Page 56 of The Bachelor's Dilemma

“Maybe not. My parents still enjoy being married to each other after thirty years. I had a wonderful home life and consider I have a good living now. And Zack makes me so happy.”

She looked at him.

“As a child, I missed out. No family ties. Not even long-term foster care. I lived in four homes from age four until I turned eighteen. Then I was on my own.”

“I thought you said you were still in touch with one family.”

“As in we exchange Christmas cards. They’ve invited me to visit. But I’ve never gone. They were great, but they aren’t kin.”

“You know what they say—you can choose your friends, but you’re stuck with your family. Not being kin isn’t so bad. There’re lots of families and extended families where people aren’t related by blood but who share their lives. Look at Edith. She’s like a devoted aunt to me and Zack. And my parents have friends whom I still see even though we’re a generation apart.”

Myles was silent for a moment. Now would be the time for her to mention she’d adopted Zack and adored him. When she said nothing else, he asked,

“Do you consider blood ties important?”

“Of course. I’m only saying there’re other ways to create a family. Look at all the kids who get adopted. Don’t you think they’re considered part of that family? Or the adopt-a-grandparent project—older people who don’t have family and younger ones who need the influence and love older people can give. Some close friends are like family. My aunt Marge and Uncle George aren’t blood relatives, but they are closer to us than my mother’s sister, who lives in North Carolina.”

Myles took another sip of his wine and then looked at her. Should he tell her now that he knew Zack was adopted? And how he knew? He took a breath and did not.

“I can see your point. But in my case, I have no family. I think it’s time to put down roots.”

She smiled.

“That’s probably the goal of almost everyone. People marry, have families and want the best for their children. Not everyone, fortunately, ends up in foster care. Roots anchor us, give us a base to always connect to.”

“Which is why I want to be there for my child, or children. Things have changed recently. My carefree, footloose days are over. It’s time to settle down.”

He waited for her to confide in him, but she just smiled.

Their salads arrived, and Myles used the interruption to change the subject. It was too soon to push for complete revelation. He felt he was growing closer to Anna each time they were together. Could he do as he said and give up his nomadic ways? He’d felt alone all his life. Would that change if he married and had a hand in raising Zack?

“Tell me about growing up in New York. How different is it from Chicago? We had the lake, you have the rivers. We had snow, N.Y. has snow. You have Broadway, but we have the Magnificent Mile.”

“I grew up in the Upper East Side. We had a nice flat. A park not too far away and a view of the river. Of course, it was between two tall buildings, so a very limited view, but my folks were proud of our sliver of river view. Lots of kids in the building. My best friend, Mary Jane, grew up in the same building. She’s with the Peace Corps now in Nigeria. But we’re inseparable when she’s home. She’s like family.” Anna grinned at him. “Tell me about your favorite foster home.”

“The one where the husband died too young. The Zumwalts were wonderful. He really liked children and played with us every evening after work—even in winter. He said we need not be afraid of the dark, just adapt to lack of light. So we played games like hide-and-seek after dark.”

Anna watched his expressions as memories came to mind. He seemed to enjoy remembering the happy times he’d had with that family. How tragic to lose his biological family and then be wrenched from the foster care that had proved so loving.

“Zack enjoyed playing ball with you. You’ve been good for him. He needs to see how men are. Mostly he’s in a feminine world with me and Edith and his preschool teachers to interact with,” Anna said.

“He needs a father figure,” Myles said slowly. “Do you think little boys need a male role model more than little girls?”

“Maybe. Or maybe they both need that. Isn’t that why normally families have a father and a mother? Each brings something special to the child and balance to a family.”

Anna sat back in her chair, wondering if this talk of family was what Myles wanted. This date was to be for the two of them. To enjoy the evening and being with each other.

She smiled wryly.

“Guess I’m passionate about families, huh? Tell me more about your work. However did you get into a field that takes you from home so long?”

Myles talked about his interest in building, how in college he gravitated toward structural engineering and the path that led him to the work he’d spent more than a decade doing.

He painted a picture Anna could readily see about living in deserts with substandard housing and infrastructures until his company built roads and bridges to facilitate transportation and the beginnings of towns with community buildings and office buildings.

Anna enjoyed listening to him, hearing about the travels he’d done when he got leave. It was fun to explore London and Copenhagen through his memories. He even talked about some of his friends. He seemed to have only a few, but he mentioned them frequently.

She wanted to know more about the land mine, but hesitated to bring it up in case it shattered the mood. How frightening to be going about a normal workday and be injured so severely? And to have a co-worker die.

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