Page 26 of Craving Vengeance
Shannon glanced at her watch. “It’s kind of late. The kids might be sleeping.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Sandi knew I was coming, so she was going to keep them up. I texted her earlier.”
He texted her?
They slid out of the car and walked up to the front door of the older well-kept, two-story home. It was a nice, clean home; far different from what the Washington kids had previously been accustomed to. And as for Sandi, Shannon liked her. She was a loving and caring woman. She and her husband Al, both in their mid-forties, never had kids of their own, but they saw to the needs of many foster kids through the years.
Spinelli knocked on the door. Al answered and gestured for them to enter as he eyed Spinelli who still wore his cupid costume.
“It’s a long story,” Spinelli said before Al even said a word.
They walked through the small entryway, and the second they entered the living room, the kids’ eyes lit up at the sight of Spinelli. Sandi smiled in his direction.
Lesha jumped off the couch and ran up to Spinelli with her arms open. He scooped her up and hugged her. She kissed him on the cheek before he set her back down. Lesha’s brother, Darius, age three, kept his distance. Samuel, a foster child from a different home, who’d been with Sandi for some time now stood next to Darius. Christina, the youngest of the Washington children at eleven months, was nowhere to be seen. Shannon assumed she was already in bed.
Shannon watched and listened as Spinelli interacted with the children. Her first impression of him, when she’d met him a little over two months ago, was so incredibly wrong. At that time, he’d seemed cold and harsh to people, especially children. But it didn’t take her long to realize that was just his exterior layer. His warm and caring interior layers, hidden firmly beneath the surface, didn’t take long to emerge once the outer tier had been penetrated.
Spinelli handed each of the children a valentine and one to Sandi, with Christina’s name printed on the envelope. Shannon recalled seeing the envelopes lying on the back seat of her car earlier but hadn’t given any thought as to whom they were for.
Judging from Lesha’s smile that stretched from ear to ear, she’d realized her valentine included a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. She looked at Darius’ and Samuel’s valentines and then explained to them what those certificates meant. Their eyes lit up, Samuel’s a bit more than Darius’s. At just three years old, Darius always seemed leery. Shannon hoped he’d shake it someday and enjoy a carefree childhood.
“Do you guys have something to say to Mr. Spinelli before you go to bed?” Sandi asked as she glanced at each one of the children.
Each child, in turn, thanked Nick.
Sandi flashed a warm smile as well. “Thank you, Nick. The children always enjoy seeing you.” She shifted her gaze to Shannon. “It’s nice to see you, too.”
Shannon returned her smile then glanced at Spinelli. His normal olive colored skin tone looked red. Was he blushing? She thought about Sandi’s words.The children always enjoy seeing you. How often does he stop here? And when?
She wondered how she got so lucky; the man’s heart was truly made of gold. Her heart ached at the thought of what happened today with her and Joshua. She truly didn’t mean to kiss him. She desperately needed to fix this with Nick. She had to make him understand and forgive her.
Spinelli cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for getting here so late. We’ll get out of here so you can get them to bed.” He shifted his gaze to the kids. “You guys be good now, okay?”
The kids nodded.
* * * *
Spinelli opened thecar door for Shannon, and she slid into the passenger seat. He hustled around to the driver’s side and climbed into the car. Though the temperature hovered around twenty-five degrees outside, he was sure the thermometer would read in the teens if he wasn’t so warm. The whole while they were in the foster home, he could feel Shannon’s heated gaze on him. He knew he’d have some explaining to do. She wouldn’t be able to just let this go and not grill him about why they stopped there or why he stops there regularly.
He wondered why himself. He’d been visiting them once a week since the foster mom had taken the kids to the mall to see him as Santa. The Christmas wish Lesha shared with him that day nearly broke his heart in half. He recalled how she climbed up onto his lap and whispered in her sweet little voice.I would like a new mom and dad for me and my brother and sister, then maybe Darius wouldn’t be scared and cry all the time. You know, maybe a mom like Ms. O’Hara or the new foster mom, one that would love us and take care of us.
He hoped those kids would never have to go back to their parents. He’d give his right arm to make her wish come true. His chest tightened. He knew the truth. From past experience, he knew in all likelihood those kids would bounce between their parents and foster care more times than he’d care to know. Though he hated the flawed system, he figured it was better than no system at all.
“Nick, why didn’t you tell me you visit the Washington kids?”
He stared out the windshield.Why can’t she ever just leave well enough alone? Why does she always have to talk about everything?He shifted the car into gear. His mind raced for an answer. He knew he’d have to answer her. She’d hound him until he did. “I guess it just never came up.”Kind of like your little fiancé's secret.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shoulders stiffen. Her lips pulled into a thin line.
Evidently, he hadn’t kept the sharpness out of his tone as he’d planned.
A few beats passed before she sucked in a breath and expelled it. “It was very sweet, what you did for those kids tonight.”
He shrugged.
She shifted in her seat. Her gaze fixed on him. His already hot cheeks were now flaming.Why can’t she ever just say her piece and leave it alone? All I did was bring them a gift. That’s it, nothing else. End of story.
Her lips parted. “Whether you believe it or not, those kids adore you, especially Lesha. Your actions have impacted those kids’ lives more positively than anyone else has so far in their young lives.”
