Feels like Rain (Lake Fisher 3)

“I’ll wake you up so you can pretend to have slept on the couch, if that will make you feel better, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Mitchell already knows I plan to marry you.”

She smiles at me. “I’m keeping my pajamas on.”

I let my eyes run up and down her body. “I can work around them.”

I watch as a shiver runs up her spine.

I put Mitchell to bed, and he doesn’t even wake up.

Then Abigail and I go into the bedroom and close the door. She does eventually put the pajamas back on, but not until much, much later.

I wake up to find Mitchell staring down at me.

“Did you have a sleepover?” he asks quietly.

I scrub my face, trying to wake up. Abigail is pressed against my side.

“Abigail’s grandmother slept in her bed, so I let her come here.”

He tilts his head to look at me. “She could have slept on my bottom bunk.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?” I mutter.

Abigail blinks her eyes open. She’s startled when she finds Mitchell staring at her. “Hey,” she says, her voice groggy from sleep.

“You slept with my dad,” he says.

Her eyes open wide. “I did.”

His brow furrows.

“What’s wrong?” I ask. I’m new to this parenting thing.

“Are we going to be a family now?” he asks.

I look at Abigail. “I’m pretty sure we already are.”

Abigail moves over a little and then she pats the spot between us. “Come here,” she says. He climbs up between us and lies down, and Abigail wraps her arm over him, and reaches over to take my hand at the same time.

Mitchell leans close to my ear and says, “I think she might be a good stepmom.”

“You think so?” I whisper back.

Abigail squeezes my hand ever so gently.

“She smells nice, too.”

I nod. “True.”

He leans close and sniffs Abigail. “Kind of like lemons.” He snuggles a little deeper against her side. “I like lemons,” he whispers.

I do too. I like them a lot.

35

Abigail

“I love him, Gran,” I say quietly as we sit on the side of the dock, our feet swinging back and forth over the water. I watch as Ethan and Mitchell walk down the shore together. They stop every now and then and pick up rocks. Ethan is teaching him how to make them skip over the surface of the water, leaving little pin pricks of waves in their wakes.