Rachel Laine (The Women of Merryton Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

must, as well as hot chocolate. I was also a team mom, and
it was my turn to bring the snacks for after the game.
    My
parents were already in the stands when we got there. The local high school was
nice enough to rent out their stadium to the little league on Saturdays. It was
fun for the kids to have announcers and a real scoreboard. Drew loved hearing
his name over their sound system. After I saw Drew out to the field, I headed
up to where my parents were. Douglas and Claire did not look happy this
morning.
    My
dad got up and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. I sat in between him and my
mom.
    I
kissed my mom’s cheek. “Good morning.” I tried to sound cheerful.
    She
held my hand. “Are you okay?” she whispered.
    “I’m
trying to be.”
    I
noticed that both of my parents sat extra close. I guess even when your
children are thirty, you feel the need to protect them. Believe me, I wish they
could protect me from whatever lay ahead, but I knew they couldn’t. The only
thing I did know was that they would cushion any blows that came my way if they
could.
    It
was a pretty silent affair between the three of us. I was happy when my friend Taylor
showed up. She looked uncomfortable as she navigated the bleachers. She was in
her last trimester, and looking fabulous if you asked me, but she disagreed. I thought
she was still trying to come to terms with the fact she was forty-three and
having a baby. Her husband, Dr. Easton Cole, was ecstatic about it. I’m not
sure I had ever seen a man so excited to have a baby, or one who loved his wife
so much. Maybe it was the fact that his wife was also his former ex-wife of
fourteen years, and so he knew what life was like without her. I wondered if I
would ever find someone to love me so completely once I was done raising Drew.
    Not
only were they having a baby, but they opened up their home to a foster child,
Gage, who was the same age as Drew and in the same class as him. He was also on
Drew’s football team. Easton was kind enough to be one of the assistant coaches
this year. I think it was good for both him and Gage. Probably Taylor, too, but
the poor thing hated the cold weather. She was a Southern woman at heart.
    Taylor
sat bundled up in front of us on a cushioned seat and turned back our way.
“Good morning.”
    “Good
morning,” we all replied back.
    “Where
are the girls this morning?” I asked her.
    “They’re
at a volleyball fundraiser at the high school. We’ll hit that once we’re done
here.”
    “Is
Ashley excited about being Homecoming Queen?” I asked.
    “Mostly,”
Taylor responded.
    “Mostly?”
    “Spencer
was nominated King.”
    Spencer
was Ashley’s ex-boyfriend and quarterback for the high school team. “Awkward.”
    “Just
a little, but I think they’re both trying to be grown up about it, at least in
public. At home we’ve had a couple of emotional outbursts.” Taylor smiled. “The
teenage years can be so fun.”
    “I’m
thankful I have a few more years until we hit that point.”
    “By
the way, Cheyenne heard that Andrew Turner visited your office and she’s back
on that train now, so be prepared for her to accost you for information.”
    I
could feel my parents stiffen at the mention of Andrew’s name. I tried my best
to remain unaffected by it. “I don’t have anything to report.” Other than he
is my son’s father.
    Taylor
laughed. “Well, you know Cheyenne. She’s determined to get her man.”
    I
laughed uneasily and changed the subject. “How’s Gage doing?”
    Taylor’s
laughter turned to thoughtfulness. “I think he’s doing well. He’s been through
a lot in his young life, but I think he’s starting to trust us. And we’re all
getting used to having a boy in the house. He’s a lot different than the girls—not
in a bad way, just different. I think Easton appreciates not being so
outnumbered and having someone to watch sports with.”
    “Your
family is doing a good thing,” my mom complimented