Mom sat down on the other side of the laundry basket and picked up a cute little jumper. Despite Gina bringing over some of the twins’ clothing from their house, Debbie couldn’t resist buying some new outfits for the girls. Even though she wanted to buyallthe cute clothes, she’d shown great restraint, because she knew the girls would outgrow them so fast.
“Is motherhood supposed to feel like this?” She asked her mom in a quiet voice.
“Like what, honey?”
“Like I’m…drowning.” Debbie blinked back the tears that filled her eyes. She couldn’t even blame her pendulum of emotions on post postpartum depression like most new moms, or even sleep deprivation, since the girls were sleeping much better now.
Mom caught her arm as she reached for a pair of pajamas. “Any mom with twins often feels overwhelmed. Heck, one child is enough to do that to you, as I’m sure you realized with Noah.”
A hint of a smile pulled at Debbie’s lips as she thought about the busy little boy who’d stolen her heart so quickly, yet tested her patience to the limits.
Compassion filled her mom’s voice as she went back to folding more clothes. “Being a mom can be hard, being a single mom… Well, that’s even harder.”
“I thought if I just got a couple of kids of my own, then I’d be happy, but…” Debbie couldn’t finish her sentence around the lump in her throat.
“Once you’ve enjoyed ice cream, it’s hard to imagine a life without it.”
Debbie frowned at her mom. It wasn’t surprising her mom would use ice cream in an analogy—that’s where Debbie got her love for ice cream, after all—but she wasn’t sure what Mom was saying.
“Honey, you’ve had a glimpse of being a part of a whole family, with a strong supportive man by your side.”
Conflicting emotions filled Debbie as she recalled telling her mom how kind and helpful Austin had been last week when she was adjusting to having the twins. Despite the chaos, it had been the happiest week of her life. And she’d fallen even deeper in love with him Friday night when he read the girls a bedtime story.
Then only a few days later, she’d turned around and told her mom how angry Austin was when he thought she’d paid off his hospital bills. That had hurt Debbie deeply. She wanted nothing more than to help Austin with his financial struggles, but she understood how important it was to him to provide for his family. She’d never do anything to undermine that.
It hurt that he’d had so little faith in her. That he’d immediately lumped her right back in with all of the other rich people who’d hurt him. Comparing her to his self-centered, egotistical, narcissistic ex-wife had been the worst insult he could throw at her.
“He’ll come around,” Mom said confidently.
“Don’t hold your breath. He’s never liked my money. It’s always been a source of contention between us.”
“Maybe, but someday he’ll realize that having you in his life is more important than his pride.”
Debbie picked at her fingernails. “What makes you so sure?”
“I saw the way he looked at you during the barbecue a few weeks ago. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you.” Mom gave her a knowing look. “He may struggle to accept your wealth, but his love for you will win out eventually.”
Debbie wished she had her mom’s confidence. Austin had said he was falling for her, but he’d never said he loved her. And she’d never told him she was in love with him.
She’d suffered enough rejection over the past few years that the last thing she wanted to do was make him feel like she was rushing things and end up pushing him away. So, she’d kept her mouth shut and she’d lost him anyway.
* * *
Bang!
Austin jolted at the booming sound and struggled to keep his truck in his lane as it pulled to the right. As soon as it was safe to do so, he pulled over to the shoulder of the highway. He swore and smacked the steering wheel with his fist.
A flat tire was the last thing he needed to deal with right now. He was already late coming home as it was.
He got out and checked the front right tire. Sure enough. Blown. Practically shredded.
He swore again and kicked the tire for good measure. He’d needed new tires for a while now, but he just hadn’t had the extra money, so he’d kept putting it off.
He put in a quick call to the neighbor down the street whose son played on Dallas and Cody’s team to see if she could get his boys to soccer. Then he sent a text to Savvy to let her know he’d be late, and that Mrs. Johnson would take the boys to their game.
Thirty minutes later, he swore again and threw the tire iron on the ground. The lug nuts had been so stubborn, he’d broken a bolt.
He pulled his phone out again and looked up numbers for a tow truck. There were exactly two repair shops in Providence: Knight’s and Decker’s. Although Decker’s specialized mostly in quick oil changes, he called them first, because Debbie’s brother, Scott, worked at Knight’s Repair Shop.
