Home for Love (An Adult Contemporary Romance) by Aneesa Price

your suggestion, but Todd and I couldn’t enjoy ourselves knowing our
big girl was sick.”
    “Oh, go on with you,” Moira admonished.
“Granddad’s snoring and will most likely be doing that until the morning. And,
Amber’s just about to nod off herself. Her fever’s broken and there’s nothing
more you can do, but sit and stare at her. You’ve been cooped up in this room
or working and I think you need a break. And Todd,” Moira threw a stern glance
his way, “there’s nothing you can do here either.”
    Amber, who’d been silently
eavesdropping, piped in, “I want you to go to dinner, Mom.”
    Bree looked at Amber in surprise.
Whenever she’d been ill in the past, Bree'd had to do much persuading to get
her to stay with a sitter so Bree could go to work. That the sitter hadn’t been
a stranger, but their friendly neighbor and landlady, an elderly, kind-hearted
lady with grandchildren of her own, hadn’t made much of a difference. “That’s a
first, honey,” Bree stated. “You’ve never wanted me to leave you when you were
sick before.”
    “I know, Mom, but you never have fun and
Daddy’s the best fun. You’ve never eaten in a big person restaurant before.”
    Bree smiled and mussed her angel’s hair.
“That’s because we had more fun at kiddie restaurants where you could play and
got toys with your meals.”
    “Uh-huh,” Amber nodded in understanding.
“Those restaurants were way cooler. But, I’m okay. Gran’s with me. She’s going
to read me a story from the new book Daddy bought me, while I drink milk, eat
cookies, and then she’s going to cuddle with me ‘til I sleep.”
    Amber’s face reflected eagerness for the
treats offered in a way that only grandparents could. She hadn’t left Amber
alone with her grandparents for an extended period of time since the New Year’s
Eve dance. Softly touching her palm to Amber’s forehead, it was met with soft,
clammy skin that gave no indication that the fever was returning.
    “Okay,” Bree nodded, casting a glance in
Todd’s direction, shaking her head at his puzzlement to ward off further
argument. Mercifully, a raised brow was the only challenge he gave. “But if I’m
to go out, I better get dressed. Why don’t you and your dad spend some time
together while I get ready?”
    “Yay!” Amber squeaked. “Gran, we’re
gonna have so much fun.”
    Grinning at Amber’s enthusiasm and
satisfied with her accurate evaluation of the situation, Bree went to her room.
Only then did it strike her that she’d made her decision purely with Amber in
mind, without recognizing that she was agreeing to a dinner at a possibly
romantic restaurant with Todd. Yikes, she squealed inwardly. What the heck was
she thinking?
     
    xxx
     
    On the way to the restaurant Todd
received an education in childhood illness. That was thankfully something that
he had no experienced with. When he and his siblings were very young, his
mother had not been in a self-pitying, drunken stupor most of the time, so she
had been able to still care for them at that point. The more Bree enlightened
him, telling him Amber’s whole medical history as well as her various reactions
to being sick, the less anxious he felt.
    Unfortunately, it also meant that he
became more aware of Bree and the challenges he faced in getting them back
together again - at least in bed and on paper. She was right when she said that
they’d bonded well and speedily and he was anxious to have Amber with him
fulltime in his home with both of her parents present. A phenomenon he’d longed
for, but had barely been privileged to. Mentally brooding whilst keeping up
with the light-hearted chatter Bree was maintaining, he continued to ignore the
‘elephant in the room’ as he led her into the restaurant.
    The Lodge was one of the newer
establishments in Devil’s Peak, catering to tourists who wanted to experience
Alaska at more of a distance than the older establishments offered.
    “This is beautiful,”