Treading Water (24 page)

“
Where will everyone
sleep?” Maggie asked.

Thank God for
Maggie
, Jack thought. “Since Frannie is
moving in with Jamie, I was thinking we’d give Eric her old room.
We could have some fun fixing it up for him. Andi will stay with me
in my room.”

Jill looked up at him. “In Mom’s room? But
all her things are there—”

“
And we’d have to deal with
that eventually, even if they weren’t moving in. I was thinking we
could box up Mom’s stuff and keep it in the attic. That way if any
of you ever want anything of hers, it’ll be there for you. What do
you think?”

With her head still resting on his shoulder,
Kate nodded.

“
Okay,” Maggie agreed with
a sad expression on her face.

“
Jill?”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “Does it really
matter what we think? They’re moving in with us whether we like it
or not. That’s what you’re telling us, right? You’re already
sleeping with her in the guest room, but we’re not supposed to know
that. We’re not stupid.”

“
Watch yourself, Jill.” It
took everything he had to stay cool. “I’m hoping you can find it in
your hearts to welcome Andi and Eric into our family and to help me
find some happiness after all we’ve been through.”

“
We want you to be happy,
Dad,” Kate said with a pointed look at her sister. “We can give it
a try.”

“
When are they coming?”
Maggie asked with excitement.

He smiled at her as he paid the bill. “They
have to pack up their house, and Andi has some things to settle at
work, so it’ll be a month or two. You know the hotel we’re building
in Newport?”

Kate and Maggie nodded while Jill continued
to sulk.

“
Her company asked her to
manage it when it opens.”

“
That’s cool,” Kate
said.

The girls were quiet on the way home. When
they pulled into the driveway, he stopped them before they got out
of the car. “I love the three of you so much, and nothing will ever
change that. I promise.”

Jill got out of the car and went into the
house.

Kate and Maggie nodded and followed their
sister.

Watching them go, Jack prayed he was doing
the right thing for all of them, but Jill’s emotional outburst had
him questioning everything.

Andi had left a note to say she’d walked to
the park with Eric.

Jack looked in on each of the girls as they
finished packing for their trip. They were excited to be going with
their grandmother and Clare’s family on the cruise. Jack carried
bags downstairs for Kate and Maggie before he went back up to check
on Jill. He found her lying on her bed with her packed suitcase
sitting by the door.

He was glad that she had straightened up her
room, which was usually a disaster area. One whole wall was covered
with pictures of her with her friends. As his time with her at home
dwindled, he hated the idea of tension between them. “Honey?”

He sat on her bed and caressed her hair.
She’d been like a grown woman last night, but today she was once
again his little girl, and she was hurting.

“
I’m sorry you’re upset. I
hope you’ll think about it while you’re away and maybe decide to
give it a chance.”

She turned away from him.

Resigned to her silence, he got up and took
her suitcase downstairs.

When Clare’s mother arrived, Jack pulled on
a coat and went out to meet her.

Anna Richardson was an older version of
Clare—petite with short gray hair and bright blue eyes. She greeted
him with a warm hug.

“
How are you, Anna?” He
hadn’t seen her in a while, but the girls saw her whenever she came
from Hartford to visit Clare.

“
I’m doing well. How about
you?”

“
Tired today. Big day
yesterday with Frannie and Jamie’s wedding.” They’d invited her to
come, but she’d chosen to spend some time with Clare before the
trip.

“
Everything went
well?”

“
It was amazing. The girls
looked gorgeous. I’ll make sure you get pictures.”

“
I’d love to see
them.”

“
You’ve been to
Clare’s?”

“
I stayed there last
night.” She shook her head ruefully. “It’s so hard. Nothing ever
changes.”

“
I know what you mean.” He
kicked at the gravel driveway. “Listen, Anna…”

“
What is it?”

“
I’ve, um…I’ve been seeing
someone.”

“
I wondered if you would
eventually.”

Surprised to hear that, he had no idea what
to say.

“
It’s been a year and a
half, Jack. You can’t be alone forever.”

“
I told the girls this
morning that Andi and her son, Eric, will be moving from Chicago
next month to live with us.” He released a choppy laugh. “It’s
almost harder to tell you.”

“
I can see that you’re
happy,” she said, her smile tinged with sadness. “I’m glad for you.
I really am.”

“
I want you to know I’ll
never stop taking care of Clare, and I have no intention of
divorcing her.”

“
I know that, Jack. You
don’t have to say it. How’d the girls take the news?”

“
Kate and Maggie were
pretty good about it, but Jill…” He shook his head and
shrugged.

“
I’ll talk to her while
we’re gone and see what I can do. She’ll come around, don’t
worry.”

Despite her reassurances, he had his doubts
as Andi and Eric came into the yard, their cheeks red from playing
in the cold air.

He gestured them over. “Andi, this is
Clare’s mother, Anna Richardson.”

The women shook hands.

“
Pleased to meet you, Mrs.
Richardson.”

“
Likewise. And this must be
Eric.”

Andi used sign language to introduce him to
the girls’ grandmother. He waved before he scampered off, probably
to find Maggie before she left.

“
I’d better go see where
he’s headed,” Andi said. “It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope you
have a wonderful time on your trip.”

“
Thank you.” After Andi
went inside, Anna turned back to Jack. “She’s lovely.”

“
I hope you understand it
just happened—”

Anna rested her hand on his
arm. “Clare loved you so much. You were her whole world, and you
were always so good to her—before
and
after the accident. I have no
doubt she’d want you to be happy.”

“
Thank you,” he said, his
voice gruff with emotion as he hugged her. “The girls are ready to
go.” With an arm around her shoulders, he walked her inside to
collect the kids.

They left a few minutes later in a flurry of
hugs, chaos, and promises to send postcards.

Jill hugged Jack before she left, but she
didn’t say anything.

Jack, Andi, and Eric waved good-bye from the
front porch. Back inside, Andi held out her arms to Jack as Eric
wandered off to play with the trucks he’d gotten for Christmas.

“
How was it? I was on pins
and needles at the park.”

“
Not too bad,” he said,
absorbing the comfort of her embrace. “Kate and Maggie were great,
and Anna really surprised me. She was very
understanding.”

“
And Jill?”

“
She was upset, but not
about you. She’s still dealing with losing her mother, and it’s
hard for her to face more change. I hope you won’t take it
personally.”

“
I expected Jill and maybe
Kate might be upset about it. I had a feeling Maggie would be happy
to have Eric here, and if I’m part of the deal, she’ll put up with
me.”

“
Can we tell Eric later?
I’m totally drained.”

She hugged him. “Of course we can. Let’s go
watch a movie and be lazy.”

“
Sign me up.”

Jack awoke to the blare of the TV with Andi
and Eric asleep next to him on the sofa. He moved slowly, trying
not to disturb them as he retrieved the arm that’d gone numb under
them.

Andi stirred, and when she saw the pickle he
was in, she lifted her head to let him up. She giggled when he
shook his arm, grimacing as the blood flowed into the limb.

He stretched and yawned. “That was, without
a doubt, the best nap I’ve ever had.”

“
This one will be up all
night,” she said, running a finger around on Eric’s
cheek.

His eyes fluttered open, and he swatted at
his mother’s hand. He pushed her away when she continued to nudge
him awake.

“
Uh-oh, he’s
grumpy.”

Jack sat on the sofa and tickled Eric’s
feet.

Eric’s eyes flew open again, but this time
he smiled when he saw who was tickling him.

“
That’s so not fair!” Andi
said, laughing. “You’re becoming his favorite!”

Jack shrugged, but he was thrilled by his
burgeoning relationship with the little boy.

Eric sat up, stretched, and rubbed his
eyes.

“
Feel better after a
snooze?” Andi signed.

He nodded and moved closer to Jack, who put
an arm around him.

Andi looked at Jack, and he nodded.

“
Honey, Jack and I have
something we want to tell you.”

“
Are you getting
married?”

“
No, sweetie, but Jack has
asked us to come here to live with him and the girls.”

Eric’s eyes brightened. “Really?” He turned
to look at Jack. “Would you be my dad, then?”

Jack’s heart skipped a beat. “Would you like
that?”

Eric nodded.

Andi blinked back tears.

“
I’d love to be your dad,”
Jack signed and then pulled Eric into his arms. He reached out to
include Andi and held them close, filled with contentment as the
sun set and darkness fell upon the room.

After dinner, the three of them played two
rounds of Candy Land. Eric won both times, giggling at Jack’s agony
when he got stuck in the Molasses Swamp for the third time.

Andi signed to Eric that it was bedtime.

Jack stopped her when she started to get up.
“Let me.” He picked Eric up and slung him over his shoulder. Jack
held the squirming boy so he could give his mother an upside-down
kiss.

Andi watched them go upstairs, thrilled that
Eric had such a wonderful man in his life. She was giddy with
happiness as she went into the study to put away the game.

On the way back, she paused to look at the
family portrait hanging in the hallway off the kitchen. Judging by
the ages of the girls, she figured it had been taken about a year
before Clare’s accident. They were casually dressed, and Jack’s arm
was around Clare. He and the girls were missing the hint of sadness
in their eyes that Andi still caught occasional glimpses of in each
of them.

Although she’d seen many photos of Clare,
for some reason she felt drawn in this time. She shuddered at the
chill that went through her when Clare’s startling blue eyes seemed
to issue a challenge. Andi shook it off, straightened the photo on
the wall, and went to finish cleaning up the kitchen.

Upstairs, Jack wrestled Eric into his
pajamas, helped him brush his teeth, and tucked him into bed with
the stuffed dog he slept with. He pulled the covers up, tickling
him as he went.

Eric giggled and crooked his finger to bring
Jack closer.

He lowered his face.

Eric kissed his cheek and signed, “I love
you.”

Overwhelmed, Jack kissed Eric and signed, “I
love you, too, buddy. Good night.” Flipping the light off, he blew
a kiss from the doorway and went downstairs.

He slid his arms around Andi from behind.
“Your son is awesome.”

She had been wiping the countertop and
loading the dishwasher. Turning to him, she put her hands on his
shoulders. “What happened?”

“
He told me he loves
me.”

“
Oh, Jack, of course he
does. You’re so good to him.”

“
He knocked the wind out of
me when he asked if I’d be his dad. I’ll never forget that. I can’t
wait to get you both here for good.”

She went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “Me,
too.”

He wrapped his arms tight around her as he
kissed her. When they came up for air, he hoisted her over his
shoulder—just as he had done to Eric—and carried her upstairs.

They fell onto the guest bed laughing. He
kissed her without breaking the intense eye contact between them.
“I love you, Andi,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”

“
I love you, too. Happy New
Year.”

Andi and Eric flew back to Chicago for the
last time before their move. Now it was her turn to tell the people
in her life about their plans, but as worried as she was about how
her mother would react, she was relieved their children now knew.
She and Jack had taken Eric to tour the Rhode Island School for the
Deaf. He’d met the woman who would be his teacher, and she’d signed
that she couldn’t wait to have him in her class. The director also
put Andi in touch with a carpool from Newport.

Andi decided to tell her mother about the
move the next evening and asked Eric not to mention it to his
grandmother before she could. He was sad when Andi told him his
grandmother probably wouldn’t move with them, but he promised he
wouldn’t tell her.

After breaking the news to her coworkers
during an emotional day at work, Andi tucked Eric into bed and
worked up the courage for what she needed to do next. She found her
mother in her room watching one of her favorite TV shows.