Oceans Apart (41 page)

Michele could do nothing but be honest. “For a short time, yes.” That seemed to be all the information they needed. Whatever had gone on with Max’s mother and their father, the details didn’t matter. Their daddy had always been there for them, would always be there. If it meant Max was their brother now, then all the better.

“Will he come live with us?” Elizabeth’s eyes danced with the beginning of a smile. “I think he should, Mom. If he’s our brother and Dad’s his daddy.”

There it was; the simple childlike love that had open arms no matter the situation.

“I want him to. But you both need to pray, okay?” 317

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They agreed to pray, and that was that. Discussion closed. The details she and Connor had fretted about prior to Max’s visit were laid out and accepted in as much time as they might’ve decided what to eat for dinner that night.

The memory of that morning dissolved, and Michele kept flipping pages in the yellow photo album, stopping at certain key shots. Near the back of the book she saw one of Max and Kiahna holding hands at the beach next to Buddy. The photo was taken on a day that must’ve been not long before her death. Max’s hair was windblown, his cheeks tanned from a day in the sun. Kiahna wore a tank top and shorts, and a smile that told the world how she felt about the little boy beside her.

Max had been Kiahna’s whole world. She’d made one mistake and paid for it all her life, growing closer to God, teaching Max about the ways of faith, and spending as many hours in the air as it took to take care of her precious son.

Michele shifted her gaze to Max’s image and the look in his eyes.

It showed a tender mix of confidence and faith, a trusting that his happy world would keep on that way forever. Beside him, even Buddy looked content with life. Max’s love for his dog was clear. He had his hand on the dog’s collar, and the dog was leaning into him.

Michele studied the boy, surrounded by all he loved most.

Then in one awful morning everything changed.

Michele could have hidden herself in a hole for the way she’d treated Max while he was with them. If only she’d known this part of the story before . . . Michele swallowed back a wave of emotion.

This wasn’t the time. She had too much work to do.

“Okay, I need your help, Ramey.” Michele closed the photo album and locked eyes with Ramey. “Tell me about the couple, the one that wants to adopt Max.”

“They were nice enough.” Ramey made a grunting sound and brushed her hand in the air. “But the lady’s allergic to dogs.” 318

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“No Buddy?” God’s ways grew another degree clearer.

Ramey shook her head. “The man said dogs were out of the question.” Ramey was breathing hard. She waited until she had control again. “I thought what with Max running out of the room, that they’d change their mind. Maybe agree to keep Buddy outside or something.”

“They didn’t?”

“No. They thought Max would get over it, adapt or something.” Michele looked at the clock on the wall. According to Ramey, Max would be home in a matter of minutes. “Ramey, I need a favor.”

“Whatever I can do.” She coughed twice, and her face stayed red.

“I need you to call Mr. Ogle and ask if we can do something drastic.”

The older woman seemed to hold her breath. “Drastic?

“Yes. I need him to stop the adoption.”

<

Max walked home from the bus stop with Jerry from the apartments ’cross the street. Ramey was more tired now, so she couldn’t come get him like she used to, but that was okay, even on hot days like this one. As long as he could go back to her and Buddy he would walk a hundred miles.

He slid his feet along the ground and stared at the sidewalk as he went, because he didn’t feel much like looking up.

Any day, Ramey had told him. Any day Mr. Ogle could work out the details and he would be packed up and sent to live with the Mollers. He told Ramey it wasn’t fair. But it didn’t matter what he thought.

Yesterday night Mr. Ogle even came over and said a ’pology about the Mollers not wanting Buddy.

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“They liked you a lot, Max. I’ve talked to their friends and people in their family. I believe you’ll learn to love them.” Max didn’t think so. And if they wouldn’t take Buddy, Max was sure he wouldn’t love them. He’d be too busy missing everyone else. Mommy and Buddy and Ramey. And the Evans family.

Thinking things made the walk go faster. His feet came up to Ramey’s door lickety fast this time. He lifted his hand to knock, when he saw a strange sight. The door was open the smallest size, the size of his little finger.

Max shrugged. Maybe Ramey left it open for him so she wouldn’t have to get out of her chair. Getting out of her chair was harder for her every day, and sometimes that put a new spot of worry in his heart next to all the other spots of worry.

He pushed open the door very quiet, and he was going to call out her name when he heard some voices. A scared feeling grabbed him by the neck and made his arms start to shake. Was it the Mollers? Had they already come to take him away?

With silent steps he walked into the hall and saw Buddy. “Shhh.” Max gave Buddy a serious look. The dog walked up to him, licked his fingers, and lay down on the floor near his feet. That was when Max could finally hear what the people inside were saying.

“Well, I made the call.” The person was Ramey, because her breathing was hard and plus it was her voice.

“So . . . what did he say?”

Max froze in place. Even his heartbeep didn’t want to work for a breath or two. Because that voice sounded familiar, that’s why.

He almost thought it was the voice of Mrs. Evans, except that wasn’t even possible since Mrs. Evans lived in Florida.

“He called the Mollers while I was still on the phone.” Ramey chuckled some. “They weren’t very happy at first, but then the truth came out. They didn’t really want a boy at first, anyway. They wanted a girl. An older girl.”

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The woman who sounded like Mrs. Evans made a long breathy sound. “Oh, thank God, Ramey! That’s what God was telling me all day yesterday. I knew I had to fly out here and see for myself if Max was supposed to be with them.” She stopped and a cracking sound came in her voice. “Or if he was supposed to be with us.” Max felt his heart beeping just fine now. Very fast and very fine.

Because now he was sure as could be that the woman in the next room really was Mrs. Evans! She had to be. His feet couldn’t stand there another minute. He dropped his backpack and raced speedy fast around the corner and yes. There she was.

“Max!” Mrs. Evans turned and saw him.

“I . . . I heard what you said.” His words were short and breathy because he couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Is that what you want, Max?” She sank down to the floor and sat on the backside of her shoes. “Do you want to live with us?”

“Yes. I want that with all my heart. Buddy wants it, too.” Mrs. Evans held out her hands and said only, “C’mere, Max.” Tears filled up his eyes, but he didn’t care. He ran to her and gave her the tightest, bestest hug in the world. When he pulled back he rubbed at his eyes so he could see better. “You mean it?

You want me to be part of your family?” Long rivers of wet came from Mrs. Evans’s eyes, but she smiled anyway. “Yes, Max. We want that forever and ever.” Max thought for a moment, and he remembered something.

The rock for Ramey! “Be right back.”

He ran into the room where he was staying and dug beneath his pile of clothes. There it was, shiny black with four snowy white stripes.

His fingers slid around it and he ran it back to Ramey. “Here.” He opened his hand. “So you don’t forget me.” Now wet was in Ramey’s eyes, too. She took the rock and hugged him so hard her big arms made his breathing hard. When she let 321

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go, she rubbed his head and said, “I could never forget you, Max.

Not as long as I live.”

“Know what, Ramey?” Max pointed to the rock. “Only God can make rocks like that.”

Ramey smiled a special smile, the one she used only for him.

“You’re right about that, Max.”

“So . . .” Max felt his eyebrows raise up. “I’m really gonna live with the Evans family?”

“Yes.” Ramey smiled and two tears fell from her eyes. “You got your miracle after all.”

Mrs. Evans reached out and took hold of his hand. “Let’s get your things, okay?”

And just then, Max could almost see his mommy smiling at him from heaven, because she was right, after all. God really did give second chances, because right then he knew he would never scoot along the ground again.

Forever more, just like his mommy, he would fly.

<

All the extra emotion wasn’t really good for her, but Ramey didn’t care.

She wiped at her cheeks as she took in the scene, Max tucked safe in the arms of Mrs. Evans, a perfect picture of the one thing Kiahna believed most in.

Love happens when people forgive.

So what if her heart hurt a little. Love did that to a person every now and then, didn’t it? Besides, she was too busy thanking God for sticking around that afternoon, thanking Him for doing the very thing she’d asked of Him. No, the thing she’d demanded, really.

He’d given them a forgiveness miracle.

And even if she lived only another week or two, she would go to heaven a happy woman. Because God had indeed given her a front-row seat to watch it happen.

322

THIRTY-FOUR

Connor pulled into the driveway at four o’clock Sunday afternoon and made a mental note to himself.

No more long trips.

Even with the strain he still felt around the house, he hated being away from home more than a night or two. Besides, if he was going to work things out with Michele—and he was determined to do so—he needed to spend as much time with her as possible.

He pressed the garage door opener and eased his truck into the space beside Michele’s minivan. His body was more weary than usual, tired in a way that couldn’t be explained by the long series of flights these past four days. He knew what it was, of course.

It was Max.

He missed the boy so much it was a physical pain, an ache that made him wonder if maybe people could notice a limp in his gait.

The scene at the lake when he taught Max how to fish, the one on the big rock when the butterfly landed on Max’s pole, the time in the recliner when Max had fallen asleep against his chest . . .

The good-bye at the airport.

All of it played over in his mind a hundred times a day, and no amount of prayer had done anything to dim the pictures. Time would have to handle that task. Or maybe he was doomed to relive the memory of the boy the rest of his days. Punishment for his mistakes, his unbelievably bad mistakes.

He parked the truck, turned off the engine, and climbed out. His bag was in the back, but he could get it later. Right now he needed to see Michele and the girls, needed to know that God had left him with at least the family he’d betrayed. He loved them more than 323

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ever before, loved Michele for sticking with him. Her support was more than he deserved.

The garage was cluttered, a job he could tackle in the morning.

No doubt the grass needed mowing in the backyard, and tomorrow would be the time to do it. He had two days off before he had to fly again. As he stepped between the cars, another familiar thought came to mind.

How was Max doing? Had he already gone home with the Hawaiian couple, and was he getting to know them? Did he think much of his time in Florida, or the way he’d wanted Connor to be his pretend daddy? Or was he mad at them, smothered in feelings of betrayal and abandonment by everyone who had made an impact on his life?

Connor sighed and it sounded like it came from the heels of his uniform shoes. Thoughts about Max would have to wait. Right now he needed to see his family, needed to feel their arms around him, the reassurance of their love for him even after all he’d put them through.

He heard something coming from the backyard, voices of the girls and maybe even Michele. Normally he would go through the house, but he’d been gone so long this time. Why not go straight into the backyard and surprise them?

The door stuck some, another project to add to the list. But on the second try he pulled it open and stepped down a single stair onto the grass below. The chimney stood like a barrier on his left, blocking out the view of the yard. He was about to move around it and catch the girls off guard when from around the corner something charged him.

Before Connor could react, a yellow Labrador retriever bounced up and licked his hand. Connor stared at the dog, his brow furrowed.

What in the world? Had the girls found a stray? That had to be it, 324

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but the dog looked familiar, somehow. Maybe he belonged to a neighbor or someone they knew, a house they’d visited sometime.

Then it came to him. He looked exactly like Max’s dog, Buddy.

Max’s best friend. The one in the picture, the one his son had missed so much while he was visiting. Connor leaned against the chimney wall for support and ordered his mind to focus.