grin.
“I had Harrison take me to the offices downtown. Simone had all the designers we worked with for our parties on file. I showed them a sketch of what I wanted and they made it happen.”
Just when I thought I couldn’t love him any more than I already did, he turned up the dial of his awesomeness. “You are an amazing little boy, Jonathan. I think I may be the luckiest stepmom in the whole wide world.”
He squeezed my fingers. “You deserve to be happy, Rachel,” he said softly. “Mom,” he amended even softer.
I pulled him into a hug and he cuddled beside me on the bed. “You make me happy,” I told him as I kissed the top of his head. “Every day, in every way.”
“Good,” he said. “Because I have a favor.”
“Oh?”
“I actually have one more surprise. But I need your help pulling it off.”
This piqued my interest. Before I could ask, he hopped off the bed and darted from the room. When he returned, he was carrying an acoustic guitar. He grinned as he perched back on the bed.
“Where’d you get that?”
“Uncle Alex gave it to me,” he said. “So I could play for the baby.”
Tears sprang into my eyes. It was such an Alex thing for him to do. “How can I help, Jonathan? I don’t know how to play.”
“Alex does,” he said softly. “He was teaching me.” He plucked at the strings. “After Mom broke up with Derek, she and I went to s tay with Alex. You know how he plays for Max?” I nodded. “I told him I wished he could play for the new baby and he suggested I should. We started lessons that night. I don’t think Mom was very happy about it,” he added. “She and Uncle Alex fought a lot before she finally left for New York with some of her friends.”
“They fought?” I repeated, and he nodded. “What about?” He shrugged. I knew he knew, but he didn’t want to tell me. “Jonathan.”
He looked away. “You.”
I gulped. “I see.”
“Mom thinks that she’ll lose custody now that you married my dad. She blamed Alex for bringing you back out to California. She said he ruined everything. That he always ruins everything. He tried to defend you, but that only made her madder. She said awful things,” he added with a slight shudder. “He bunked with me and Max until she finally made other arrangements.”
“I see,” I said again.
“Things were better after she left. That’s when we did another campout. He started teaching me guitar. It was great,” he drifted off sadly. “Like last summer.”
I nodded. Last summer had been pretty great despite it all. “I still don’t know what you need me to do, Jonathan.”
“You brought Dad and Alex together last year,” he said hopefully. “You can do it again.”
I closed my eyes and rested my head back on the pillows. If only he knew. “Jonathan…”
“It can be good, you know it can,” he urged. “You can fix it. Like you fixed me. Like you fixed Dad.”
I chuckled mirthlessly. “It’s not that simple, sweetie. No one can just change anyone else. They have to want to change.”
His bright blue eyes bore into mine. “Make them want to.” Before I could say anything, he went on. “You’re a Fullerton now. This is your family, too. We can make it right. I know we can. Please.”
I sighed. “I’m not going to make this promise, Jonathan. I can’t. But,” I added when his chin fell, “I’ll do what I can.”
He smiled. “That’s all any of us can do. Right?”
“Right,” I agreed. I cuddled under the blanket as I listened to him play the simple tune, “ Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star .” I drifted to sleep thinking of cozy campfires, harmonicas and two little boys torn apart by decades of pain.
And just like Sisyphus, the boulder once again landed at my feet at the bottom of the hill.
Chapter Six
True to his word, Drew had arranged a hearing before the judge to re-evaluate Jonathan’s custody ar rangement by the following Friday. The only surprise was that Elise didn’t
“I had Harrison take me to the offices downtown. Simone had all the designers we worked with for our parties on file. I showed them a sketch of what I wanted and they made it happen.”
Just when I thought I couldn’t love him any more than I already did, he turned up the dial of his awesomeness. “You are an amazing little boy, Jonathan. I think I may be the luckiest stepmom in the whole wide world.”
He squeezed my fingers. “You deserve to be happy, Rachel,” he said softly. “Mom,” he amended even softer.
I pulled him into a hug and he cuddled beside me on the bed. “You make me happy,” I told him as I kissed the top of his head. “Every day, in every way.”
“Good,” he said. “Because I have a favor.”
“Oh?”
“I actually have one more surprise. But I need your help pulling it off.”
This piqued my interest. Before I could ask, he hopped off the bed and darted from the room. When he returned, he was carrying an acoustic guitar. He grinned as he perched back on the bed.
“Where’d you get that?”
“Uncle Alex gave it to me,” he said. “So I could play for the baby.”
Tears sprang into my eyes. It was such an Alex thing for him to do. “How can I help, Jonathan? I don’t know how to play.”
“Alex does,” he said softly. “He was teaching me.” He plucked at the strings. “After Mom broke up with Derek, she and I went to s tay with Alex. You know how he plays for Max?” I nodded. “I told him I wished he could play for the new baby and he suggested I should. We started lessons that night. I don’t think Mom was very happy about it,” he added. “She and Uncle Alex fought a lot before she finally left for New York with some of her friends.”
“They fought?” I repeated, and he nodded. “What about?” He shrugged. I knew he knew, but he didn’t want to tell me. “Jonathan.”
He looked away. “You.”
I gulped. “I see.”
“Mom thinks that she’ll lose custody now that you married my dad. She blamed Alex for bringing you back out to California. She said he ruined everything. That he always ruins everything. He tried to defend you, but that only made her madder. She said awful things,” he added with a slight shudder. “He bunked with me and Max until she finally made other arrangements.”
“I see,” I said again.
“Things were better after she left. That’s when we did another campout. He started teaching me guitar. It was great,” he drifted off sadly. “Like last summer.”
I nodded. Last summer had been pretty great despite it all. “I still don’t know what you need me to do, Jonathan.”
“You brought Dad and Alex together last year,” he said hopefully. “You can do it again.”
I closed my eyes and rested my head back on the pillows. If only he knew. “Jonathan…”
“It can be good, you know it can,” he urged. “You can fix it. Like you fixed me. Like you fixed Dad.”
I chuckled mirthlessly. “It’s not that simple, sweetie. No one can just change anyone else. They have to want to change.”
His bright blue eyes bore into mine. “Make them want to.” Before I could say anything, he went on. “You’re a Fullerton now. This is your family, too. We can make it right. I know we can. Please.”
I sighed. “I’m not going to make this promise, Jonathan. I can’t. But,” I added when his chin fell, “I’ll do what I can.”
He smiled. “That’s all any of us can do. Right?”
“Right,” I agreed. I cuddled under the blanket as I listened to him play the simple tune, “ Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star .” I drifted to sleep thinking of cozy campfires, harmonicas and two little boys torn apart by decades of pain.
And just like Sisyphus, the boulder once again landed at my feet at the bottom of the hill.
Chapter Six
True to his word, Drew had arranged a hearing before the judge to re-evaluate Jonathan’s custody ar rangement by the following Friday. The only surprise was that Elise didn’t
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