Now and Forever 5, Love's Journey (26 page)

“Maybe he should.”

* * * *

The family descended on Marcia within an
hour of each other, telling her what to do and making arrangements.
Her sister and sister-in-law barged into her bedroom and began
cleaning out Jay’s clothes.

“We should bag everything for the Salvation
Army,” Anne said, opening the closet door and grabbing a fistful of
hangers.

Stephanie, Marcia’s sister, took down an old
suitcase.

“Don’t take that one, the clasp is broken,”
Marcia said.

“It looks fine to me,” Stephanie
replied.

Jake must have fixed it.

“Anne, Stephanie, wait, wait. I can do
that,” Marcia pleaded.

“Why should you have to do that? That’s why
you have family.” Anne smiled at Marcia.

“Don’t throw that away,” Marcia said.

“I understand how you feel, but it’s best to
make a clean break.” Anne patted Marcia’s arm.

Marcia put her hand on her sister-in-law’s
shoulder.

“Wait. This isn’t Jay’s. It’s too big,” Anne
said, holding hangers with Jakub’s clothes on them in her hand. She
looked at Marcia. Stephanie stopped and looked too.

“Whose clothes are these?” Anne asked.

Marcia was silent, but red crept up her
neck. She folded her arms across her chest.

“Whose clothes are these?” Anne repeated the
question.

“Did you have an affair…while Jay was
dying?” Her face turned a ghostly white.

“Those clothes are none of your business.
Please leave my bedroom.” Marcia shoved the clothes back in the
closet.

Anne and Stephanie went downstairs in
silence. Marcia stayed upstairs as long as possible. When she
finally felt ready to face them, the buzzing of voices quieted as
she descended the stairs.

Anne had her coat on. “I can’t be in a room
with the woman who cheated on my dying brother.”

Mark, Jay’s cousin, looked at Marcia with
accusation in his eyes.

“I’ll be back for the funeral,” Jay’s mother
said, getting up and going to the door.

Marcia’s head was swimming. After the door
slammed, she turned to her sister.

“What do we need to do for the funeral?”
Stephanie asked.

“I’m not sorry. I needed Jake. I still need
him. Jay knew and he was happy I wasn’t alone. He begged me to find
someone. And I did. I’m sorry if this offends you, Steph. None of
you know what’s it’s like to watch the love of your life die over
five years. And where was everyone? Not here…but Jake was.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Stephanie took Marcia in her arms for a
hug.

Marcia picked up her cell phone and dialed.
She spoke briefly to Jake then hung up.

“Can I stay here and handle…things?”
Stephanie sank down into a chair.

“Sure. I could use the help.”

In ten minutes, the front door opened
up.

“Stephanie, this is Jake. Jake, my
sister.”

Chapter
Seventeen

At the Caldwell house

Thanksgiving was one of Callie’s favorite
holidays. Every year she celebrated with Danny and Eliza. They’d
fill up their table with students who had to stick around school.
This year she was more excited than usual as she’d been looking
forward to celebrating with Sam and Peter. One night about two
weeks before the holiday when they were in bed, Mac broached the
subject.

“I know how you are about holidays and
Thanksgiving is almost here.” Mac rolled onto his side.

“This is the first year we will have real
family with us.”

“With a murder charge hanging over my head,
I don’t want to have a big celebration at our house. Couldn’t we be
the four of us, like any other day? Maybe watch a movie with the
kids?”

“You don’t want to celebrate Thanksgiving?”
Callie sat up.

“I know it’s selfish of me, but with
everything in my life threatened…I guess I don’t feel very thankful
right now.” Mac avoided her gaze.

“If that’s what you want I guess I could
miss it this year. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.”

Callie was disappointed to miss the holiday,
but she didn’t let it show. He switched off the light. She pulled
Mac’s arms around her and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would come
easily, which it rarely did these days.

* * * *

The square envelope with something stiff
inside arrived a week before Thanksgiving. It felt like an
invitation to Callie and she saved it to open when Mac, Jason and
Kitty were seated at the dinner table.

“This came today,” she said.

“Can I open it?” Jason asked.

“How about we let Daddy open it, Jace. He’s
been kind of sad lately.”

“Okay, Mom.” Jason sat back in his
chair.

Callie handed the large envelope to Mac and
he raised an eyebrow at her.

“I have no idea what this is,” she lied.

Mac ripped open the fancy envelope. Inside
was a handmade invitation for each member of their family to have
Thanksgiving dinner at Eliza and Danny’s house. It read,

We are thankful to have you in our lives.
Please celebrate this giving of thanks with us on Thanksgiving Day
at our house.

It was signed by Eliza, Danny, Peter, Lara,
Sam, Pat, Jonesy, and Bill. They were not to bring anything because
everyone had already divvied up the cooking assignments.

“What is it, Dad?” Jason asked, taking the
card out of Mac’s hands.

Mac couldn’t speak. Leave it to their family
and friends to bail them out with this kooky invitation and their
warm hearts. He pushed his chair back and went out back.

“What’s wrong with Dad?”

“I don’t know. I’ll be right back.” Callie
followed Mac into the backyard.

“I thought this would make you happy,” she
said, coming up behind him and putting her hands on his arms.

He stood silently for a moment.

“I should have known you were behind this.”
His voice was shaking.

Blinking rapidly, he took her into his arms
for a hug.

“I guess even with…with…everything…we have a
lot to be thankful for.”

Callie rested her face again his chest.

“Maybe more to be thankful for this year
than ever.” Mac kissed the top of her head and swiped his
handkerchief over his face.

* * * *

“God, it’s cold! How the hell do you live
with this all winter?”

“Come in, Sam, I’ve got a hot drink waiting
for you.” Callie pulled him inside.

“Dad, we’re making plans for Christmas. Is
Pat going to be here with you?” Mac asked his father, handing him a
hot toddy.

Sam took his coat off and hung it up then
took a sip of the toddy and sat down. Kitty immediately crawled
onto his lap. He returned his granddaughter’s sweet kiss.

“She hasn’t mentioned anything.” Sam sipped
the warming drink.

“Please find out. We’d like to include her,”
Callie said.

“Grandpa,” Jason said, running at his
grandfather and nearly upsetting his drink.

“Watch it, Jason, you rascal.” Sam ruffled
the boy’s hair with one hand and balancing his drink with the
other.

“I’d like her to be part of the family at
Christmas. Thanksgiving was great. She seems to be able to put up
with you all pretty well.” Sam smiled.

“Put up with what? We’re great,” Mac
teased.

“I think so.” Callie put her arms around
Mac’s waist. He leaned down and kissed her.

“Yuck, Daddy!” Jason made a face.

Kitty clapped her hands and giggled, raising
her arms to Mac, who picked her up and kissed her too.

“You don’t have any special Christmas plans
for Pat we should know about, do you?” Mac turned to his dad.

“What are you suggesting?” Sam raised an
eyebrow.

“Nothing. Nothing. Just asking.” Mac
shrugged

“You and Peter never just ask. You’re always
getting at something. What is it?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking…you’re not getting
any younger. And you and Pat seem to be inseparable…so I was just
wondering…”

“Yes?” Sam growled.

“I know, it’s none of my business, except
you are my father, so that sort of makes it my business. Anyway, I
was wondering if you had any plans to…to…make this arrangement
more…permanent?” A few beads of sweat broke out on Mac’s upper
lip.

“You want me to marry her?” Sam’s eyebrows
rose an inch.

“I’d never suggest anything like…”

“Baloney! That’s just what you were
suggesting.”

“Maybe.”

“Why would we get married, we’re not even
living together yet?” Sam took a swig of his toddy.

“I think of you as a little old-fashioned
about these things. I’d be surprised if you shacked up with—moved
in with Pat, Dad.”

“You’re right, Mac. If you’re going to live
together, you might as well get married. I’m not sure Pat wants to
get married again. Not sure if I do, either.”

“Why not?”

“Things are pretty good as they are now.”
Sam sat back.

“Don’t you love her, Dad?” Disappointment
was evident in Callie’s voice.

“Of course I do, sweetheart. And we get
along great. I don’t want to push her. She seems happy the way
things are now.”

“I always think women want to get married,
but if you’re not going to have kids, maybe not. I like her.”
Callie shrugged.

“So, you want me to propose to her?” Sam
raised his eyebrows.

“No, no, Dad. I would never push you into
that.” Callie blushed.

Sam laughed.

“The hell you wouldn’t! I know you well
enough, Callie Caldwell, to know you’d push me into anything if you
thought it would make me happy.” He stood up and gave her a
hug.

“He’s got your number, Callie.” Mac
smiled.

“Caldwell men are so frustrating,” she said,
swiping at Mac with the dish towel.

After dinner, Sam took command of the
children while Callie and Mac went to a movie. When they got home,
Sam had gotten ready for bed. He was going to sleep in the guest
bed in Jason’s room rather than go home in the cold and dark.
Callie kissed him goodnight, checked on the children and met Mac in
the bedroom.

“Mac, do you ever wish we had only lived
together and not gotten married?”

“No, never.” Mac unbuttoned his flannel
shirt.

“Really?”

“If you are good enough to share my bed,
you’re good enough to share my name and my life,” he said, drawing
her into his arms, “but what I have in mind now is sharing my bed,”
Mac said, desire growing in his eyes.

* * * *

Sam let himself into Pat’s house. He knew
she left the door unlocked when he was expected.

“Honey, I’m home,” he said, chuckling to
himself.

“Be right out,” she called from the
bedroom.

Sam put the bag from the grocery store on
the kitchen counter and began to unpack it. Pat came out of the
bedroom fastening an earring on. She was wearing a sexy, full
length velour, short-sleeved lounge dress slit up to the hip on one
side with a low-cut neckline. The dress was the same color green as
her eyes.

“Holy smoke! Is that new?” Sam asked,
looking her up and down.

“Yes. Want to keep you interested.” She
smiled flirtatiously.

“You succeeded. Although I’d be interested
even if you wore a burlap sack.”

“Maybe if I wore
only
a burlap
sack!”

He laughed and took her in his arms, kissing
her. They usually didn’t see much of each other during the week
because of Pat’s busy schedule, so their weekends together were
intense.

“I don’t think you’re going to have that new
dress on long enough to get it dirty,” he whispered in her ear,
hungry with desire.

“Food first. What did you bring me?” She
slowly pulled out of his arms to examine the food on the
counter.

“Ah, yes, food first. I brought some fresh
salmon, squash and, your favorite, those tiny jelly beans.”

“Oh you brought those? I love those and am
in the mood for them tonight.” Pat gave him a quick kiss and put
away the perishables.

“Okay, we did the food. Now…” he said,
winding his arms around her waist from behind, kissing her neck and
bringing his hands up to her breasts.

“You mean after just putting this on, I’m
going to have to take it off?”

“Maybe not. That slit looks like it goes up
just far enough…”

“Whoa! I’ll take it off.”

“Let me help you.” Sam ran the long zipper
all the way down the back of the dress. Pat turned around and
started pulling the sleeves down.

“Hey, you’re still dressed.” She reached for
his shirt buttons.

In a minute both were undressed. Sam’s eyes
grew wide when he looked at Pat.

“Those are new too.” He looked at her sheer
blue bra and bikini panties.

“Do you like them?” Pat put her hand on her
hip and struck a modeling pose.

“Are you kidding? I love them, now let’s
take them off.”

Sam took her hand and led her into the
bedroom.

“What about dinner?” She raised one eyebrow
at him.

“Feed one appetite at a time.” He pulled her
down on the bed.

* * * *

Pat liked to make love in the morning. She’d
wake Sam up with a kiss or a touch. Once she put his hand on her
breast, which woke him up quickly. Sunday morning Sam got in the
shower first. When he was all soaped up, Pat entered the bathroom
quietly and knocked on the shower stall. Sam jumped.

“You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“I’m sorry. I thought this would be a good
way to conserve water and reduce my water bill a little.” A smile
played at her lips as she got in the shower with him.

“I had no idea you were such a
conservationist, Patsy.” He stepped aside to make room for her,
unable to hide his grin. Sam took the soap and slowly lathered up
her body. Laughter and giggling were drowned out by the sound of
the shower spray…so was the ringing of the doorbell.