Maegan smiled, but only those who knew her best would recognize it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “That would be lovely,” she said.
Maegan’s inability to produce biological Markham offspring wasn’t something that came to my mind unless she brought it up. We said we would have a family, and we would, but not in the way my mom was dreaming for us. I should’ve told her sooner when I knew I had fallen in love with Maegan and wanted to build a life with her. Not because I needed my mom’s blessing or understanding, but to save Maegan from uneasy moments like this one. Accepting she wasn’t going to carry my child was one thing, but openly discussing it with people she didn’t know very well was totally different. I placed my hand on the back of Maegan’s neck and felt her relax beneath my touch. I would make this right and have a private conversation with my mom before we left. I knew without a doubt my mom and dad would accept and love any child we adopted.
“As for you,” Mom said, turning toward me, “since you boys so lovingly volunteered to do things around the farm today…” Her words trailed off as she pulled a folded piece of paper from her apron pocket. I groaned, and Dad cackled in his recliner. “I thought of a few things I’d like done,” she paused for dramatic effect, “if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Of course, it’s not too much trouble,” Maegan said, patting my shoulder. “Elijah would love to help out.”
“Freckles,” I said under my breath but loud enough for Mom to hear, “you’ve never seen my mom’s lists, so you have no idea what you’re signing me up for.”
“Pooh Bear,” Maegan said sweetly, “we both know you and Jack are going to cross off every item on the list to make your mama happy, so you might as well stop grumbling and get to work. The days are getting shorter and shorter.”
Dad cackled harder and slapped the arm of his recliner. “Keeper!”
“Pooh Bear?” I asked, hooking my arm around her shoulder and pulling her against my body so I could kiss the top of her head. “That’s new.”
“It’s absolutely precious,” Jack said, entering the house. “I’m never letting you live it down either.”
I groaned because he wasn’t joking. From that point on, he would find a way to call me Pooh Bear and wouldn’t stop until one of us died. “Where are my nephews?” I asked.
“They had a birthday sleepover last night. Daphne is picking them up in a few hours and bringing them over.” Jack smiled crookedly. “Which means we can get a jumpstart on Mom’s list without you using my sons as an excuse to dodge work.”
“Hey, I’m appalled you view me tossing the football with your sons as anything other than me bonding with my nephews. Such a cynic, Jack.”
“I’ll take the list, Mom,” Jack said valiantly. “As oldest, I’ll divide the chores up evenly.”
It was my turn to scoff. “You’re not fooling anyone, Jack.” I looked at Mom and gave her the smile I used as a kid when I hoped to get myself out of trouble. “I’ll take the list, Mom. You can trust me to make sure everything gets done to your standards.” The smile didn’t work then, and it sure as hell didn’t work for me as an adult.
Mom handed the list to Maegan. “There’s a new sheriff in town, boys.”
“Let’s see what we have here,” Freckles said, unfolding the to-do list. “Oh, I know how much Elijah loves cleaning out gutters.” She was loving every second of the power Mom gave her. “I bet Jack can’t wait to power wash the siding on the detached garages.” Maegan pressed her finger over her pursed lips briefly and hummed. “I think raking leaves is too big for either one of them to finish by themselves.”
“I agree,” Mom said. “They can start raking them together after they finish their solo tasks.”
“It’s always best to admit defeat, fellas,” Dad said cheerfully from his chair. “Brenda, I think I’m going to have a whole new appreciation for the wraparound porch on this old house.”
“So you can move around to enjoy the warmth of the sun?” Mom asked him.
“No, so I can move around and supervise our knuckleheads,” Dad said with a snort. “I remember how chore days went around here. All that goofing around when you didn’t think I was watching you.”
“Come on, Dad,” Jack groaned. “We’re not little kids anymore.”
“I think there are some things men never outgrow.” Dad smiled crookedly. “The love of a good woman, and the desire to make mischief now and again.” He had a point, so there was no reason to argue.
“To reward your hard work, I’m going to be making homemade applesauce,” Mom said then looked at Maegan. “Would you like to give me a hand?”
“I’d love to.” Maegan walked over to Dad’s recliner and handed the list to him. “It looks like you’re in charge of making sure the work gets done to your standards.” Jack and I grumbled even more, making Dad laugh harder.
“This is going to be a great day,” Dad said cheerfully as he slowly stood up.
He seemed to really enjoy barking out orders from the porch, sounding more and more like himself with every remark. I pretended to grumble and gripe, but I was loving it on the inside. The weather was perfect, and I couldn’t ask for better company either. I especially had fun when I accidentally dropped leaves and dirt on top of Jack’s head when he was stacking bales of hay around the foundation as added insulation against the oncoming cold weather.
“No gaps between the bales, Jack,” Dad called from the porch. “I don’t want frozen pipes this winter.”
“Yes, sir,” Jack said, stifling the grin trying to spread across his face.
“Elijah, I think an eight-year-old could trim the shrubs straighter than you’re doing right now,” Dad teased from the porch when I’d finished one chore and started another.
“I was thinking about shaping them into animals,” I fired back. “Snarling lions or something.”
