Carly parked in front of the main house. Her sister-in-law’s minivan sat in the driveway. Debra had gone to high school with Carly and Stevie. When they were teenagers, neither Carly nor her sister could imagine why Debra wanted to date their bossy older brother, whose bedroom smelled like dirty socks. But many years and two small boys later, James and Debra were still together.
The sound of musical instruments being misused bled through the closed front door. Carly went inside.
“Hello?” she called out.
“In here,” Debra yelled from the den, which the family loosely called the music room. Her three-year-old son banged on the drum set in the corner, while her five-year-old sat at the piano playing random notes with a mischievous grin. Squealing, baby Charlotte bounced on her chubby legs. At the front of the room, Brianna stood with her hands propped on her hips, an irritated scowl on her face. Spying Carly, she ran to her mother.
“Mama, the boys won’t do what I say,” she complained. “I want to be a band, like Uncle Bruce’s, and they’re ruining it.”
Carly hugged her frustrated daughter. “They don’t have to listen to you, sweetheart. Let Aunt Debra be their mommy.”
The boys were clearly making a racket just to annoy their bossy older cousin. Both had the innate musical ability gifted to the Taylor family and could at minimum keep proper rhythm. Carly knew for a fact that they could also pluck out simple tunes on the piano. But Brianna spent long hours with Bruce and was absorbing his ability to play any instrument she picked up. She expected her little cousins to have her attention span, when they’d much rather devil her.
The thought of Bruce patiently helping Brianna position her fingers on his guitar strings gave Carly an empty feeling behind her sternum. He just had to be all right.
She brushed a hair off her daughter’s forehead. “If you ignore them, they’ll stop.”
Brianna looked up at her, skeptical.
“I know this because Aunt Stevie and Uncle Bruce and I used to do the same thing to Uncle James,” Carly said. Bruce had been particularly skilled at annoying their oldest sibling. The void inside her grew. “We used to bet on who could make his face get red the fastest.”
“That was mean.” Brianna crossed her arms over her skinny chest.
Carly didn’t argue, but she left her young daughter with something to reflect on. “Uncle James was bossy, and we didn’t like it.”
“You were still mean.” Brianna clearly didn’t see the parallel with her own behavior.
Sometimes kids need to learn their lessons the hard way.
Debra ended the musical cacophony with the magic words “How about a snack?”
Her boys abandoned their instruments and bolted for the kitchen. Carly picked up Charlotte and nestled her on her hip. Debra doled out Christmas cookies and juice boxes. Charlotte bounced, reaching for the other children.
“I think she wants her share.” Carly put her down. The baby toddled toward the child-size table and elbowed her way into the fray like a champ.
“How is she doing?” Carly asked.
“Okay. As long as she’s busy, she’s fine. When it gets quiet, she gets sad. Missing her mama, no doubt.” Debra wiped a tear from under her eye.
“Poor thing.” Carly touched Debra’s arm. “Thanks so much for helping with her.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m glad to do it. The kids keep me occupied. With the boys, I can’t be much help looking for Bruce.” Debra poured coffee into two mugs. “How does Seth feel about her being here?”
“He’s supportive, but he thinks we have enough on our plate. Even though he won’t say it, I know he’s afraid I’ll get attached.” Carly reached for a cookie. “Deep down I know he’s right, but Mom wanted me to bring her here. You know how she is. She needs to be helpful. I didn’t have the heart to say no.” But if Carly was honest with herself, she’d wanted to bring that baby home just as much as her mother did.
The Taylor farm had taken in strays since before Carly could remember. The barn out back was full of neglected and abandoned creatures her mother had nursed back to health, and more than a few kids who needed help had shown up on their front porch over the years. The farm was a place to heal.
Carly let out a long breath. “And holding her made me realize how much I want another baby.” Being back with Seth had reawakened her biological clock. “But it’s totally unfair to Seth.”
Seth had done everything she’d asked. They’d gone to counseling sessions, and he was making a Herculean effort to understand why her work was so important to her. Meanwhile Carly had committed to making their marriage a priority over her job. Their marriage problems hadn’t been all Seth’s doing. She had to take her share of the responsibility for their separation—and for their reconciliation.
“James and I have been having that same discussion lately,” Debra said. “There’s nothing like the smell of baby shampoo to make you want another one.”
“So true,” Carly agreed. “Where’s my mom?”