Package Deal(109)

Amanda rocked her. Is that what this is all about? That morning?

Cecelia put her arms around Amanda’s neck and hugged her tight as she continued to talk. “Sam’s mom says it’s wrong, and that’s why she’s so mean to Brittany. I don’t want her to be mean to you.” Cecelia wriggled off her lap and sat next to her.“Sam’s mom said it’s wrong. I know you said it wasn’t, but Marcus made you cry, and I don’t like it when you’re sad.” She wiped her eyes.

“I’m so mixed up. Some days I like him and other days I don’t. And if he doesn’t come over, maybe you won’t be sad anymore. Except I do still like him.” Cecelia looked away from her and sighed.

Men do make us girls have so many mixed up feelings. Amanda hugged her daughter again. “Let me rock you, sweetheart. I want you to know something. Marcus doesn’t make me sad. He makes me happy. I love him and he loves me.”

“But you were crying in your office when he was there.”

“I was sad because you had stopped liking him.”She brushed a hand through Cecelia’s curls. “Do you remember when you asked Marcus if he loved me—when the two of you were reading on the porch?”

Cecelia nodded. “He wouldn’t tell me he loved you, and he’s supposed to do that.”

“Honey, I think he was too shocked to answer you—he wasn’t expecting you to ask him like that. And he and I hadn’t figured out how to tell you.” She paused, remembering those conversations Marcus had initiated so many times. “Do you remember after your accident, when Marcus read to you and you told me you loved that he came to see you in the hospital?”

Cece nodded, one finger tracing a pattern of figure eights along Amanda’s arm.

Her eyes filled. “The two of you had such a lovely relationship. Marcus and I—we wanted to talk to you about all this—together, the two of us.”

Cecelia looked up at her. “Are you sad again, Mom?”

She shook her head. “No, honey. I’m just so happy that Marcus loves you. Loves both of us. He does, you know.”

Her daughter’s lips pursed as she sat in Amanda’s lap. “It’s nice when he cheers at my soccer games, and when he reads stories with me,” she admitted. Then she frowned. “But he didn’t say he loves you and he should have, ’cause you said you love him. And both people are supposed to love each other, not just one. Like married people do. Even when they aren’t married—like you said my dad told you, before you made me.”

“But I’m the one who said your dad loved me.”

“That’s because he died. He can’t tell you that now.”

“Is it okay for me to tell you that Marcus loves me?”

Cecelia shook her head, her pigtails bouncing. “No. That’s not good enough—’cause he’s alive. He has to say it himself. You could just be wishing he would say it.” Cecelia stood up, went over to the window and picked up her favorite plastic pony, then put it back on the table. “I would like it better if you were married and you loved each other, if you want to do that icky stuff.” She sighed. “Right after we got here, Sam even thought Marcus was my dad.”

Amanda’s heart clutched. “Would you like him to be your dad, sweetheart?”

“I used to think that would be nice—when we were friends. He has blue eyes just like me.” Cecelia picked up two dolls and held them close together.“And he saved you from that bad man. But Marcus almost died.And he’s going to be in the hospital a long time. That’s why I gave him Eeyore to keep him company.”She picked up the pony and moved it around the table before looking at her mother again. “I don’t know if he’ll tell me he loves you—maybe he’ll never say it. And if he doesn’t, he shouldn’t be with us, even if I do like him.”

Amanda nodded. “I understand.” She rose. “I think it’s time we left—to see Marcus at the hospital.”

“Okay.” When they climbed in the car, Amanda turned to her daughter.

“Honey, Marcus would love for you to read to him—because he knows how it helped you get better.”

Cecelia looked out the car window as they drove to the hospital.

“I told him about my newest book and I said I would read it to him.” She sighed, then nodded firmly. “It’s sort of like I promised him. I will.”

Amanda smiled. “Good girl.”



Later in the week, Marcus called one of his colleagues.

“Troy, could you bring me my briefcase? It’s in my office. I have papers in there that need to go back to the students. Just because I’m stuck here doesn’t mean I can’t at least get those papers graded.”