Three Boys And A Baby (American Romance) by Laura Marie Altom

Author:Laura Marie Altom [Altom, Laura Marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Family & Domestic Life, Young Children-Twin Boys, Runaway Children, Pediatrician Doctor, Single Father, Next-Door Neighbor, Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction, Forever Love, Bachelor, Single Mother, Sensual, Hearts Desire, Lifetime Love, Life-Changes, Second Chances, Honesty & Trust, Home & Family, Romantic Schemes, Small Town & Rural Area, Beautiful & Feisty, Love-Family & Forever, Action & Adventure, Career Firefighter
Publisher: Harlequin American Romance Classic; Original edition
Published: 2008-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

“ALL RIGHT, GUYS,” Ella said that evening after dinner and before a dessert of pound cake and strawberries with whipped cream—the diet wasn’t going so well! “Now that you’ve both had a chance to cool off, I want each of you to tell me what’s going through your heads to have said such horrible things to each other this morning.”

Oliver crossed his arms.

“Owen?” she prompted, looking to her youngest. “Do you have anything to say on the matter?”

He crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue at his twin.

“Okay,” she said with a deep sigh. “This is going great. I guess I’ll talk and you guys are going to listen.”

Both boys stared hard at their empty dinner plates.

“Owen, Jackson told me what you said to Oliver about your father leaving because he hated him. That’s one of the cruelest, nastiest, not to mention most false things you’ve ever said. I’m ashamed of you. You don’t have to like your brother, but you will respect him, and what you said wasn’t only disrespectful but mean. I thought you had a bigger heart than that.”

His chin touching his chest, Owen’s big eyes shone with unshed tears.

“And Oliver, what makes you think it’s any business of yours whether or not Dillon’s dad gets back together with his wife? For Dillon’s sake, I hope they do remarry, but that’s hardly for you to decide. As for him stealing me away from your father…” She shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. I’m sorry about your dad leaving. You’ll never know how much I ache inside for your pain, sweetie, but he’s got a new family now, and he’s not coming back. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you just as much. Just that he doesn’t live here—and isn’t going to live here—no matter how hard you wish he would.”

“But why?” Oliver asked, making no attempt to hold back his tears. “I love him. Why doesn’t he love me?”

“Oh, sweetie,” she said, going to her son and kneeling, pulling him into a hug. “Your father adores you and Owen. He just has a funny way of showing it.”

“I love you, too, Oliver.” Owen hopped up from his chair to join the family hug. “I’m sorry I said all that stuff. I was just mad ’cause you called me a liar.”

“I—I miss Dad,” Oliver said. “I—I m-miss him so bad.”

On her knees, rocking her two sobbing precious boys, Ella didn’t miss Todd. She hated him. How could he have done this to their sons? Their family?

“M-Mom?” Oliver eventually said, his tears having subsided to the occasional hiccup.

“Uh-huh?” she asked, still holding him, still stroking his hair.

“Do I have to run away if Owen still lives here?”

“I hope not.” Just thinking about the last time her boys vanished took ten years off her life. “I’d die if you ran away again, and I don’t want Owen to go, either.”

“But Dad says to always be a man of my word.” He’s one to talk!

“In this case, I think it’ll be all right if you break your word.

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