“This A.” She pointed to the page they were looking at. “A for apple. Say it,” she ordered, looking up at Aaron.
My chin almost hit the floor when he repeated after her.
“Patience, leave Aaron alone. He’s not nice,” came Joshua’s three-year-old voice from across the room.
I waited with bated breath to see how this was going to play out. Another surprise. When Joshua moved closer, reaching for Patience’s hand, Aaron’s hand gripped his, but not too tightly from what I could see.
“Leave her alone. We’re reading,” Aaron hissed at his now younger brother. He released Joshua’s arm, leaving him stunned. “Go ahead.” He motioning with his head toward the page.
Patience didn’t miss a beat. “This B. B for bicycle. Say it.”
Aaron repeated her words just as instructed.
I was so intrigued by what was happening, I didn’t even notice both Carter and Joshua move next to me.
“Mother, why’s Aaron reading with Patience?” Carter questioned.
“Aaronhatesreading!” Joshua stated loudly. So loud, in fact, that Aaron’s brooding hazel eyes crossed the room, glaring at all three of us before dropping down to continue reading with Patience, who was already on to the letter E.
“You two, leave them be.” I ushered the boys out of the room and up the stairs to the playroom. I, on the other hand, continued to watch from the doorway. About halfway through the first book, Aaron said something to Patience, causing her to giggle, louder than I’d ever heard from the little girl before. And for the first time in months, I saw what appeared to be an actual smile cross Aaron’s face. My heart swelled up with joy at seeing the little boy, who I loved as if I’d given birth to him, smiling again.
I had become so enthralled in watching the pair, who seemed to be in their own little world, that it took a few minutes, and for Carter to yell down from the top of the stairs that Tyler had woken up from his nap, and was crying for me.
With one last glance, I headed up the stairs to tend to my youngest son. After plucking Tyler from his crib, I quickly changed him and headed back downstairs to the kitchen to grab his bottle.
“Lunch over already?” I questioned Robert as he and Thiers passed me in the hallway.
“I forgot I had an appointment. Need to cut lunch short,” Thiers explained. “I’ll just go and get Patience.”
“She’s in the den … reading with Aaron.”
I didn’t miss the surprised expression that covered Robert’s face. I gave him anI’ll explain laterlook, and he nodded.
I proceeded to the kitchen to prepare Tyler’s bottle. I tickled him under the chin just after checking the warmth of the bottle, before running my hands through his auburn hair. I wondered if his hair would change color over time or remain the reddish color. Tyler was nearly a year old but I felt like I was just getting to know him. The weeks after his birth had been extremely difficult. My grief over what we’d lost stole precious moments from what we had gained. Those days passed by in a blur, and then Jason’s accident, and taking on Aaron, had left me little time for my youngest. But we were finally settling into a comfortable rhythm.
To say I was stunned when I realized the color of Tyler’s hair would’ve been an understatement. Then Robert told me that a few relatives on his mother’s side of the family were redheads. All of my boys mirrored their father in one way or another.
Just as I handed the bottle to Tyler and adjusted him on my hip, a loud cry reached my ears. I started toward the den where it sounded like the noises were coming from, Tyler happily sipping away as if he didn’t have a care in the world. When I reached the den, I looked between Robert’s stunned expression and Thiers’ look which was a mix between horrified and embarrassed.
“No!” Patience was yelling every time her father tried to pick her up off of Aaron’s lap. “Go away!” she yelled again.
“You’re scaring her!” Aaron added, wrapping an arm around Patience.
Thiers turned to Robert and I, completely lost on how to handle the situation.
“Aaron,” I began, stepping forward, passing Tyler to Robert, “Patience needs to go with her father.”
“She doesn’t have to.” Aaron’s sharp eyes moved from me to Thiers. “Can’t she stay a little while longer? She was sleeping.”
I blinked.
“Yeah, sleeping!” Patience added.
I looked behind me to Thiers. “She was reading to him earlier. I guess she fell asleep.”
Thiers shook his head. “I’m sorry about that. I can’t get her to go anywhere without a book in her hand. Just like …” He trailed off before clearing his throat.
I saw the pain in his eyes. He still wasn’t over his deceased wife.
