Summer (3 page)

Before they finished for the day, a trio of dolphins swam past them and jumped out of the water in unison. The moment took Katy’s breath, and she and Dayne hovered at the surface, watching the threesome swim in playful circles, breaking the surface a number of times before they left the area.

Not until they were back on the beach eating lunch did Katy even remember the phone call and the commitment they’d made.

“You’re quiet again.” Dayne set his fork down and studied her.

“Thinking about the show.” She took a long breath. The air tasted faintly of seawater. “I can’t decide if we made the right decision.”

They talked again about the pros and cons, about giving the press what they wanted and avoiding the sort of situation that had led to Dayne’s car accident. And they talked about privacy and how they wouldn’t have any with a reality show following them around the set. They agreed that since the interest was limited to the filming of the movie, maybe it wasn’t a bad choice.

The conversation faded, and they stretched out on their beach chairs along a shady section of sand beneath a cluster of palm trees. Katy thought about what lay ahead. Other couples had broken up after being the subject of a reality show or dropped out before the full run of episodes in an effort to salvage what remained of their relationships.

By the time they sat down to prime rib that night, Katy had warmed a little more to the idea. It wasn’t as though they were committing to a twenty-six-week season, after all. And it would certainly give the press what they wanted without a chase. Which made the show a good choice all on its own. Anything to keep Dayne and her from always running.

Along the way they might even have the chance to share their faith, the beliefs that now drove both of them. God would use the next season in their lives, because while Katy and Dayne might be newly married, they weren’t like other Hollywood couples. They would grow closer through the experience. A reality show wouldn’t hurt their relationship; it would make them stronger.

Katy was sure.

Ashley Baxter Blake could hardly wait to start walking the track at Clear Creek High again.

She had been tired for a week after the trip to Mexico for Dayne and Katy’s wedding. Same as her sister Kari. Both were four months pregnant, and now that they’d been home for two weeks, they were ready to resume their afternoon walks at the track.

The routine today would be the same as it had been before the wedding. Ashley and Kari would meet in the school’s parking lot with their kids and strollers and a pair of small bicycles. Kari and Brooke had swapped girls earlier in the afternoon so Jessie could play with Hayley and Maddie and her little school friend could hang out with Cole. RJ and Devin—the younger boys—would most likely fall asleep in their strollers, and Ashley and Kari could get in an hour’s walk before calling it quits.

Kari’s husband, Ryan, was head coach on the school’s football team. Today he would be in the boys’ weight room, helping get the players ready for next fall. In the month leading up to the wedding, when Ashley and Kari walked the track, Ryan had occasionally stepped out for a quick hello.

Ashley arrived at the school first. She parked her van and at the same time noticed Kari’s car pulling into the lot.

From the backseat, Cole released a pensive sigh. “I’ve been thinking, Mom.” He leaned up and took hold of the back of her seat.

Ashley smiled. “Thinking’s a good thing.”

“If the new baby’s a boy, we’ll have more than half a basketball team. ’Cause you only need five for a team.”

“And if the baby’s a girl?”

“Well—” disappointment rang in Cole’s voice—“I guess we could let her play. But it wouldn’t be the same.”

Quiet laughter came from Ashley. Cole had just finished his first season on a youth basketball team, and her husband, Landon, had put a hoop up at the end of the driveway after they returned from Mexico. Cole spent an hour shooting baskets every day—regardless of the cool temperatures this spring.

Ashley reached behind her and placed her hand over Cole’s. “What if this new little sister doesn’t like basketball? What if she wants to dance or sing or be in Christian Kids Theater?”

Cole unsnapped his seat belt and slid along the backseat so he could see Ashley better. “Maybe she might do both.”

Before Ashley could respond, Kari pulled into the spot beside them.

“Aunt Kari!” Cole gave Ashley a look. “If me and Maddie race today, I might let her win. Otherwise she’ll get bored and stop riding with me.”

Ashley raised her eyebrow at him. “I wouldn’t tell her that.”

“I won’t.” Cole’s eyes sparkled, the way they did whenever he had a chance to tease his cousin. He jumped out of the van and headed for the open back door of Kari’s car.

Ashley laid her fingers on her abdomen. After just having a baby last year, she was already showing. But that was okay. Kari was showing too. The small bumps beneath their jackets only served to remind them that this was the rarest of chances. The two of them being pregnant at the same time, together going through morning sickness and doctor appointments and dreaming about names.

Brooke and Erin, their other two sisters, had both expressed a mock sense of jealousy.

“Imagine how much fun it’ll be once the babies are born,” Brooke had told Ashley a few nights ago. “You’ll do everything together.”

But the truth was, they all would. As much as Brooke’s schedule as a pediatrician would allow and as often as Erin might come home from Texas, the whole family would get together. These newest babies would be the same age, and for that reason they were bound to share a special bond. But all the Baxter cousins were close—even when the relationships between them involved a little competition.

Ashley waved hello to Kari, stepped out of her van, and opened the back door, where Devin was sleeping. Kari was helping her kids out, and Ashley noticed the other little girl, the school friend Maddie had brought. When the girls were out of the van, they faced Cole.

“This is Tatum Selby. She sits next to me in school.” Maddie put her arm around her friend. “And she’s the fastest bike rider in the third grade. Plus she’s good at gymnastics.”

Cole sized her up. “Really?”

“Yep.” Maddie stuck her chest out. “She’s so fast you won’t see her ride past you.”

“Let
her
tell me.” Cole looked at Tatum. “Are you fast?”

Tatum giggled and shrugged one shoulder. “I guess so.”

Ashley kept an eye on the conversation. Tatum was darling, shorter than Maddie with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

“‘I
guess
so’ means you’re not that fast.” Cole cocked his head, studying her.

“Actually . . . it’s true. I’m the fastest bike rider in my class.” Tatum flung her hair over her shoulder. She was missing a few teeth, and her smile never quite left her eyes. But when she talked about her bicycling skills, a mix of determination and compassion colored her expression. “Anyway, I’d rather sing.”

“There you go.” Ashley scooped Devin into her arms, shut both doors, and joined Kari and the children. “Tatum can sing and be athletic. So you’re right, Cole. Your sister can probably do more than one thing.”

Kari raised her eyebrows. “A sister? I thought your ultrasound was in two weeks.”

“It is.” Ashley laughed. She pulled Devin’s stroller from the back of her van. “We’re assuming here. Cole wants a basketball player, and I was saying maybe the baby will be a girl.”

Cole crossed his arms and made a face. He met Tatum’s eyes. “A boy would be better.”

“Not always.” Tatum didn’t blink. “Girls can do everything boys can do.”

“Yes.” Kari had her stroller out now too. “Our friend Tatum is living proof that you can’t put little girls into a box. She’s trying out for the next CKT show.”

They opened their strollers and began moving toward the track. The whole time, Maddie chattered on about how Tatum was going to Hawaii for spring break and had been to Bulgaria five times and had a poodle named Princess.

Every now and then Cole looked over his shoulder and shot Ashley a look that said he wasn’t interested in the girl talk and couldn’t understand why Maddie felt compelled to keep reciting details about her friend. Even so, he kept his steps even with Tatum’s.

When they reached the track, Tatum turned to Cole. “Do you have Jesus in your heart?”

Cole looked taken aback. “Yeah. For a long time.”

She grinned, and her missing teeth became more apparent. “Then I guess the bike race doesn’t really matter.” She patted his shoulder. “Right?”

Cole’s cheeks grew red. If Ashley didn’t know better, she would’ve thought maybe Cole was enamored with this little girl, a girl who could play sports and dance and find the compassion to talk about Jesus.

He opened his mouth, and for a few seconds nothing came out. Then he quickly looked away and hurried to his bike. “Enough talking.”

The three of them climbed onto their bicycles and peddled off, with Cole shouting something about a few warm-up laps.

Ashley watched them go. “Interesting.” She zipped up her jacket and fell into step beside Kari. “Almost looked like my little boy had a crush for a minute there.”

“Apparently lots of little boys have crushes on Tatum.” Kari looked thinner than usual and pale. Pregnancy was always hard on her. She smiled. “Brooke told me that Tatum and Maddie sort of lead the pack when the boys start chasing the girls at recess.”

“Makes me feel old.” Ashley found a steady pace and kept her eyes on Cole and the girls. “Like I better not blink or he’ll be calling to tell me he’s getting married.”

Kari laughed. “I think we have a few years.”

“Still . . . they grow up too fast.”

“They do.” Kari’s laughter faded.

They let the conversation drop for a few minutes. The air was crisp, the sky above them bright blue with only a few puffy white clouds on the horizon. Already the sun was making its way down, casting shadows over the track.

Their pace wasn’t as fast as it had been before the trip to Mexico, but it felt good. Ashley sucked in a deep breath. She liked the way the cold air filled her lungs. Back when she was pregnant with Cole and later with Devin, she had wondered about the women who said they never felt better than when they were carrying babies. But this pregnancy was different. She was at peace with God and her family, energetic and strong and healthier than ever.

So maybe this would be the little girl she and Landon had rarely talked about, the one that would complete their family. She was even carrying the baby differently, lower than before. She drew another long breath and glanced at her sister. “You feeling okay?”

Kari kept walking, but she pressed one hand to the small of her back. “I’m fine. Just tired. I’m not sleeping great.”

Concern rippled the calm waters in Ashley’s heart. “Just the baby . . . ?”

“I think so.” Kari made a face. “This one seems to be permanently lodged on my bladder.”

Ashley didn’t want to pry, but she had to ask. “You and Ryan—everything’s okay with the two of you?”

“Definitely.” Her eyes softened, and her smile crept up her face. “I love him more now than ever before. He’s busy—coaching football and working on his side business, helping former pro athletes find life after sports. But his first concern is always me. Whether I need help with Jessie and RJ or if I just need an hour nap.” She peeked around the stroller and checked Ryan Junior. Then she looked at Ashley again. “I don’t know what I’d do without that man.”

Ashley sensed it again, the wonderful feeling that all was right with the world. She felt fantastic, the afternoon air was invigorating, and she and her sister were married to a couple of good guys, men who took their roles seriously, who made life one incredible love story.

All that, and they were about to have babies at the same time. Ashley looked up, beyond the distant trees to the sky.
Thank You, God, for this season in life. You led Kari and me through the storms, and now You’ve blessed us with lives that seem too good to be true. Thank You, God. . . .

Daughter, in all things I work for the good of those who love Me.

The verse filled her head sure and clear, and it made Ashley hesitate before moving her feet again. She’d read it before, of course. But mainly in times of trial. So why here, now, in the midst of the happiest time in her life, would that verse be the first to fill her mind?

Cole and the two girls whizzed past on their bikes, with Cole in the lead.

Maddie was shouting after him, “We’re still warming up! This isn’t the race, Cole!”

Ashley watched them, and a chill passed over her arms. Was God trying to tell her something? Was another trial waiting around the bend, or was the verse merely affirmation that after everything she and her sister had been through, this, finally, was the good God had worked out for them?

“What are you thinking?” Kari’s voice was quiet, thoughtful. These walks did that to both of them—made them think about life, all that had passed and all that lay ahead.

Ashley found her pace. “The future, I guess.”

“Me too.” Kari ran her hand over her middle. “I can’t wait to go through the next years together. What a dream.”

Again Ashley was quiet for a moment. “You ever wonder . . . whether we’ve ridden out the worst trials or whether there are more ahead?”

“Sometimes.” Kari kept her focus on the distant track. “The other day Jessie asked me about her first daddy, whether she would know him when we all got to heaven.”

“Hmmm.” Ashley kept her eyes on the kids, now halfway around the black oval. “You don’t talk about Tim much. Does Jessie know the details?”

“Not everything. Just that before he died, he loved Jesus very much.” Kari straightened her shoulders. “I told her yes, I thought she’d recognize him in heaven. That’s when she asked me the question I’ve been dreading. ‘How did Daddy die?’”

Ashley made a face. Innocence and security marked the lives of their children. Kari and Ryan had hoped to avoid talking about the specifics of Tim’s death as long as possible. “What did you tell her?”

“I said a mean and sick man hurt him. That’s how he died.”

“And that was enough?”

The kids passed by again, their legs flying as they pushed the pedals.

Kari sighed. “For now. Someday she’ll want the details, and I’ll have to tell her. Tim’s affair, the college kid who had a thing for Tim’s girlfriend, and the fact that Tim was gunned down outside the girl’s apartment. All of it.” She blew at a wisp of her hair and gave Ashley a sad smile. “Yeah, I’d like to think the hardest trials we’ll face are behind us.”

“Me too.” Ashley noticed the three kids stopping ahead of them.

“This is it.” Maddie climbed off her bike and held her hand out in front of Cole and Tatum. “One time around. First one back to this spot wins.”

“Sometimes I think Brooke should’ve named her Lucy.” Kari chuckled.

“True.” Ashley felt the nerve-racking thoughts from earlier lift. “But only if I would’ve named Cole Charlie Brown.”

“Ready, set . . .” Maddie put her hands on her hips. “You’re cheating, Cole. Back up.”

Cole mumbled something they couldn’t hear, even though they were drawing closer to the kids. He backed his bike up a few inches. “There. Is that better?”