Anything for Her - By Janice Kay Johnson Page 0,103
down the stairs from the second floor. Claws clattered on the hardwood floor, and Cassie galloped ahead of Sean into the kitchen, her tail and butt swinging with pleasure at finding two of her favorite people there. Allie’s mother had become very fond of Cassie, and was even talking about adopting a dog herself.
“Something smaller,” she had said. “You know how tiny my yard is. But I think I’d enjoy the company.”
Allie had privately smiled and suspected Mom would come home from the shelter with a Great Dane mix or something equally inappropriate. Sort of like Lady the beagle, with her wandering gene. How many times had Mom thrown up her hands and exclaimed, “We should find her a home in the country!” just before sneaking a treat under the table.
“How come he isn’t back yet?” Sean complained.
“He might have hit heavy traffic,” Allie said. “Or the flight could have been delayed.”
“I’m going to look stupid in a suit and tie.”
Allie laughed, went to him and rose on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “You’re going to look handsome, and you know it.”
His cheeks reddened. “At least no one I know will see me,” he said gruffly.
“You know us. And now your aunt Anna and your grandparents.”
Nolan’s parents and sister had arrived the day before but had decided to sightsee and have dinner out this evening. Allie thought they were being polite, not wanting to intrude on this reunion. They planned to return before bedtime.
Jed’s wife was pregnant again and vilely nauseated, and he’d felt too guilty to either drag her onto an airplane or leave her. Nolan had laughed and said, “That’s an excuse I can accept.” His parents were going home to Chicago for Christmas; Anna was staying to celebrate the holiday with Nolan and his new family.
Now Sean scowled. “They’re not really my grandparents.”
Allie smiled at him. “They will be.” She and Nolan were going to officially adopt him after the first of the year. They had given him the choice of keeping his last name if he wanted, but he’d decided to become a Radek, too.
“Yeah.” He shuffled his feet. “I guess so. It’ll be weird.”
“Who are you calling weird?” Allie’s mom said in mock offense.
He looked at her in alarm. “I wasn’t... I mean, I know you. They’re, like, strangers.”
“Grandma,” she prompted him.
His blush deepened. But then, suddenly, he flashed her a wicked grin. “Grandma. Shouldn’t you be sitting down? At your age and all?”
“Brat.”
They both laughed. Allie watched their interplay with delight. Life couldn’t always be this good, could it?
No. Jason might have changed his mind and not come. Maybe that’s what had taken Nolan so long. He’d scoured the airport and had Jason paged and maybe finally discovered he had a voice mail message from him...
She heaved a sigh. Of course Nolan would have called to tell them. She knew that. But sooner or later, something lousy would happen. Sean would rebel and decide these new parents weren’t so cool after all. Or she and Nolan would have a child with a birth defect or... Oh, who knew.
Yes, but I’ll have him.
His steadiness would be her anchor, no matter what happened.
Sean cocked his head. “Hey, isn’t that his truck?”
“Oh, dear God.” Allie’s mother pressed one hand to her breast and the other to her mouth.
Allie’s pulse leaped and she listened hard. The deep rumble of Nolan’s diesel engine was unmistakable. It always reminded her of his voice. “It’s them,” she said, excited and terrified all at the same time.
Dumb.
Sean and Cassie bounded enthusiastically for the front door. Allie and her mother stared at each other for a stricken moment before following more slowly.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Mom murmured.
“Me, either.”
Mom’s “handler” had informed them that all the activity stirring the alarm could be traced directly to the P.I. Nolan hired. There wasn’t the slightest indication of any other interest. Nor was there any indication that the Nelson identity had been penetrated. The U.S. Marshals Service didn’t see why Jason couldn’t resume cautious contact with his mother and sister, and Allie’s dad with her. Jason had flown out to attend the wedding and stay for Christmas; Nolan and Allie had promised to visit her father sometime this spring.
Hearing her dad’s and Jason’s voices on the phone had seemed wondrous, but also...unreal, she realized now. She was having trouble believing she would be seeing her brother in person as soon as she stepped out onto the front porch.