Emma's Secret (29 page)

“Do you want me to get that?” Peter asked.

Megan shook her head. “I’ve got it.”

The doorbell rang again just as Megan grabbed the doorknob.

Jack stood on the other side, wearing his Sunday best, from what she could tell. He held a box, and from the way he shuffled it in his hands, he looked a bit nervous.

“Jack.” Megan opened the screen door. Butterflies took off in a dizzying pattern in her stomach as she worked on keeping her smile in place.

Jack’s fingers whitened as he tightened his grip on the box.

“Thanks for inviting me.” He cleared his throat before his focus dropped to the box.

There was an awkward moment of silence. “Are Kenny and Doug okay being home alone today?”

Jack shrugged. “I dropped the boys off at the retirement home. There’s a game of bingo playing, and Kenny wanted one last chance at winning the pot.”

Last month, Doug and Kenny had moved in with Jack. Peter had mentioned to Megan one night that the only reason he’d held out for so long was due to their morning coffee dates. It didn’t take a genius to figure out Jack felt he needed an excuse to continue seeing Emma, and he thought that was the only way—to be at the donut shop every morning. After a little bit of coaxing on Peter’s part, Jack had invited his friends to move in.

She was about to look inside the open box, to see what was so important to him, but there was a look on his face that stopped her. “Is Kenny getting worse?”

Jack shrugged. “Not sure he’ll make it to Christmas.” She caught the bright sheen of tears in his eyes and knew it was time to change the subject.

“Jack.” She needed to say this before anyone else came out, especially Emma. “I’m glad you could accept our invitation. This is Em’s first Thanksgiving since she’s come back, and it was important to her…” That didn’t quite come out the way she wanted.

It had been a hard battle for Megan ever since that day when Emma had run away to the donut shop. The last thing she wanted to do was accept Jack as part of Emma’s life. She’d been livid with Peter, and it had taken many counseling sessions before her anger had subsided.

Emma needed Jack in her life. He helped stabilize her, and his presence in her life created a sense of security. He was her grounding. As much as Megan hated it, she had to accept it. It would have been better if Peter hadn’t gone over her head and allowed the relationship to grow, but in order to keep a solid front with the girls and to rebuild their marriage, Megan swallowed her pride and put her daughters’ interests ahead of her own.

Emma and Peter continued their dates with Jack, and Megan tagged along a few times, until, at the urging of their counselor, they
invited Jack to join the family for activities outside the donut shop. It started with trips to the beach and out for ice cream; then Peter invited Jack over to watch a football game; eventually, he began to come for Sunday dinners.

Whether she wanted it or not, Jack was now a part of their lives. And to be honest, he was growing on her. She kept her distance at first, not really interacting with him much other than the polite basics. But it was as if Emma knew her hesitation, and she did everything she could to bring them closer.

Jack shook his head. “Megan, I know inviting me wasn’t your idea, but…” His voice choked up, and he didn’t meet her gaze.

Megan reached out her arm. “No, it was. My suggestion.”

Jack’s head lifted, and she saw the surprise in his eyes. He held the box out for her.

“I, um, well, I was going through the house, and I found a few things. There’s wool—not sure if anyone knits, but there’s plenty in here for hats and scarves and whatnot. Plus, there’s…”

Megan looked inside. Amid the colorful balls of wool was a book. It almost looked like a notepad or a journal. She reached for it but didn’t open it.

“There’s nothing I can say to explain what happened to my girl, to Dottie. I wish I could. I’ve wanted to give you a reason or something to help answer questions I know you have.”

“It’s okay.”

Jack’s eyes gleamed. “No. It’s not. But I found Dottie’s journal. She was meticulous about writing in that thing daily. For years. There’s a bookshelf full of her diaries. But this one…she didn’t write in it as much. It starts when Em…when she brought Em to our house, and it ends just before…” He cleared his throat a few times.

Megan held the journal close. “You’re saying it’s all in here? Everything from those two years?” She couldn’t believe it.

Jack placed the box down on the ground. “Her mind was already going, so she didn’t write every day, but…I wanted…I thought it might help you get to know my Dottie…and why she thought Em was our granddaughter.”

Megan’s heart swelled as she read the honesty in Jack’s gaze.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. The sound of a chair being pushed back on the tiled floor and bare feet running toward them forced her to be calm. “Thank you.” She smiled as she held the journal close to her chest.

“Papa!” Emma launched herself into Jack’s outstretched arms. “You’re here!”

Megan watched the barrage of emotions sweep across Jack’s face as he held her daughter tight in his arms. If anyone had asked her a few months ago whether she would have welcomed this man into her home like this, she would have laughed. Never in a million years. It had taken a lot of soul-searching before she realized this man wasn’t the enemy.

“You’re part of our family now.” Megan placed her hand on Jack’s arm and smiled. Peter met them in the foyer and shook Jack’s hand in greeting before walking him into the family room where the football game was playing.

Megan sank down on the steps and opened the journal in her hands. There was a bookmark at the back, and it was where she went to first. She was curious as to why this spot in the book was marked. What she read would forever change her.

Dear Jack…

I
wrote this book specifically for those who fell in love with Emma’s story in
Finding Emma
. Without your input, without your e-mails and your comments, I would have never created
Emma’s Secret
. I hope you will fall in love with this story and feel drawn even closer to the characters, and that after you read the final page, you’ll be able to put this book down with a sigh of satisfaction.

To my husband and family for encouraging me to write a story from my heart and for all your ideas on how to create a family worthy of this story. And to my girls of awesomeness, for standing by me, for believing in me when I didn’t, and for just being awesome! This is just the beginning…

A special thank-you once again to Sherri Gall. Thank you for listening to me ramble, for reading and responding to my frantic text messages when I’m trying to figure out a plot point, and for all your ideas and suggestions on how to create a secret that only Emma could have.

To Jean Brewer and the Dachshund Group—there’s a special spot in this story just for you. To Wendy Keel, Amy Schaubel, Lyn Campbell, and Alyssa Palmer—thank you for your keen eye, your suggestions, and your belief in me as a writer.

And, finally, to Carmen Johnson, my amazing editor who fell in love with Emma’s story and also believed in me as a writer. One day, I’d love to share some chocolate with you and celebrate our success!

S
teena Holmes is the author of two previous novels,
Chocolate Reality
and
Finding Emma
. Holmes enjoys writing stories that other mothers of young children can relate to. She currently lives in Calgary with her husband and three daughters.