Page 79 of Welcome to Forever
Chapter 19
Aunt Clara tapped Micah’s plate with her long wooden spoon. “Eat,” she demanded, gesturing toward his roasted vegetables, fresh from her own backyard.
Ben was already halfway through his meal, barely stopping to breathe.
“Chew or you’ll choke,” Micah warned, tapping Ben’s plate now.
“And we certainly don’t want to make another visit to the emergency room tonight,” Clara said, lifting a brow. “I swear you took ten years off my life last night, child.”
Ben looked up from his plate. “Sorry,” he said through a mouth full of food.
This made Clara laugh. “Don’t be. Just don’t ever do that again, okay?”
“I promise.” Ben smiled widely.
Micah wanted to add that Ben shouldn’t make promises he couldn’t keep, either, but with the way things were looking up these days, maybe it was true. He stabbed at a stalk of broccoli on his plate. “Where’s Uncle Rick tonight?”
“Oh, he’s got a newcomer’s car to work on. She broke down at the fire station.”
“Sounds like him.”
Clara offered a wobbly smile. “You have to love a man who loves to help others. It’s one of the things that made me fall in love with him.” She sipped from her glass of sweet tea. “So, you and your lady friend seem to be doing well.” Her brows lifted as she looked at him, silently soliciting details.
Details he didn’t want to spill in front of Ben.
Micah glanced over at his son. “How about you go eat the rest of your meal in front of the TV, buddy?” he said.
Ben’s eyes widened and his fork stopped in midair. “We don’t eat in front of the TV in this family. Ever. And I want to hear whatever you’re going to say. If Principal Chandler is going to be my stepmom, I want to know.”
Micah sighed heavily. “Go eat. And take slow bites.” He pointed toward the living room.
With a groan, Ben backed up his wheelchair and began rolling forward, careful to keep his plate balanced on his lap. “I want you to know that families aren’t supposed to eat in front of the television. That’s what the school counselor says,” he called behind him without looking back.
“Yeah, well this’ll be our family secret then, okay?” Micah waited until Ben was out of the room. “And turn up the volume really loud,” he shouted after a few minutes, glancing back at his aunt, who was frowning at him. “He already thinks Kat and I are the perfect match. And now he’s talking about stepmoms. I just don’t want him to get his hopes up any more than they already are.”
Clara’s knowing eyes softened. “Because it might not work out between you two?” she asked between chews.
“I haven’t exactly made the best choices for my family in the past. Jessica. Nicole.” He shook his head. “Kat is wonderful, but she might not be ready for something so”—he hesitated, tossing another glance in Ben’s direction—“complicated.”
Setting her fork down, Clara shook her head. “Seems to me that Kat is stronger than most. Look at what she’s already survived. And your life is no more complicated than her own.”
Micah moved his food around on his plate, knowing his aunt was right. Aunt Clara was always right.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you as a coward, Micah Daniel Peterson,” she said then.
His gaze jumped up. “A coward?” Few people in his life had labeled him as such. Actually, no one had ever accused him of cowardice to his face. “I’m not. I’m just being cautious. Ben is fragile and, as his father, I want to protect him.”
“Just him?” she asked.
He didn’t answer.
“You’re only alone if you choose to be, son. But making that choice for Ben, well, that’s what your father did to you. It takes more than one person to raise a child. Especially one like Ben.”
Meaning a child with special needs. “That’s why it’s important to only put people in his life who’ll stick,” he said.
“And what makes you think Kat won’t stick?”
The question made his throat and chest tighten. The thing was, he was pretty damn sure that Katwasthe kind of person who would stick. She was loyal to the core. And she seemed to adore Ben as much as he adored her. She worked with kids for a living, and knew exactly what kind of responsibilities came along with caring for a child with cerebral palsy.
