Page 40 of The Promise in Poppies
“It sounds lovely.”
“Honestly? It couldn’t be more perfect. It has a wraparound porch, an enormous kitchen with double ovens, and the back lawn slopes down to our own private dock. Ben’s already planning on spending the entire summer swimming and fishing. I’ve never seen him so excited.”
Donna waited as Eliza twisted the crossword section into a pretzel, grappling with her conflicting emotions. “I should be happy,” she repeated, her voice a wistful murmur. When she glanced up, her once-vivid gaze looked hollow, dimmed by a deep-rooted sorrow. “We bought the house when we started trying for another child. It needed some work, but we figured by the time we finished renovations, our new baby would be on the way.” She looked away, staring blankly out the window. “It seems foolish now.”
Donna’s heart ached for the younger woman—a woman who, in some ways, reminded her of herself. They’d both had children too young and chosen to raise them without their fathers, though for drastically different reasons.
After she’d mistakenly revealed Cassie’s pregnancy in front of Eliza, her daughter had explained her friend’s emotional reaction. And now that she’d put the pieces together—that Eliza and Grant had bought a bigger house for the large family they may never have—Donna wanted nothing more than to wrap her in a giant hug. “I’m so sorry, Eliza.” She gently rubbed her back, hoping the gesture would provide comfort her words couldn’t.
“I’ve made so many mistakes raising Ben,” Eliza confessed in a hoarse whisper. “Especially keeping him from his father for so long. That’s by far my biggest regret.”
Donna involuntarily winced, trying not to draw comparisons. Her situation was completely different. Grant was a good man. A loving father. While Cassie’s dad—
“I’m so glad you’re still here!” Her daughter’s breathless voice interrupted her thought. “I went back to the café so we could talk, and Maggie said I might find you here. I was afraid you’d already left until I saw your car out front.” Cassie’s gaze darted between them, settling on Eliza’s tearstained face. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” Eliza sniffled, managing a smile. “Your mother is kindly listening to me lament my life choices, but I’m beginning to sound like a broken record. I really thought I’d moved past it all. Grant and I have built a healthy marriage. A happy family. I thought we’d healed and grown closer together, but with everything we’ve been going through lately, it’s all bubbled up again. I keep wondering what I’m going to tell Ben as he gets older. What am I going to say when he starts asking questions?”
She fixed her beseeching gaze on Cassie, and Donna held her breath as a dizzying wave of anxiety swept over her. She’d hoped to bridge the divide, but Eliza’s question would only widen the gap, forcing them further apart.
“You’ll say you’re sorry,” Cassie said softly. “And you’ll remind him that you love him more than anything in the world. Ben may not like or understand the decisions you made, but he knows you never meant to hurt him. You’re his mother, and he’ll always love you, no matter what.”
While Cassie spoke, Donna’s heart broke and mended all at once. Because Cassie’s words weren’t meant solely for Eliza.
They were also meant for her.
CHAPTER24
RHETT
Rhett slid the gooey golden marshmallow off the end of the stick, sandwiching it between two graham cracker squares and a hunk of chocolate. Beside him, Vick, Luke, and Landon egged on Jack and Colt as they competed to see who could stuff the most marshmallows in their mouths at once. Rhett smiled in bemusement. Although his son and his friends were in their late twenties and thirties, in some ways, they were still big kids at heart. A fact he found oddly comforting, as if he could still witness a tiny glimpse of Vick’s childhood.
Even though he’d spent the better part of his evening assembling a jungle gym and swing set for Ben in his family’s new backyard—and had a few splinters to prove it—he was grateful to be included. He’d been able to spend a lot of time with Vick over the last few days. That is, whenever he wasn’t at work or with Donna.
Donna…Her name still made his heartbeat stutter like an engine operating on too many cylinders. Ever since their late-night rendezvous, when they’d connected over their troubled pasts, they’d settled into a comfortable rhythm of simply being together, whether it was attending a meeting or sharing a meal. He didn’t know if people still asked each other to “go steady,” but he wanted to lay it all on the line with Donna. He just wasn’t sure how to tell her.
“Ben wanted to make you all something special as a thank-you.” Grant’s voice carried down the walkway leading from the house.
Two steps in front, Ben precariously balanced a large tray piled high with paper plates, plastic cutlery, and what appeared to be a cake of some sort. As Ben drew closer, Rhett noticed the elaborate chocolatey drizzle on top and fancy mint and raspberry garnish. Whatever it was, the attention to detail rivaled anything he’d seen at a professional bakery.
“I made tiramisu cheesecake,” Ben announced proudly, his enormous grin glowing in the firelight. “Without any help.”
“Wow, Bud, I’m impressed.” Luke stood to give Ben’s masterpiece adequate praise.
“Dad said I can cut it by myself, too.” He eased the tray onto the picnic table, and, as promised, Grant handed him the serving knife.
Ben wielded the long blade with careful precision, clearly feeling all grown up as his father supervised from a close distance.
As Rhett observed the father-son bonding moment—one of many similar rites of passage he’d never experience—he realized the sharp spasm of regret and disappointment had waned to a dull, almost imperceptible ache. Spurred by his conversations with Donna, he’d started to focus less on what could’ve been and more on the present. Although, the future also occupied many of his thoughts these days.
Rhett and Vick hung back by the campfire while the other men gathered around the table, good-naturedly jostling for the biggest slice of cheesecake.
“I’ve been meaning to go check out the dock,” Rhett said by way of casual invitation.
“I’ll join you.” Vick rested his roasting stick on the edge of the firepit before rising to his feet. “Save us a slice, would ya?” he asked Jack, who flashed a teasing grin.
“No promises, Johnson.”
“I’ll save you one, Uncle Vick,” Ben offered.
