbed his eyes with tiny fists. “Night, Mommy. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Daniel scooted in, nuzzling Andrew’s neck before kissing him on the cheek. “Goodnight, little man.”

Nearing sleep, Andrew muttered, “Goodnight, Daddy,” through very tired lips.

We both stood and Daniel tucked him in, making sure he would be warm for the night. I switched off his lamp and flicked on his night-light.

Daniel and I lingered in his doorway, holding each other while we watched our son drift into a deep, restful sleep. His little body rose and fell with each breath he took. I spoke quietly against Daniel’s chest, “He’s so beautiful.”

Daniel drew me in, wrapping an arm around my waist. “Perfect.” He leaned in closer and whispered against my ear, “Just like you.”

His words brought a rush of heat, the fire ignited as his lips traveled from my ear to my mouth. Immediately, my body reacted to his touch. Every touch, every day, always the same. The need never dimmed.

He stepped back, pulling me into the hallway and pressing me against the wall. He held my face in his hands as he gazed down at me. His eyes filled with adoration and longing, his desire palpable in the energy traveling from his fingertips as they cupped the curve of my jaw.

His voice became rough as his need grew. “Melanie.” He crashed into me, mouth and hands and body and soul. He tugged and pulled at the collar of my shirt seeking more. I hummed against his mouth as I rushed through the buttons on his shirt, just as anxious to feel him as he was to feel me. No barriers.

He groaned, grasping my hand and dragging me across the hall to our room, quick to shut the door behind us. He rushed back to me, his kiss forceful. We shed our clothes as we danced our way across this sanctuary that was ours alone.

He wrapped me in his arms and spun us, sinking back onto the bed. His hands gripped my hips as he looked up to me, his gaze filled with intense love that would never lessen. Our connection was not one that could be severed or used up. Our souls were one as our hands and bodies became twisted and entwined, our own existence—a single creation.