Instant Family by Donna Gartshore

Author:Donna Gartshore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-10-17T20:02:12+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Ben hurried his father outside, giving Frankie an apologetic look as he did so. Frankie believed that Al couldn’t help what came blurting out of him, but honestly, being called Ben’s wife twice in one day was a bit much.

Rae ran water over the lettuce in the sink.

“Do we have to eat here?” she whispered.

“Not if you really don’t want to,” Frankie said. “But I thought you and Al were having fun?”

Rae shrugged. “Can you please get me some paper towel?”

Frankie tore off a few pieces, handed them to her and waited.

Rae dabbed the towel at the lettuce leaves, soaking up their moisture. Keeping her eyes on what she was doing, she said, “Why did Danny’s grandma call you Ben’s wife?”

Frankie gently eased the paper towel out of her daughter’s hands and put her hands on Rae’s shoulders to guide her gaze.

When she was sure she had Rae focused on her she said, “Do you know what an assumption is?”

“Is that like a mistake?”

“In some cases, yes,” Frankie explained. “When Danny’s grandma assumed that I was Ben’s wife, that was a mistake. And I know that you understand about Al, that he doesn’t always know what he’s saying.”

“It’s a mistake because you’re Daddy’s wife, right?” Rae asked with a watchful look.

“Not anymore, Sweet Pea,” Frankie said, fighting to keep her tone even. “When people get divorced, they’re not husband and wife anymore. We’ve talked about this.”

Her daughter folded her arms and Frankie recognized her own stubborn look in the set of Rae’s jaw.

“I don’t want you to marry Ben,” she declared emphatically.

“I have no intentions of marrying Ben,” Frankie said. “Or anyone else.”

Her wish to comfort and reassure Rae grappled with a feeling of resentment that was small but definitely there, enough so that guilt was nibbling at her heels again.

She didn’t want to resent her own child, and she really didn’t have any intentions of getting married again. But she couldn’t help feeling that it might be nice if Rae hadn’t so adamantly put her foot down about it.

Still, Rae was her daughter and her main concern and focus in life. She had to be patient with her and realize that she had as many complexities as the next person, regardless of age: she could be mature and perceptive when it came to things like her art and Al and even Danny, whom she scarcely knew. And if she regressed to childishness when she felt threatened by potential upheaval in her world, Frankie couldn’t blame her.

“We can eat back at our place if you really want to,” Frankie offered. “I’ll tell Ben and I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“Are you going to tell him I said not to marry him?” Rae asked anxiously.

Frankie felt her mouth quirk, mimicking the expression she could picture on Ben’s face, so she relinquished a bit to the humor in the situation.

“I think it would scare Ben just a little if I even mentioned marriage,” she said. “I can say we had a change of plans.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.