Coming Home by Terry Fowler

Author:Terry Fowler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2014-05-12T17:54:03+00:00

Ten

The theme was flower power.

And Natalie had not only baked a larger cake for the birthday girl; she’d given the kids their own smaller cupcake versions as well. There were even iced flower cookies. More than one kid would be on a sugar high before the afternoon ended.

After taking Marsha’s gift to the church fellowship hall, Dillon went to Maggie’s to retrieve the plate of burgers and hot dogs. “Everything looks nice.”

“Marsha’s so excited. She barely slept last night. She’s never had a party. It won’t be long before she’s gone,” Maggie said glumly.

“You heard from her caseworker?”

She nodded, feeling the growing knot in her throat. Dillon folded Maggie into a hug. They stood silently for several seconds before Marsha bounded into the room wearing the tie-dyed T-shirt that she and Maggie had made along with bell-bottomed jeans that sported big flower patches on the legs. A peace symbol dangled on a long string about her neck, and she wore big plastic flower rings on her fingers.

“Hello, birthday girl,” Dillon said. The child beamed at him. He lifted the plate from the counter and said, “I’ll bring these over to the fellowship hall.”

“Thanks, Dillon.”

Later, he stood by Maggie’s side as they watched a mob of kids run around. “You didn’t go crazy by much, did you?”

“It’s been fun. The caseworker is taking her to visit her mom tomorrow.”

“Are you okay with that?”

“I have to be. When Marsha looks back at her time with me, I think she’ll remember this party. And the zoo trip.”

“I found a special gift for her to share with her mom.”

Excited, Maggie turned to him and asked, “Really? What?”

“Two necklaces with one heart charm. Each of them gets half.”

“That’s perfect!” Maggie exclaimed. She threw her arms about his neck and kissed his cheek.

“Whoa,” Dillon said, his arm slipping about Maggie’s waist before allowing his lips to touch hers gently. Remembering where they were, they parted and took a step back.

Maggie turned pink. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to attack you.”

“Are you truly sorry?” he asked softly.

She wiped the lipstick smudge from his cheek. “No.”

“I love you, Maggie.”

Her eyes widened. She loved him, too. It had come slowly, creeping up on them, and she knew as surely as she drew her next breath that he held her heart. “Let’s talk about this later. After the party.”

“Definitely,” Dillon promised with a tender smile.

He loved her. Maggie felt as if she were walking on air. What exactly did that mean? They were both a bit old to go steady, weren’t they? Oh well, maybe not.

It thrilled her that he’d taken the little girl’s wish for something special to share with her mother and made it happen. Maggie considered her own wishes. She’d wished for a home ever since her dad had died. Could Dillon give her that?

“Those kids are going to mutiny if we don’t get the games under way,” Dillon told her.

She and Marsha had found the perfect party games and then had fun at the dollar store finding prizes for the winners.

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