Free Rachel Laine (The Women of Merryton Book 3) by Jennifer Peel

it
home.
    Drew
made it to him well before me. I don’t know who was more excited, Andrew or
Drew. This was getting serious, and out of my control. I hadn’t counted on them
bonding in such a small amount of time. We would have to tell Drew sooner
rather than later.
    I
met them both and Andrew’s eyes met mine. “Hi there,” he said.
    “I
guess your flight was on time and you got your first class seat.”
    He
grinned. “It was business class this time.”
    “Tragic.”
I walked toward the front door of my house.
    He
chuckled as we all walked in together.
    Drew
threw off his shoes and shed his backpack and coat. “So is that present for
me?”
    “Drew
Whitney, that is not a polite thing to ask,” I scolded him.
    I
noticed Andrew trying not to smile.
    Drew
peered at me with those eyes of his. “Sorry, Mom. But is it?” he asked Andrew.
    Andrew
couldn’t help it, he grinned, and I knew it was a lost cause. Andrew pulled the
gift out of the bag and handed Drew the large box. It was wrapped in Bears
wrapping paper and it rattled.
    “Yes!”
Drew carried it over to the coffee table to unwrap it.
    Andrew
and I both followed him over. We watched him rip the paper until he discovered
what was hidden beneath. His eyes widened. It was a Lego set of the Sears
Tower. It looked monstrous.
    “Do
you like it?” Andrew asked, like he was both eager and nervous to know.
    I
already knew he did by the look in his eyes.
    Drew
looked up to his unknown father. “It’s awesome. Thank you!”
    Andrew’s
face registered both happiness and relief. “Maybe we could work on it together?”
He looked more toward me, like he was asking me if that was okay. Drew thought
it was a fantastic idea.
    I
nodded with great unease.
    Andrew
walked over to Drew and sat next to him on the couch. They both admired the box
with the large Lego Sears Tower on the front.
    “You
know, my dad and I used to build Legos together,” he informed Drew.
    Why
did that make my heart ache? Was I sad because he missed his own father, or was
I sad because I felt like I was losing part of my son? Probably some of both,
but mostly the latter. I guess this was for real. Drew had a dad and I had to
find a way to come to terms with it. But for now, my eyes began to water so I
turned and walked toward the kitchen.
    “Hey
Mom, can Andrew and I build this up in my room on my Lego table?”
    “You
like Legos?” Andrew asked before I could respond.
    “Yeah,”
Drew replied.
    I
didn’t know what to say. I felt like Andrew was still a stranger in some ways,
and I wasn’t sure how I felt about him up in Drew’s room where I couldn’t see
them. And it was another reminder to me that I was losing some control over
Drew’s life. I wasn’t a controlling mother, but I liked to manage the variables,
to keep him safe.
    I
kept my back to them. I couldn’t get my emotions under control. I knew I should
say yes. I had a feeling that this would be the least of my concerns in the
near future.
    “Sure,”
I eked out, “but homework first, okay?”
    “Awww.
Okay.”
    I
walked to the fridge and opened it to make Drew a snack. I hoped standing in
front of the cold air coming from the fridge would help clear up my stupid eyes.
As I stood there wiping my eyes and staring aimlessly at the contents, my mind went
completely blank about what I wanted to retrieve.
    “Rachel
Laine.”
    I
jumped and placed my hand on my chest. I hadn’t even heard him approach.
    “Sorry,”
he said.
    I
turned toward him. “It’s okay.”
    He
tilted his head to the side. “Are you all right?”
    I
wiped my dumb eyes. “Yes,” I lied. I was anything but fine.
    His
eyes narrowed. I was a terrible liar, and my eyes told a different story, but he
didn’t call me on it. Instead, he handed me a small box.
    “What’s
this?” I took it out of his hand while still standing in front of the open
refrigerator door.
    “Open
it.”
    I
lifted the lid on the cardboard box. Under the bubble wrap was what looked