Page 77 of Love's Harvest
“Not tonight.Maybe another time.I’m tired,” said Aaron.
“Remember Aaron needs his rest,” said Sarah, leading the girls to the bathroom before taking them to bed.
In their bedroom, the girls lay back on their pillows.
“ ‘Night, sweet girls.I’ll see you in the morning.I love you.”
“I love you more,” the girls recited together.
“I love you to the moon and back,” Sarah said, nuzzling each girls’ neck and kissing her cheek.
Sarah left the door open a crack as they liked, ready for adult time.
She knocked on Aaron’s door.“Want to relax before the fire for a while?”
He got up.“Sure.Maybe we can talk.”
They walked into the living room and moved a few dogs out of the way to sit on the couch in front of the fire.
Aaron put his arm around Sarah and let out a long sigh.“I’ve been thinking about what you said about being friends, valuable friends.I know what I want, and it’s more than that.But I’m going to give you time to think about it.Right now, you’re scared to get hurt because of something I said.You need to trust me more than that.I know you’ve been hurt in the past, but as Emmett said, this is a different situation with a different outcome.You have to believe it.”
Sarah knew Aaron was right.She had to feel more secure in their relationship.She didn’t realize what damage his one comment had done to her self-confidence or the feeling of being loved by Aaron.Jesse had done more to destroy her than she’d thought.Maybe it was time to go back to another counseling session.
Still, she allowed him to draw her into his arms.And when he kissed her, she felt the heat of it down to the tips of her toes.The chemistry between them was there.No problem.
“It’ll be all right,” Aaron whispered into her ear.
At his sweet gentleness, she let out a sigh.She wanted him.She wanted him to be part of her family.She wanted to be free of the past.
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The next day, she kissed Aaron and left with the girls for another busy day at the store.She warned him that she would be home late, that she was attending a counseling session.
“No problem.Lucy and I or one of us will be here for the girls,” said Aaron.
“Thanks.”It still surprised and pleased her that he was so willing to help.
The girls said goodbye to her at their school and Sarah hurried along to the store.She and Dani had talked about implementing winter hours, and as she drove there, Sarah thought it was a smart idea.They could open at nine and close at five.Contractors could call for an emergency opening.
Sarah arrived at the empty store and opened it up, turning on lights, getting the cash register set, and making sure everything was ready to go.
While she waited for the day to begin, she fixed herself a cup of coffee.
Dani arrived.Instead of her usual cheerful greeting, she said nothing.
Seeing the way Dani’s eyes were red and swollen, Sarah said, “What’s wrong?Can I help?”
“I’m not pregnant.I’ll be better, but right now I just need not to talk about it,” said Dani.
Sarah gave her a hug and walked away.She understood how disappointed Dani was.Her thoughts flew to Mia and Emily.They were so precious to her.After their birth, she and Jesse hadn’t tried for other children, had, in fact, refrained from making love more often than not because he was not doing well.Nothing she did seemed to help.
The day was a slow one, for which Sarah was grateful.It gave her time to prepare figures and ideas for the meeting between Dani, her parents, and herself.
Because it was so slow, Dani left the store early, leaving the regular staffer to handle things.April was also trained to handle the cash register and was eager to take over whenever needed.
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After she closed the store, Sarah went to see Dr.Ellen Fitzpatrick, who ran the grief sessions and was also Sarah’s counselor.She was a lovely woman in her early fifties, with frosted brown hair, bright blue eyes that seemed to reach inside people and draw them out, and a kindness that wreathed her face with a glow.
