Page 61 of There I Find Patience

“Uncle Mark!” they called as they ran to him.

He caught one in each arm and squeezed them tight. He had so many good memories with his nieces. He was so grateful to his sister for allowing him to have time with them. Of course, she used him as a babysitter, but he didn’t mind at all. It was an honor to get to spend time with the two of them and to have a hand in helping to raise them.

“What are you guys up to?” he asked, after hugging them and letting them go.

“What are we up to?” Ginger said, giving her sister a raised brow and then glancing over at Paulette. “The question is, what in the world are you doing?”

“How could you get married without telling us?” Kay said, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot on the floor.

“It happened kind of suddenly. That’s all.”

Where was Pam? Usually she made her way over to his kitchen, or else he headed over to hers. He didn’t like doing this by himself. Not that he couldn’t handle it, he just...felt more complete when he had Pam beside him.

As though him wishing for her had conjured her up, she opened up the back door to the kitchen and stepped in.

He knew there was a huge amount of relief on his face, but he couldn’t help it.

Just in time, he remembered that they were supposed to be married, and he didn’t have to try to keep himself from walking over and putting his arm around her and saying, “Good morning, beautiful.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead, although he wouldn’t have minded giving her a different kind of kiss. And he thought that would have been okay, even a good thing to do in front of the girls.

To his surprise, he felt her arms come around him, and she gave him a squeeze, lifting her head and smiling up into his face.

“Good morning,” she said, and he found himself unusually speechless, staring down into her eyes.

He’d heard about time being suspended before, and getting lost in someone’s eyes, and other romantic things that he couldn’t think of off the top of his head, and he’d always considered it all rather ridiculous.

Which was kind of funny, since it was happening to him at that very moment.

His breath caught, and suddenly his hands felt sweaty.

“Guys. Hello? We’re still here?” Kay’s voice cut through his brain fog, and it felt like his feet touched back down in reality.

Too bad, because he was enjoying whatever was going on between Pam and him.

She looked a little flustered too, as her cheeks turned pink and she ducked her head.

He liked that. Maybe there was more going on with her than what he thought.

“If you want me to cook breakfast, just say so. You don’t have to do any of this beating around the bush, hey, I’m still here, kind of thing,” he said, turning but slipping his arm further around Pam and holding her to his side.

Not to show them what a great couple they were, but because he wanted her there.

He didn’t want to let go. Didn’t want to stop touching her.

Call him crazy, call him a fool for punishment, but it was the truth.

“Of course we want you to cook breakfast. Why do you think we’re here?”

“To make sure I’m really married?” he said, making it sound like that was the obvious reason.

He gave Pam one more grin, squeezing her waist, and then he let go, walking over to his refrigerator to pull out his sausage and eggs.

“And for the breakfast, Uncle Mark,” Ginger said, rolling her eyes as she walked over and put her arms around Pam, her sister at her side.

They hugged Pam just like they had him, and it made him smile to see it.

Pam was just as much a part of their lives as he was. Since she’d been there for everything that he’d done with them for the last ten years.

Pretty much all his nieces’ memories and activities with him had included Pam and her girls.

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