We both laugh at Mina’s exuberance. That kid is a tornado on two feet. “Come on, slowpoke, let’s go see who Mina has found,” Holly urges.
As we walk toward the two little girls, I realize that the woman is Pauline Talbot, who fosters kids from our area. The only reason I know that is she and I met one day at a local craft store where she was stocking up on supplies for ‘her kids’ to use. When I asked her how many children she had, she shared with me that hers were all grown now and had children of their own, but they lived all over the country. So, she became a foster parent, which she said allowed her to ‘help the babies’ while they were in such a tenuous situation, while also using her teaching certification.
“Hey, Pauline, how are you doing?” I ask as Holly and I reach the trio. Thankfully, Ruby is in the cart itself; I’m not sure if I have the bandwidth or energy to chase two rambunctious little girls all over the store.
“I’m well, Marnie. And yourself?” Pauline questions. “Oh, where are my manners? This is Becca, and judging on how much thesetwo are giggling, I presume that you must be Mina’s mom,” she says, looking at Holly.
Holly laughs as she holds out her hand. “Holly Sherman, and this one,” she says, pointing to Ruby, “is Mina’s sister, Ruby. Their little brother is at home because it’s that time of year.”
“Goodness, yes, it is,” Pauline replies. “Plus, school is an absolute petri dish of germs, so everything Mina is exposed to comes home to y’all. I started giving the kids an immune defender that has a lot of the supplements that are recommended to help build their immunity.”
“You’ll have to let me know where to get some of that since PJ’s too young for any of his vaccinations,” Holly says.
I glance down at the little girl that Mina is animatedly talking to, her hands waving around as she explains something that I don’t quite hear. I’m immediately captivated by her; she’s got dark hair that’s so glossy, it almost looks blue in the fluorescent lighting, and delicate, almost pixie like features. But it’s her eyes that have my mind spinning, because I gaze into eyes just like hers every single day.
I don’t know how to ask about her history, especially since she’s right there, but I make a mental note to call Pauline later. I mean, I could be way off base with my assumptions, of course, but if she’s not related to Ash in some way, form, or fashion, I’ll chew my own arm off. Okay, that’s probably way too dramatic, but looking at Becca is like looking at a mirror image of Ash, only in a feminine form.
“Well, we need to finish this list. Becca is going to help me this afternoon because we’re baking cookies for the potluck at church tomorrow,” Pauline states.
The two little girls hug while we say our goodbyes, and soon, we’re going through our own list as Mina and Ruby chatter. My heart aches once again for what I’ll never be able to have—a baby, but I know there are kids out there that Ash and I can give a good home to who need parents.
“You’re really quiet,” Ash says as I move around the kitchen fixing dinner. “Are you okay?”
“Something weird happened while Holly and I were out shopping,” I tell him.
“What?” Immediately, his alpha tendencies come rushing forth, causing me to bite back a grin. “What happened, Marnie?”
“Well, we met one of Mina’s little school friends, Becca, today,” I reply. “She’s apparently a foster child staying with someone I actually know. But that’s not the strange part, Ash. She looks like you. Nearly identical if I’m being honest.”
Silence.
It’s so quiet that all I hear is the bubbling of the water on the stove as it starts to boil, and the low hum of the refrigerator.
“I don’t have any children,” he states. He’s so emphatic in his denial that I believe him. “I’ve obviously got a past,” he says, “but not only did I always wrap up, the women I was involved with used their own form of birth control.”
The urge to find these women and hurt them rises up inside, but I push it back down because jealousy has no room in our relationship. “Birth control isn’t foolproof,” I carefully say.
“Marnie, since you came into town, I haven’t been with another woman,” he replies. “If this little girl is in Mina’s class, that means she’s five or six, right?”
“Yeah, so?”
“And you’ve been here now for over six years, give or take, correct?”
I do the math and nod. “But she could still be yours, Ash.”
“It had been at least a year if not longer before that, Marnie.”
“You… you werecelibateall that time? On purpose?” I ask, somewhat shocked at what he’s saying.
“I’ve never been a fan of going where my brothers have already been,” he admits. “Plus, when we first got the club going, we were busy as hell getting businesses up and running. Plain and simple, I barely had enough time for sleeping and eating, much less time to put in the effort to find a willing woman. My hand’s been sufficient. Boring, but it does the job.”
“Well, it’s weird that she truly could be your mini me, Ash, but it definitely doesn’t sound like she could be your little girl,” I muse. “Do you have any other family?”
He shrugs then says, “I haven’t been in touch with my family of origin for years now, Marnie. My parents ‘highly disapproved’ of my choice to go into the military and then join a motorcycle club. They’re very religious and my goals didn’t align with what they felt was living a good Christian lifestyle. I have a brother and a sister, but they live a few hours away from where I ended up. I think it’s just a coincidence.”
“Maybe so. Dinner’s done, so let’s eat. I wanna tell you what we got for the Thanksgiving boxes we’re doing for the community,” I say, as I start filling the plates with food.
CHAPTER
