Mother's Day Babies (Holiday Babies Series) (15 page)

“This kiss made it all
worthwhile.” His smile brightened his face and her heart. “I couldn’t stand the
idea of you driving for hours after your sleepless nights on this lousy sofa.
How are my daughter and her little rascals?”

“We’re doing great, Dad. So glad
to have you back here.” Monica stared at them with an ecstatic smile, the two bundles
dozing in the crooks of her elbows.

“I missed you all.” Lou kissed
his daughter’s forehead and studied the babies. “They’re getting so big. You’re
doing a great job.” Monica beamed at his compliment. “Barbara, you need a good
night’s rest. Do you want to come and sleep at the hotel?”

“I’m fine, Lou. Monica insisted I
use her bed tonight. You should go and rest if you’re going to drive tomorrow.
The van will be delivered at eight.”

“I’ll be here on time,” he
assured her.

“I’m sorry about your important
interview. I didn’t think you’d dump it for us.” She probed into eyes which
spoke of tenderness and warmth more eloquently than his words. “Is that going
to cause you problems?”

“Actually, things went smoother
than I expected. The PM sounded relieved not to have the interview tomorrow. He
postponed our meeting until May.” Lou raked his hair. The familiar gesture
brought a smile to her lips.

“Go rest, Lou. You need your
sleep too.”

Barbara walked him to the door
and willingly moved into his arms for a last goodnight kiss. This past week had
confronted her with more heartaches than she’d faced in years. Her whole
philosophy of life and love needed a thorough analysis.

****

A stab of guilt speared Lou as he
took a last tour of the small apartment. His daughter had lived here under the
worst conditions, pregnant, tired, pinching pennies and without any loving
support. The Morevs didn’t qualify as supportive friends. They used her and
dumped her when she didn’t suit their purposes.

“Monica, I’ve already stowed the suitcases
and babies’ things in the van. Do you want any of this furniture?”

“Not really.” The young woman
hardly glanced around the room. “I’d rather forget about this place. But what will
happen to the furniture?”

“I’ll call a charitable
organization and tell them to pick it up. There’s nothing valuable here.” He
too would rather forget the nightmare his daughter had faced for years with her
mother and then on her own.

Lou cast a loving look at the two
blue bundles quietly waiting in their car seats set on the cocktail table.
“Ready, little buddies?” He waved a hand in front of the babies.

 Baby Chris’s tiny mouth opened
on a funny shriek and Baby Lou threw up his own hand to try to catch his
grandfather’s fingers. These adorable midgets carried his family name and would
inherit his fortune. Devotion for his little grandsons overwhelmed him. Tears
tickling his eyes, Lou pledged they would receive the care and education their
mother had missed. “Hey, we understand each other already. Look at that,
Barbara.”

“I think they are telling you:
‘Enough goofing, Grandpa. It’s getting late.’ They had their breakfast and they
are all dressed and as ready as can be.”

“Well, in that case, no need to
waste time.” He clasped his daughter’s shoulders. “Monica sweetie, you’re
turning the page today.” Emotion clogged his throat. “I want you to know...”

Monica smiled and kissed him on the
cheek—the first sign of affection she’d ever given him. “Thanks for coming to
New York, Dad, and for helping me keep my sons. I won’t forget it.”

Unable to utter another word, he
pressed her against him in a tender hug. “We have Barbara to thank for helping
us appreciate each other.” He let her go and turned to the woman who had
invaded his heart and his life. “Ready to go, darling?”

“More than ready.” She grabbed
her handbag. “Monica, bring the big blue bag, and don’t forget to lock the door
behind us.”

Lou stepped out of the apartment,
a car seat with a precious occupant in each hand. “I already told the janitor
we are leaving. They can rent the place as soon as the furniture is removed.
I’ll strap and secure the babies’ seats so that they face you, Monica.”

A moment later, Monica climbed into
the back seat and settled between her kids. Barbara had already buckled herself
in the passenger seat. Lou slid into the driver seat and heaved a deep breath.
“I feel much better now having you out of that place.” He revved the engine,
adjusted the GPS and whistled joyfully as he took off.

Ten minutes later, he cursed the
New York morning rush hour. Everyone remained quiet. Even the babies respected
his concentration on the horrendous traffic. Lou maintained five miles above
the speed limit as the van crossed Manhattan, navigated the suspension bridge,
and raced along the highway. Imagine if poor Barbara had to fight her way
through that chaos.

“Charming, we look like a real
family going on vacation,” Monica blurted as the traffic lightened and Lou left
the outskirts of New York.

“Yeah, isn’t it?” Funny that his
daughter had just expressed the thought playing in his mind. He glanced at
Barbara expecting her to concur and elaborate. Lips pressed together, she shrugged
and surveyed the scenery.

“Is something wrong?” He threw
her a sideways look, in an effort to assess her mood.

“I’m just sleepy.” Her clipped
tone surprised him.

“Then try to sleep,” Monica
suggested. “I’ll do the same.”

“Good idea. Have a nap while your
babies are quiet,” Barbara ordered and closed her eyes.

Something was definitely wrong.
Had she been upset by Monica’s comment about real family? Why? He liked the
idea of surrounding himself with the people dearest to his heart and enjoying a
day without stress.

When he’d finish his coming
business trip and important interview, he’d try to organize his schedule differently
and dedicate some free time every month to go to Kentucky and immerse himself
into Barbara’s family atmosphere. Wasn’t it the reason he’d invited her to
Paris in the first place?

He threw a quick glance to his
right. Barbara wasn’t sleeping. Just staring straight ahead. “You didn’t nap?”

“No. I have too much on my mind.”
She turned her head toward the backseat and he checked his rearview mirror.
Monica’s head leaned on the side of one of the infant’s car seats. Mother and
babies were deep asleep.

“What’s bothering you?” he gently
probed. “Can I help?”

Her lips curled to one side. His
stretched in a pout.

“You can confide in your best
friend. Am I the one giving you a headache?”

She chuckled. “Not on purpose.”

“Let’s make a deal, darling.
Accept me as I am, please. My withered heart can’t change overnight and my wary
mind fears anything that threatens that weak organ.”

“Your heart weak? More like
rusty,” she blurted and they both laughed.

A wail alerted them that there
were more important priorities than their psychological evaluation of each
other. Soon the feeble cry turned into deafening shrieks echoing from both
sides of the car.

“The kids are hungry and my
breasts hurt. Dad, you’ve been driving for three hours. We absolutely need to
stop,” Monica’s sleepy voice ordered over her babies’ cries.

“Tell them to calm down. I’m
taking the first exit.”

Was he condemned to put up with baby
cries every time he went somewhere with Barbara? In Paris, he had to accept
Roxanne’s twins as chaperones and now his own grandsons.

“Okay, I’m stopping at this fast-food
joint. You can go down, Monica.”

“No, you go down, Dad. I’m
feeding my babies right here and I want privacy.” She’d already unbuttoned her
top.

“Okay, okay.” He huffed and climbed
out. “Let’s go inside. I can use a strong coffee,” Lou said as he stretched his
back.

“You go, Lou. I can’t leave her
alone while she breastfeeds.” Barbara stood guard her back to the windows and
surveyed the surroundings.

“The windows are tinted. You
can’t see inside.”

She shook her head. “Still, she
may need help when she’s done. You go and bring me a coffee when you’re done.”

Baby business wasn’t much different
from business at work.
A good employee must learn the company policy before he
gives a suggestion,
he always instructed his new hires. Why couldn’t he
follow his own regulations and learn baby business before he opened his stupid
mouth?

To think of it, planning to be
part of his grandsons’ lives had an advantage. He had a perfectly good reason
to often fly to Kentucky and visit Barbara. Would Barbara ever accept him as he
was?

The sixteen-hour drive turned
into a two-day trip, encompassing countless breaks every two to three hours on
the road, and a ten hour overnight at a motel.

“You see, it wasn’t that long,”
Barbara said when he finally pulled in the driveway of her imposing two-story
brick house.

 Lou remembered his company
policy and kept his tongue in his mouth.

“Honk, Lou. I see lights in the
house. My daughter and son-in-law must be here. They’ll come and help us.”
Relief and joy rang in her voice, and pinched his heart.

Granted she was pleased to be
home after the long trip, but didn’t she have fun with him? At least in Paris.
Hmm, they had another pair of twins to drag along over there. One day, he
promised himself, he’d take her on a real vacation—by herself— and he’d make
sure they both forget their phones.

Lights illuminated the driveway and
front of the house and a young couple came out of the door. “Mom, so glad
you’re finally home.” The young blonde woman threw her arms around Barbara’s
neck. “We all missed you so much. The boys can’t wait to see you.”

“Heather darling, I missed you
all. And you too, Jeff.”

Barbara hugged the tall man who
kissed her on the cheek. “So good to have you back, Mom.”

Lou stood next to Monica who’d
climbed out of the van and observed the reunion. It was her first experience of
a real family bonding. She leaned against him and he wrapped his arm around her
back. “I hope they accept us, Dad,” she whispered, once more expressing his own
worries.

“They will.”
I hope
. He
tightened his grip on her shoulders. “But you have your own family, honey, your
dad and your sons. We are a real family too.”

Barbara turned toward them. “Lou,
Monica, I want you to meet my daughter number three, Heather, and her husband,
Jeff. Their boys are home with the other grandparents.”

Heather came forward and hugged
Monica. “I can’t wait to see your babies.” She smiled at Lou. “Nice to meet
you, Mr. Roland.”

Following Barbara’s good example,
Lou hugged Heather and shook hands with Jeff. “I’ll take the luggage,” the
young man said.

“And I’ll take a baby,” Heather
added as she opened the door of the van, and unbuckled a crying baby. “You’re
so cute.”

Barbara freed the other twin and
carried him against her chest, and then she clasped Monica’s hand. “Come,
sweetie. Come and discover your new home.”

Chapter Thirteen

A moment later, Lou had the
pleasure of seeing the picture he’d imagined a hundred times—Barbara in her
warm cozy kitchen.

 “Can I get you a cup of coffee
or a drink?” she asked when the noise around them abated. Each carrying a
screaming baby, Heather had ushered Monica upstairs to help her settle. Jeff
kept going back and forth to the van to bring in the luggage.

“A Scotch would be great.”

“Help yourself. This is my bar.”
She motioned to the granite isle separating the kitchen from the family room.
“You’ll find
Johnnie Walker
,
Chivas Regal
,
J&B
. I’ll
have a glass of
Vermouth
. The glasses are in the glass-door cabinet.”

He fixed both drinks and handed
her the sweet wine.

“So how do you like my kitchen,
Lou?”

“I love it and I love seeing you
in it.” He raised his smart phone and clicked a picture.

“No fair. I’m a mess after the
long trip.” She chuckled and combed her hair with her fingers.

“You’re always lovely, my
darling. And I really like your kitchen.” His gaze surveyed her cozy haven of
maple-colored cabinets, huge extra-deep sink, elaborate faucets, and everywhere
the fancy gold and brown granite countertops. “Actually it’s more modern than I
assumed, with the middle isle and the bar.”

“I had it remodeled a year after
David passed. It was one of Roxanne’s crazy ideas to distract me when Dr. Madelyn
declared that I was becoming depressed. Heather and I spent months touring
stores to find exactly what would suit me. Anyway I was so busy with the mess
the workers created that I forgot to cry.”

An incredible peace settled in Lou’s
heart. Thanks to Roxanne he’d be able to enjoy Barbara’s haven without being
reminded that her late husband had dwelt there. “I always said Roxanne is my smartest
employee. Even when I feel like throwing her out of my office for her sharp
tongue.”

“Yes, I know the feeling.”
Barbara chuckled. “Actually your Monica has the same character.

“You think so? I’d be delighted
if Monica turns half as contented with her life as Roxanne.”

“Give her time. Eventually she
will change.”

“Under your influence, I’m sure
something good will come out.” He raised his glass again. “To your kitchen and our
beautiful hostess.” How he loved sharing a drink in her haven.

 “This is my desk with my laptop
on it, and above it a few shelves with cooking books. As you see, I practically
live here. If the weather is good I open this glass door that leads to the
patio.” She pushed a switch and lit the whole backyard.

“You also have a Jacuzzi on the
patio? Great idea.”

“The patio and hot tub were added
during the remodeling.”