Mom Over Miami - By Annie Jones Page 0,37
knew for sure he’d attend.
“What if nobody likes me here?” Sam pressed on before she could get a word out. “What if I don’t get asked to any birthday parties? At the last school I didn’t get asked to any parties at all.”
“Oh, Sam.” She held her arms open to the boy.
For a second or two she thought he wouldn’t come to her.
Then he inched closer.
And closer.
She held her breath.
He ducked his head. He rubbed his knuckles over his nose.
She didn’t try to force things between them, just waited and watched.
His lips twitched.
He wasn’t going to come to her.
Her jaw tightened. She didn’t dare blink for fear she’d tear up.
“Sam,” she whispered so softly, she doubted he even heard her. She brushed his back with her fingertips, then started to stand.
In a flash, the small boy rushed forward and flung himself at her, wrapping his arms around her so tightly that she almost fell over backward.
“Sam.” She laughed against his coarse straight hair. “You don’t ever have to worry about being alone again. You have me now.”
“And me,” Payt chimed in.
“And Payt.” Hannah hugged the boy hard enough for the both of them.
“And Grandpa Moonie,” Sam added as he stepped back, his eyes filled with hope.
“If you want to claim him.”
“Hey!” Hannah lifted her index finger to warn Payt to behave.
Her hubby grinned. “Then yes-sir-ree, you got Grandpa Moonie one hundred and eighty percent.”
“And Aunt Phiz.” Sam tugged his backpack firmly into place.
“Sure. And don’t forget Tessa.” Hannah nodded toward the baby flailing her legs and arms about in the confines of her car seat.
Sam wrinkled up his nose. “Tessa’s a baby.”
“But she likes you. Haven’t you seen the way her face lights up and her whole body wriggles when you come into the room?”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Payt jiggled the pack on Sam’s back to shift the school supplies down so the thing didn’t throw the kid off balance. “And don’t forget, wherever you go, God goes with you.”
“I heard Aunt Phiz say that God isn’t allowed in schools anymore.”
“Some people want that, but that’s just because they don’t understand that they can’t tell God what to do or where to go. He’s everywhere.” Hannah fussed with the boy’s collar. “You just have to pray. And before you tell me prayer isn’t allowed in school, it is in this one.”
Sam whooshed out a long breath. “Good.”
“And that’s not all.” Hannah drew her shoulders up. “You know this school we picked out for you?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You know why we picked it?”
Sam looked at the blond brick building with the bright red doors. “Because it’s a Christian school?”
“Yes, that, and also because we got some personal recommendations about it.”
Payt had worried about the expense of private education but Hannah had put her foot down. They had no idea how much time they would have with Sam. They owed it to the child to give him as much as they could for as long as they could. That meant an education that exposed him to the values they shared in a clean, safe environment. It also meant helping him to feel less isolated. To give him the gift of not just being loved but the blessing of being liked.
“You know who recommended this place to us?”
He shook his head.
“Stilton’s mom.” Yes, Hannah had turned to her exemplary counterpart for guidance. If anyone knew the best, it would be Lauren Faison. “Stilton goes to this school.”
“Really?”
“Yup, and his mom says that a couple of the other boys on your team go here, too.”
His mouth hung open for a second before he narrowed one eye and cocked his head. “Just ’cause they go there doesn’t mean we’ll be in the same class.”
“Well, that’s why you are headed to school, young man. You don’t know everything. This school only has one class in each grade.”
He looked at the school, then at Payt, then Hannah, then the school again. “So I’ll be sure to have my friends in my class? For sure?”
“For sure.”
“Yeah!” Sam gave a little jump, then pivoted and ran off as fast as his legs would carry him.
“Sam, aren’t you going to give me a goodbye hug?” Hannah called out.
“I don’t have time now. I want to go to school!” He never looked back, just charged on through the doors and down the hallway.
“Bye, Sam.” Hannah sniffled. “I’ll be here to pick you up at three.”
Payt put his arm around her and nuzzled her cheek. “Now what’s wrong? I thought you wanted him to want to go to