Page 98 of Mr. Frosty Pants
Casey sighed. “That’s a valid point. But if it had been Theo, you wouldn’t have minded.”
“No. I wouldn’t have,” she agreed, her eyes cast down again. “But Theo was different. He was—”
“Wealthy. High class. What else was he?”
“Charming.”
“And not the man I love,” Casey said firmly.
“Yes. That seems to be true.” She sighed and shook her head distantly. “Courtney says I’ve become a snob.”
Casey laughed outright. “You think?”
“When I married your father, I was a nothing, you know. A little nobody from nowhere. Uneducated and working at the grocery store in Friendsville. He was out there for a business meeting, working some petroleum accounts, and he stopped in to buy some apple juice for his drive home. That’s when he saw me. He said he knew the moment we locked eyes that I was the one for him.”
Casey had heard this story before, but he let her tell it again.
“It took me a few months to believe that a man like him, a man with a good job and a big future, was interested in a poor, ignorant girl like me. And then, when I finally started to believe it, I let myself fall for him too.” She shrugged. “I felt so bad about myself back then, like I’d never be as good as these women he kept introducing me to, the wives of his business associates. But it wasn’t long before I found out where he came from, the poverty and the despair he’d been raised in too. And that’s when I understood he felt exactly the same way I did.” She smiled sadly. “We’ve spent years trying to stop feeling like imposters, to prove to ourselves and everyone around us that we belong here.”
“Mom…” Casey sighed. “Joel’s just the same as you once were. A normal guy trying to make his life. He’s not trying to ruin our family.”
“I know,” she said carefully before taking a deep breath and blowing it out. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I realize that, and while I can’t pretend to understand what you see in him, I’m still sorry for my part in all of this mess.”
Casey wished that was enough, but it probably wouldn’t be. Not for a long time. But it was a start, and that was more than he could say for what Joel had withhisfather, which was nothing but endings.
She smiled sadly. “So, you really do care about him?”
“I love him. And he loves me.”
“Love?” She tilted her head. “It’s so fast. Just a few days.”
“You just said dad knew the moment you met.”
“Yes, but… Well, yes.” She reached out to take Casey’s hand and touched the ring. She looked up at Casey with questions in her eyes.
“I’ve known Joel for years, really. We know everything important about each other. And I’ve always loved him.”
She nodded. “I suppose that’s true.”
He pulled his hand away and smiled down at the ring on his finger. She stared at it, too, but said nothing more.
“So, what happens now?” Casey asked when the silence grew too long. The worry that had gnawed at him despite the joy of new love took another bite into his gut.
“Your father isn’t going to cut you off. That’s absurd.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll make sure of that. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay.”
“Deanna!” His father’s voice echoed up the stairs, and they caught each other’s eyes. “Deanna! Casey! Time to talk!”
Tension filled the space between them. “It’ll be okay,” Casey said, wondering why he was the one saying it and not her.
She took hold of his arm, her nails digging in hard.
They left the room together, and Casey wondered if he would ever have a sense of easiness with his family again. Surely once he proved to his parents that Joel was good enough, smart enough, and wonderful enough to be part of their family, things would go back to normal. Or maybe even better than they’d been before. Maybe they’d find a way to really love each other, for their true selves.
He ran his shaking hands through his hair and descended the stairs beside his mother, praying he wasn’t wrong.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Joel pulled hisChevy into the driveway well after dark, but there were lights on in the trailer, and he could see Casey’s shadow in the kitchen window moving around, probably making some kind of dinner.
