Victoria Austin - Family Of Convenience

Edith was holding Genie in her arms. Caty was standing next to her, one little fist buried in Edith’s apron. Adam jumped down from the wagon and hurried to help Millie down. He should probably face the children with Millie by his side, present them as a united front, but he could not help himself. Adam bounded up the stairs and knelt down in front of his little girl.

“Hi there, Caty-girl. Did you miss me? I missed you a whole lot.”

Caty let go of Edith’s apron and stepped into Adam’s arms. Adam stood, relishing as always the slight weight of his sweet girl in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck. Adam let her hide for a moment.

He looked at Genie and smiled. “Hey there, bud. Did you miss me?”

Genie nodded, still looking a bit uncertain. Adam reached out with his free hand and brushed it affectionately over the top of his son’s head.

Adam turned and walked down the stairs, murmuring to Caty as he went. “Are you ready to meet Millie, Caty-girl? Remember I told you that I was going to come back with a woman. A new mother?”

Caty nodded slightly, but still did not lift her face from Adam’s neck. He came to a stop in front of Millie.

“Caty, sit up and say hi to Millie. She really wants to meet you.”

Caty lifted her head, but she still looked down at Adam’s chest instead of in Millie’s direction.

“Hi, Caty. I’m so happy to meet you. Your daddy told me all about you, and I am so excited to be here.” Millie’s tone was just right. Genuine and friendly without being too condescending.

Caty looked at Millie, and Millie smiled gently. The smile made dimples appear in her cheeks. How had Adam not noticed the dimples earlier? He found he really liked them.

Caty bit her lip, but her face lost some of its wariness. Her death grip on Adam lessened. His girlie was definitely curious about Millie, but not scared.

That was good. Adam turned to look at Edith.

“Do you and Genie want to come and meet Millie, Edith?”

Edith came down the stairs at once, a huge smile splitting her face. “I thought you’d never ask. Standing back quietly is not something I’m skilled at, Adam Beale, and I think I’ve exercised a lifetime’s amount of restraint in the last five minutes.”

That was Edith. Cheerful and exuberant. But, also a good friend. Willing to help anyone she encountered. He had been beyond blessed to have the Potters as neighbors.

Still holding Genie, Edith came up to Millie, leaned in and hugged her. Millie looked surprised, but she returned the brief embrace. Edith then turned and stood so that Genie was angled toward Millie.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Millie. We’ve been excited all day, waiting for your arrival. My husband and I are your closest neighbors here, and I can’t wait to get to know you. I just know we’ll be friends.”

Millie’s eyes were wide, and Adam almost laughed. She had no idea what was in store for her now that Edith Potter had decided they would be friends. Though Edith was probably a year or two younger than Millie, she had the kind of personality that charged in and took control of things. Edith’s husband, Mike, had said more than once that his wife was a tornado.

Adam set Caty on the ground, not surprised at all when he felt her move as close as possible to his legs. He stepped up and took Genie out of Edith’s arms. “Genie, this is Millie.”

Millie stepped closer to Adam and smiled at Genie. Given Genie’s place in Adam’s arms, the boy and Millie were almost eye level with one another. “Hi, Genie. Your daddy told me all about you, too. I’m very happy that I finally get to meet you.”

“Well, I’ve got my things all gathered together and loaded in the wagon. I think I’ll be on my way.” Edith was still grinning like a fool.

“I appreciate all your help, Edith. You don’t have to rush off right away, you know.”

“It wasn’t any trouble at all.” Edith looked over at Millie and smiled an encouraging smile. “Millie needs time to settle. Both into the house and with the children. Don’t get too excited about me being gone, though. I’ll come back in a few days. Just to see if I can help.”

Adam had no doubt that Edith would be back. Neighbors were scarce enough out here and opportunities for socializing were few. A woman near her own age for a neighbor? That had to feel like treasure to someone as outgoing as Edith.

“I’ll get your horses and hitch them.” Adam set Genie down by the women and walked into the barn, pausing in the cool shadows inside. He turned to watch the group.

Edith was talking to Millie, her lips never seeming to stop and her hands moving in motions that probably corresponded to her words. Millie was watching, but was not talking in response. Caty and Genie were just standing there. The awkwardness seemed to reach out and blanket the entire front yard.

Well, it was done. He had a wife. His children had a mother.

Please, God. Don’t let this have been another mistake.

Chapter Three

To Do:

Wake up early

Gather eggs

Get water

Bring in wood for the day

Milk cow—well, try to milk the cow

Wash clothes

Hang clothes to dry

Churn butter

Make beds

Make stew for supper

Make bread

Beat dust out of rugs

Tackle mending pile

Weed garden

Work on knitting things to sell for extra money

Milk cow again?

Millie looked at her to-do list and frowned. She was hopelessly behind today. No, that wasn’t the full extent of it. She was hopelessly behind this month. Making her plans and lists was one thing. Actually doing them was a completely different thing. An increasingly frustrating thing, it turned out.

Between the two children outside her womb and the one inside, Millie was not getting anything done. At all.

Millie looked at her plans for the day and then scratched them out with a giant X. She hated that proof of her failure, right there for all to see. If she could, Millie would erase the always-uncompleted lists and pretend they never existed. But, she had used up all of her eraser doing that already. And, it hadn’t helped. She was still looking at a book of archived failures instead of a book of accomplishment.

“Miyi.”

Gene was awake. Millie closed her book and walked to the bedroom where the children were napping. She opened the door and was not surprised at all to see the little boy sitting up and grinning at her from the bed. Caty was still sleeping soundly next to him.

This had been their pattern for the past month. Both children would go down for their nap without a fuss, and both would quickly fall asleep. But, Genie woke up early. Every. Single. Time. Then, he grinned and charmed his way out of the rest of his nap. Millie supposed she should be firmer with him, but she just couldn’t. Not with that smile.

Millie came in and picked Gene up out of the bed. Holding him on one hip, she leaned down and adjusted the covers so they fully covered Caty. The girl would sleep for another hour or so, yet. Millie wasn’t too concerned about the difference in their nap time each day. Both children went to bed easily and on time. Both woke easily enough, too. Millie felt sure that each child was getting enough rest.

Millie left the door cracked as she went back out into the main room. She sat down in the rocking chair, adjusting Gene so he sat in her lap facing her.

“Well, Mr. Beale, did you have a good nap?”

“Yes!”

“Shh, you’ll wake your sister.”

“Blocks!”

Millie gave him her best mock-stern look. “May you please play with blocks?”

“Blocks, please?”

Good enough. Millie leaned forward and kissed his forehead before standing up and carrying him to the small area rug in the center of the room. She set him down and went to get the basket full of blocks from the corner. Genie would happily sit there, banging and making noises as he played, for hours.