Page 29 of Sugarplum Dreams
“We were playing the quiet game.”
“The quiet game?” Charity asked.
Wilson just laughed. His mom had played the quiet game with them more than once. Although, he saw a bag of chocolate chips beside her, and he didn’t recall that being part of the quiet game growing up.
“Sure. The quiet game. It’s a game we play, where everyone has to be quiet, and the first person who talks loses, and everyone else gets a chocolate chip.”
“Oh. My. Goodness,” Charity said. She turned again to Wilson. “I believe your mother just might qualify for sainthood.”
“I’m sure she’s already qualified for sainthood, but that is pretty brilliant, if you ask me.”
“Same. Oh my goodness, so much the same.”
“We had a great time. Next time, you guys can stay out much longer.”
It looked like the littlest one was not up from his nap, since he wasn’t at the table. Evans. That one was named Evans. But the rest of the kids sat quietly at the table, none of them wanting to speak first and not get a chocolate chip.
“All right, since I suppose it’s time for me to leave, I’ll give you all two chocolate chips, since all of you were quiet and did not speak and since I have to leave.”
“No, don’t go!” Banks cried, looking like he was going to cry.
“Oh, don’t worry, you’re going to be seeing a lot of me, because your mom is marrying my son which makes me your grandmother.”
“Grandmother?” Gifford said, squinting his eyes as though he wasn’t quite sure exactly what that was. It made Wilson’s heart squeeze just a little, that the child didn’t know any of his grandparents apparently. He hadn’t thought to ask about Clancy’s parents, but obviously they weren’t swooping in to help Charity in any way.
“Of course, although all my other grandchildren call me Grandma. Which, if that’s okay with your mother, will be what you call me too.”
“Mom?” Gifford turned to his mother, and she nodded, and there were tears in her eyes.
This family needed love so bad, and it wasn’t hard for Wilson to figure out exactly why God had prompted him; they needed him. But more than that, he had a feeling that he needed them, Charity in particular.
“I guess we can talk about what we’re doing between now and Christmas, but maybe I can call you tomorrow?” he said as his mother gathered up her things, the children clambering around her, begging her not to go.
“Sure. Let me give you my number,” she said, turning to him and blinking, as though she needed to get her bearings again. “I guess I’m getting a husband, and my children are getting a father, and your mom is part of the package deal, and that’s a huge gift to us all.”
“Be careful, or I’m going to get jealous and start thinking you like her more than you like me.”
She laughed, and he was glad to hear that. He’d rather have that than crying any day, although he supposed he was going to have to learn to deal with the tears, he just wasn’t sure how. He never really had to before.
She gave him her number, and he programmed it into his phone and then texted her. Her phone buzzed with his text, and he smiled and nodded. “There. You’ve got my number in case you need it, and I’ll call you sometime tomorrow, and maybe we can go to the Christmas Eve service if nothing else together?”
“Sure. And I’ll start trying to pack some things up so that we can work on getting moved, although the Secret Saint dropped off a ton of presents for the kids, so there’s going to be a lot of packing after Christmas too.”
He grinned inside. He had been responsible for making sure that the Secret Saint did not miss Charity’s house and children.
“Not a big deal. And you don’t have to pack anything. I’ll help you, and we can do it together.”
“I know that you have to have things you have to do, and packing up my house doesn’t need to be one of them.”
“I don’t mind helping. Although I can’t do it tomorrow morning. Maybe I can help you later on?”
“I’ll probably pack in the morning and try to be pretty quiet while the kids are taking their naps.”
“All right. We’ll go back to planning. I’ll call you and figure things out from there.”
“Sounds good,” she said, and he took one last look at her before he opened the door and helped his mother out, a good feeling in his heart.
Chapter Thirteen
