Elizabeth made it to Lucas' house the next day and the next and the next. The rooms were really taking shape and she was working hard which made Lucas feel a bit sorry for her.
She was not very talkative. She worked for five straight hours a day and didn't take a break, insisting this was how she did it. This was how things got done. He had offered her lunch but she always declined.
"Knock, knock," he said, walking into Amie's room. She was up high on a ladder, attaching the molding around where the ceiling met the walls.
"I'll be out of your hair soon," she told him, not turning around.
"You are not in my hair and the room looks great."
"I'm glad you like it."
"So how old is your daughter?" he asked her. She paused for a moment and then smiled.
"Two and a half."
"Amie is four and Ace is seven."
"Are they with their mother?" Elizabeth asked. "You have shared custody?"
"Oh, no. I'm adopting them. They are with their foster family right now."
She turned and looked at him. "I adopted Nora too."
"You did?"
"Yes. She's been with me for about a week and a half."
"Wow."
"She's having trouble with me leaving her," Elizabeth admitted, turning back around.
"That makes sense, I suppose. Ace has nightmares."
"Which is why the glow-in-the-dark stars and nightlights?" she asked. "Make him feel safer?"
"Yeah. You are almost done with this room, right?"
"Yeah. Ace's is…well, I should be done in two days."
"Why don't you finish this and go home to your daughter?"
"I still have another hour."
"I can see how much you want to be there. I get it. I miss my kids too and they aren't even with me yet."
"If you're sure, Mr. Bouchard."
"Lucas, and yes. I'm sure."
"I appreciate that."
"Also, I…I go to a single parenting class every Monday night. If you're interested…"
"How do you know I'm single?"
"You said, 'I adopted Nora', not 'we', so I put two and two together."
"Well, I really don't want to have to leave her with a sitter right now."
"Okay. Just know its an option. We could even ride together if…"
"Thanks. I appreciate that."
A single parenting class…it was probably just a bunch of single parents looking for a partner. She didn't want that. Or need it.
"Might be interesting," Vi said a half hour later.
"Are you kidding?"
"No. Maybe they have ideas on what to do when your daughter has separation anxiety."
"Did she throw a fit again?"
"Yeah. This time it only lasted ten minutes but…"
"I'm sorry, Vi. I'm almost done with this job and then I'll take some time off."
"What about the Yost project? Its big, Beth."
"I know but…I haven't signed a contract yet so I can back out."
She didn't want to back out. That one project would keep her afloat for six months, at least.
Elizabeth thought about that the whole evening. Did she think that staying home with Nora would help her get over her fears or make them worse? Her fits were getting shorter so maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed.
She prayed and prayed and then finally went to sleep, hoping something would come to her in her sleep. Some idea that wouldn't involve having to make such a hard choice.
In the morning though, she didn't have any answers. She headed over to Lucas' house and started working so she could finish Ace's room. As she was putting up his trim around the two windows she heard a knock on the door frame.
"Mr. Bouchard."
"Lucas, please. May I call you Elizabeth?"
She turned and looked at him, stopping herself from staring. He was wearing a dark gray suit and white button down, no tie. Mouthwatering would be how she would describe him. But that would be a bad idea. She wasn't going down that road.
"You may call me Elizabeth."
"Great. So, Elizabeth, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be heading to St. Louis."
"St. Louis?"
"Yes, to pick up my kids."
The grin on his face made her smile too. He was so excited.
"I see. When are you leaving?"
"Right now, actually." He handed her a key.
"No, I don't think that's a good idea."
"I think it's the only idea that will work. You aren't quite done, and I can't stay so I'm trusting you with my house."
"Mr…I mean Lucas, this isn't how this is supposed to work."
"What choice do I have?" He looked at his phone. "My ride's here. Will you stay?"
"Fine." She turned back around and punched another nail into the trim. "When do you return?"
"Saturday evening. Thank you for all your work."
He turned to go and then turned back toward her. "I submitted your pay about five minutes ago."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Good luck with your kids. You're a pretty remarkable dad already."
"I appreciate that. Not sure I agree, but I appreciate it."
……
Lucas got into the Lincoln SUV that sat at the curb. He smiled at the man at the wheel. "Hey, Pop."
His father and mother sat there, stiff smiles on their faces.
"Son."
"Hey, Mom. You look beautiful." He sat forward and kissed her cheek.
"Nonsense. Whose car is that?" she asked.
"The interior designer. She's finishing up Ace's room."
"You're leaving her in your house alone?"
"Yes. She's trustworthy, Mom."
"How do you know?"
"I just do." He had a feeling. He didn't know where it was coming from exactly. He barely knew her but anyone that ran her own business and raised a toddler alone was okay in his book.
"Are you ready for this, Lucas?"
"Fatherhood? Absolutely."
"I still wish you would find…"
"I don't want a wife, Mother. I've done that and you know how that turned out."
"Crystal was a lovely woman."
"Who cheated on me." He scrubbed his palms up and down his face. "I don't want to talk about Crystal, Mom. We have been divorced for six years."
"Kids need a mother and a father."
"Helen…" Martin warned. "Leave him alone. You've always wanted grandkids and you have met them. They fit in with this family, regardless if he has a wife or not."
"I'm just wanting a bit of support, Mother," Lucas said. "Is that too much to ask?"
"I'm here, aren't I? Of course I support you. I just worry too."
Lucas kept his mouth shut. His mom had her opinions. Had always had her opinions and that was one thing that drove him crazy. Everyone was entitled to them, but if they were not helpful or supportive, why share them?
He looked out the window of the Lincoln and watched as they drove to the airport.
He refused to allow Helen Bouchard to ruin this amazing weekend. Amie and Ace Bouchard were coming home. That was the most important part.
…..
Six hours later, Lucas and his parents landed in St. Louis. They headed straight to the hotel to freshen up and then they were going to meet Ace, Amie and their foster mom for dinner.
Lucas decided to forgo the suit jacket to be more comfortable himself and for the kids. To seem more easy going.
His heart was beating so fast as he waited by the restaurant near the Arch. If he wasn't so distracted by catching the first glimpse of them, he might be in awe of the landmark itself.
"Daddy!" Amie yelled out the window of the van they were in, making his heart fill with love and his eyes, with tears.
"Hi, baby!"
"Lucas, we are in public," Helen muttered, clearly embarrassed by his outburst. He ignored it. He would show as much love as he could from now on. These kids would know without a doubt how he felt.
As soon as the van stopped, the door opened and Ace jumped out, followed by his sister. They both rushed over and hugged Lucas.
"Hi, guys. I missed you so much." He bent to kiss the top of Ace's head. "You've grown a foot, my boy."
Ace smiled up at him. "Just an inch, Dad."
"Close enough."
He picked up Amie and hugged her tightly, the tears in his eyes falling finally.
"Can we go home, Daddy?" she asked him. "I just want to go home with you now."
"We will go home tomorrow but I'm not letting you out of my sight, baby. I promise."
Lucas' parents walked up and shook hands with their foster mom, Eleanor.
"Let's go say hi to Grandma and Grandpa and then we can eat dinner."
"Is Miss Ellie coming too?" Ace wondered.
"Yes. She's coming too."
Lucas walked over, still carrying Amie and holding Ace's hand. "Ellie, thank you so much for meeting us."
"Of course. I'm happy to."
Lucas' dad walked up and squeezed Ace's shoulder. "Hello, young man."
"Hi," he said softly, stepping closer to Lucas.
"I'm hungry, Daddy," Amie told him.
"Okay, honey. Why don't we all go find our table?"
Lucas held up the menu and pointed to different items he thought Amie would like. "You like chicken fingers, right, baby?"
"Mm yes. With ranch."
"Sounds good. What kind of vegetables do you like?"
"Yuck!"
"Well, we will get some broccoli and see what you think."
"No! I don't like broccoli." Lucas didn't look up at his mom but he could feel her disapproval in the air.
"The rule in our house is you have to try everything once. If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it after that." He looked at Ace. "What are you getting, Ace?"
"I want a cheeseburger please."
"Okay and what veggies?"
"Do I have to?"
"Yep."
"I guess corn is fine."
"Good. I'm getting steak and a baked potato with a salad."
Amie got up and whispered into Eleanor's ear. "Okay, dear." Ellie got up and took Amie's hand, leading her away from the table. Lucas assumed it was to head to the bathroom.
"Can we go home, Dad?" Ace said, looking concerned about something.
"What's going on, Ace?"
"I just feel…I don't know. There are a lot of people here and I don't feel comfortable."
"Would you like to sit on my lap? Will that help?"
"Yeah."
He picked Ace up and put him on his lap. The little guy immediately snuggled in and closed his eyes, yawning. He was tired. No wonder he was feeling out of sorts.
"The boy should learn to sit in his own chair, son," Helen said quietly.
"Mom, I appreciate your help, truly. But this is how I'm choosing to take care of my child."
She raised her eyebrows and nodded, getting the point.
Ace slept the rest of the dinner and when it came time to go to the hotel, he panicked when he thought Lucas was leaving him.
"Hey, bud," Lucas said, picking him up. "I'm not leaving you. You, me and Amie are going to be together from now on. Can you say goodbye to Miss Ellie and thank her for taking such good care of you?"
"She's leaving? I don't want her to go!" Lucas put him down when he saw Ellie walking over.
Ellie knelt down in front of the kids and smiled. "Hey there. Remember what we talked about earlier? That you are going to live with your dad now? That means that you won't be staying with me anymore. But your dad promised that we can video chat sometimes, okay?"
They both hugged her hard and she held them as long as they needed. Ellie loved those two. She had been keeping them safe for the last few months and her house would feel empty with them gone.
"We love you," Ace said, Amie nodding and sniffling.
"I love you too. So much. Now you are going to love living with your Dad. I know you will."
They each took Lucas' hand, one on each side and walked away, trying to be brave as he helped them in the back of the SUV and into their new booster seats.
Lucas knew the kids were adjusting and were sad, so he tried to lighten the mood. "Guess what we are going to do tomorrow, guys!"
They looked at him, smiling a little.
"We are going to the aquarium!"
"What's that?" Amie asked.
"Its a big place where they have lots of animals that live in the ocean. Fish and lobsters and turtles and seals and lots of other kinds too. I think you can even touch a shark or a stingray!"
"Whoa, cool!" Ace yelled, making his mom wince. "I want to touch a shark!"
"I don't. What if it bites me?" Amie asked, shaking her head.
"There will be someone there that will teach you how to do it so that doesn't happen. But you don't have to do it if you don't want to."
"Are Grandpa and Grandma coming too?"
"If they want to," Lucas said, looking at Martin in the mirror.
"I'd like to go," he told Lucas.
"I think I'm going to go do some shopping," Helen said, looking out the window.
"Looks like Grandpa is going with us!"
"Yay!"
Lucas could see that keeping his mom happy was going to be a challenge. He'd let his dad do that. He would keep his own energy focused on the kids. His kids. A family of his own.