Whatever had occurred the night that she’d been conceived, it hadn’t been about love. Comfort, maybe. Survival, certainly.
And a sense of survival was the gift they’d given to her, their only daughter. A gift she would cherish and pass on to her own child.
Or children, if the fates gave her and Josh their way.
“What are you all doing to that soon-to-be daughter-in-law of mine?” J.P.’s voice boomed from the table. “She spent the time to prepare a meal we could have had catered—I think we all owe her the respect of letting her eat it. That’s my grandchild she’s feeding there.”
Somehow, while Dana had spent a good bit of her life unable to attract the love of a father, she’d earned J.P.’s affection—and protection—right from the start.
“Lillie said to tell you she’s changing Abraham and will be right down,” Addy said, pushing Nonnie’s chair up to the table.
The old woman had yet to say a word to the man who’d knocked up her daughter and left her emotionally unable to handle the responsibility of raising a kid on her own. Mark’s mother had eventually been killed in a car accident after she got drunk and wrapped her car around a tree.
Mark reached for the glass of ice sitting at Nonnie’s place at the table, and then for the pitcher of tea that was among the other pitchers waiting to be carried to the table. He poured, and turned.
“That’s for your grandmother,” William said, letting go of Dana’s hand to reach for the tea.
Mark held on to the glass. “I’ll take it to her,” William said, and after another pause, Mark handed it to him. Coming up behind Mark, Addy put her hands on his shoulders and rested her chin there.
“I love you forever, Mark Heber, and can’t wait to be your wife.”
The words were obviously meant for Mark alone, uttered privately in the midst of the cacophony, but Dana heard them.
And so did Lillie, who joined them in the archway, Abraham on her hip. “You can’t wait,” Lillie said. “I don’t think I’ll be sleeping at all tonight.”
“Illie, ’eep,” Abraham said, bouncing up and down on Lillie’s hip.
“You’re a drunk and a loser, William Birmingham.”
Everyone in the kitchen froze as Nonnie’s words rang loud and clear from the dining room.
“And you’re nothing but a barmaid,” William said. “It’s what I always told you, and you know I’m right,” the man returned, at which Mark took a determined step forward. But stopped as the man who’d fathered him continued.
“I loved her, Nonnie, even more than you did. I just couldn’t get her to stop drinking. To calm down. I followed her, you know, when she ran off that first time. I wanted to marry her. She never told me about the baby. She just told me she didn’t love me so I had to go make a life for myself.”
“So you went and got yourself drunk and jailed.”
“Yep, that about sums it up. I swear I didn’t know about Mark. Not until last year, when I came home to see you. To tell you I was in jail when I heard she’d lost her life. To see if there was anything I could do for you....”
“You were the one.”
“What one?”
“The one my friend Mabel told me was asking ’round town about me. She didn’t recognize ya.”
“No, she didn’t. And, yes, I was. And as soon as I saw that boy, my boy, working in a factory, I knew what I had to do. I started the scholarship for him. And then got to thinking about other women I’d bedded and left. All of ’em, every one of ’em was because I was missing Mark’s mama so much. She’s the only woman I ever loved.”
Dana’s gaze shot to her mother, and to Daniel, whose hand she was still holding. The two of them had eyes only for each other.
Dana’s mysterious father had been between them for so long. William Birmingham took that evil specter away.
“We gonna eat? I got a card game startin’ online in half an hour,” Nonnie said then. “Got ten dollars on it.” When William asked if it was too late to get in on it, she told him, “You sit down here next to me, boy. We got some serious talkin’ to do.”
“I think William’s going to be staying with us tonight,” Mark said to Addy, and then glanced at Dana and Jon. “If that’s okay with you two.”
“Fine with me.” Jon nodded.
And it was fine with Dana, too. While she and Josh had the biggest house, their parents were already taking up the two spare bedrooms. And her sisters were flying in later that night; she and Josh would be driving into Phoenix to pick them up from the airport. They were going to be staying on inflatable mattresses in the nursery.