Page 22 of Season of Mercy
Ethan’s heart squeezed from that confession. He remembered all too well how it felt when your parent walked out on you. Ethan had been about Stevie’s age when Ethan’s mother had left.
Fear of abandonment.
Mercy’s words echoed inside him, touching something hidden very, very deep.
He looked her in the eyes. “I’m not going to walk out on Stevie.”
The doubt in Mercy’s eyes was like a stab in the gut. Granted, he didn’t have the best track record of staying with one woman, but he was married now.
And very much fascinated by his wife. “When Stevie gets stronger, I’d like to take him out to eat, too. And to a park.”
Mercy brightened. “I’m sure Stevie would love that. Or to the zoo? You read him a book about a giraffe, and now he wants to see them.”
The zoo...
The memory came back, unbidden.
When Ethan had been seven, his parents had taken him and his younger brother to the zoo. By then, he’d stopped wondering whether his mother would leave again. His brother had thrown a tantrum, and his parents had been trying to calm him down. Ethan had wandered off, to get away from the noise, and to go look at the chimpanzees. They’d had to look at all the animals his brother had wanted to look at first, and the chimpanzees hadn’t been on his brother’s list. Ethan had watched the chimpanzees until he’d realized he didn’t know where his parents were.
The feeling of loneliness struck him in the chest as if it had been yesterday. The fear of being abandoned in a huge zoo bybothof his parents this time, instead of just his mother, had crushed his little heart then. By the time his parents had found him, he’d nearly gone numb with panic.
Ethan pushed the memory away. He was grown up, successful, and with his own family now. And the zoo was just that, a distant memory.
He nodded. “I’ll take you and Stevie to the zoo when he’s well enough for the trip.”
Mercy beamed. “Thank you.”
Her smile made his heart expand in his chest.
Ethan reached for her hand, enjoying every minute in her presence. “I hope it’s okay that I ordered dessert for you.”
Mercy raised an eyebrow. “Depends if I like it.”
Mamá Rosa brought the dessert herself, a slice of a chocolate cake topped with homemade whipped cream and raspberries. Ethan was grateful that he’d known Mercy for many years, because he could guess exactly what kind of dessert she liked. A warm wave rushed through him as he watched Mercy dig in.
A smile spread on Mercy’s face. “This is scrumptious. Thank you.” She turned to Mamá Rosa and thanked her, “Muchas gracias.”
“She’s learning Spanish.Que bueno.” His aunt gave him a friendly pat on the back that almost made him double over, though he was no weakling, and winked at him. “La sorpresa está lista.”
Then with an expression of a person who’d done her job well, she walked away.
The surprise is ready.
Ethan straightened his back. He’d wanted to take Mercy out days ago, but he’d had to wait until he’d made necessary arrangements for thesurprise.
He’d chosen to sit with his face to the small stage, so Mercy had ended up with her back to it. That way, she wouldn’t see the surprise too early. He glanced toward the stage, where the preparations had been going.
When the leader of the band stepped into the light and took the mike, all the conversation in the restaurant hushed except for several astonished gasps.
“Can it be... for real?” somebody whispered.
Mercy seemed to be oblivious to all as she finished the last bite of the cake. Then at the first sounds of music, her eyes widened.
Ethan had asked to start with this song.
Her eyes lit up. “This is a recording of my favorite song.”
Ethan shook his head. “It’s not a recording.”
