Northern Vows: #5 The Compass Series by Gold Lise

Author:Gold, Lise
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lise Gold Books
Published: 2020-10-28T00:00:00+00:00

25

Friday

“Got a minute for your old man?”

“Of course.” Hannah looked up from her magazine to find Ben on the porch steps and she gestured to the recliner. While Kristine had gone down to the lake with Ally and Theo, who had won the battle on staying up late, she was enjoying a cup of tea, taking some time to herself. She loved that period in the evening when the sky was partially illuminated by the low sun. The view from the porch was breathtaking, and the sound of the wind rustling in the trees made her smile. “Tea?”

“Sure.” Ben sat down while Hannah went inside to fetch another cup.

“Builders tea,” she said, pouring him a cup from the pot on the table. “Strong with lots of milk and sugar.”

Ben narrowed his eyes and regarded her. “I haven’t had this since I was with your mother. She used to call it builders tea, too.” He took a sip and smiled. “It’s good. Brings back memories.”

“Really?” Hannah was surprised he’d brought up her mother, as he rarely talked about her.

“Yeah. She used to make me tea when I came home from my first job. She had some side jobs too, then, but she was always home first.” He paused and a hint of sadness flashed over his features. “I think she would be very happy if she could see us drinking tea together, on the evening before your big day.”

“Maybe she can see us,” Hannah said, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice.

Ben nodded, and there was another moment of silence. “You’ve seen our wedding album, right?”

“Yes, I found it at her house when I first got there. They’re sweet pictures.”

“It was a good day,” Ben said. “I remember it fondly.” He reached into his blazer pocket and handed Hannah a photograph. “I went through some of my old stuff before we came here. I knew I had this picture somewhere, but I hadn’t seen it in decades. It was wedged between some old schoolbooks. Thought you might want to have it. It covers ‘something old’ and ‘something borrowed’ off the list.”

Hannah studied the photograph of Ben and her mother. She recognized the location; it was Kensington Gardens in London. She smiled at the sight of her parents who couldn’t have been older than sixteen. Her father was wearing a prep school uniform and her mother a pleated skirt and a polo shirt, her blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. They were sitting in the grass in front of the round pond, and the sun was shining on them. “You look like kids.”

“We were kids,” Ben said. “That was the last time we saw each other in London. It was just before your mother confessed to her parents that she was pregnant. After that, our families kept us apart and made her put you up for adoption and… well, the rest is history.” He pointed to her mother’s belly. “See that little bump? That’s you in there.”

Hannah looked closer and saw that her mother indeed had a bump.

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