Page 66 of Sweet Surrender

“Let’s have Nick do a quick test here,” he said. “You know I can’t actually give him glasses, but you can go see Doc Robertson, over on Red Oak.”

“I’ve got an appointment there tonight,” Zane admitted. “But I didn’t want to wait if you were here. I was sort of hoping you could help out.”

He hated to say it, but he would rather have this news come from family.

“Of course,” West told him. “Nick, can you come up here a moment?”

Zane sat back and tried to relax as West showed Nick where to stand and brought out a chart. He was grateful when West gave Nick only the most positive feedback for his answers.

“Great job,” West told his nephew when he was finished.

“Do I need glasses?” Nick asked right away.

“You will absolutely get to have a pair of glasses,” his uncle told him in a positive way. “And you know what? You’re going tolovethem. Once you get used to your glasses, you’ll feel like you have a new superpower.”

Nick grinned at that, and scrambled back over to play with his brother and little cousin.

“Thanks,” Zane told West.

“He definitely needs corrective lenses,” West said. “I think you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is for him to behave atschool if he can see the board. He’s probably been feeling pretty bored and frustrated.”

Somehow, instead of feeling sad for Nick, his brother’s point of view helped Zane feel nothing but relief.

“She saved him,” Zane said, shaking his head, his eyes on his beautiful boy.

“You know,” West said thoughtfully, sitting back in his chair, “people like you and me might decide we aren’t going to mess around with women anymore after we’ve been hurt once.”

Zane shot his brother a glance.

“But,” West, went on, “sometimes a miracle is delivered right to our doorstep. And if we’re lucky enough for that to happen, well, only a fool wouldn’t let her inside.”

“Well, I don’t think my miracle’s at my doorstep anymore,” Zane admitted. “Not after the way I talked to her when I thought Nick was cheating on his test.”

“Maybe Nick isn’t the only one who isn’t seeing clearly here,” West said with a wry smile.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Zane asked.

But his phone started buzzing, telling him it was time to get over to the eye doctor for their appointment.

“Come on, boys,” he said. “Let’s go see Doc Robertson.”

“I can’t wait to see you with your new glasses, Nick,” West said cheerfully. “And I really can’t wait for you to see me!”

Nick looked up at his uncle uncertainly. But when he saw that West’s smile was genuine, his own face lit up too.

An hourlater they were leaving Doc Robertson’s with the promise that Nick would have a brand-new pair of eyeglasses ready for him tomorrow after school.

Both boys were cheerful after trying on lots of frames and being fussed over by the doctor and his assistant. She had told the boys that since they were identical twins, they could try on twice as many frames at a time to find a good pair for Nick.

“I’m going to do better in school, Dad,” Nick said with a touch of his regular confidence on the way back to the car.

“Yes,” Zane told him. “You probably are. But I still want you both to remember something. I care that you’re respectful to your teachers and that you try your best?—”

“But you love us no matter what,” they both yelled at once.

“Okay, I’ve probably been saying that a lot this week,” Zane admitted.

“It’s okay, Dad,” Cal told him, patting his arm. “We like it.”

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