Page 65 of The Deadbeat Next Door

“I’m happy for you, Mom,” I said. “And I think Dad would be, too.”

Mom blew me a kiss. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“What do you mean?” Noah asked. “How could he possibly have been okay with this?”

“Because I know he loved mom,” I said. “He loved her with every fiber of his being, even when he wasn’t being a very good husband. I know he’d want her to be happy.”

“How can you know that?” Noah asked. “You did nothing but fight with him your whole life.”

“I did,” I said. “Except when he and I went into the woods together. He told me how he’d fallen in love with mom the first time he saw her and how he believed it was his job in life to make her happy, to make sure she had everything she wanted. If I ever loved a woman, I’d never be okay with watching her live alone and unhappy.”

“You’d be okay watching her with another man?”

“If the alternative was her being alone and unhappy? Hell, yes.” I’d never really given it much thought before and I’d certainly never been in love, but I loved my mother and I couldn’t believe my father would want her to be alone.

“I agree with Cody,” Jill said. “Daddy loved Mom too much to want her to spend the rest of her life alone. I’m happy for you, Mom.”

“Me, too,” Jenna said. She elbowed Jared and he looked up with a start.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “I think it’s great. I want to meet him and give him the interrogation, but I think it’s great that you’ve met someone.”

We all looked to Noah, but he stabbed a sausage with his fork and stuffed it in his mouth, not saying a word.

“I’m happy for you, Nora,” Aubrey said. “And I can’t wait to meet Jonas.”

Noah glared at her, but she ignored him.

A decisive knock on the door halted our conversation. Mom rose to her feet, a smile already blooming on her face. She crossed the room and returned moments later with a tall, lean man with an angular face and a warm smile. “Children,” my mother said, her fingers laced through the stranger’s. “This is Jonas Murray.” Mom then pointed each of us out and introduced us.

“I’ve heard so much about you all,” Jonas said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Noah grumbled something I couldn’t make out, but I stood and offered my hand to Jonas. Carrie stood with me. My siblings followed my lead until Mom shooed us all back to the table and ordered us to eat.

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