“It’s not me you need to apologize to,” he said softly.
Caleb shook his head and buried his face against David’s chest. “Can’t.”#p#分页标题#e#
David stroked his nephew’s hair. “A man does what needs to be done.”
He turned the boy around and put him on the floor then smiled encouragingly. “You can do it. I have faith in you.”
David followed Caleb to the kitchen where July sat at the table burping Adam.
Mary Karen opened her mouth but David shook his head in warning.
Like a prisoner approaching a guillotine, Caleb took a few steps toward July, stopping several feet from her. Pride rushed through David when the boy lifted his gaze and looked her in the eye. “I’m sorry I said those things. And I don’t hate you.”
For a second David feared July wasn’t going to respond to the boy’s overture. But then her lips lifted in a wobbly smile. “I forgive you, Caleb. Will you forgive me for forgetting about our movie date?”
David held his breath.
“I guess,” Caleb said finally. He looked back at his uncle. “Can I go now?”
“May I go now?” David gently corrected.
“May I go now?”
“Yes, you may.”
The words had barely left his lips when the boy raced from the room.
Mary Karen lifted a brow. “What was all that about?”
“Just another day in paradise.” David shook his head and chuckled. “One thing I can say about your household, dear sister; it’s never dull.”
Chapter Sixteen
After she finished feeding Adam, David suggested they put the baby in his new Snugli and take a walk downtown. July really wasn’t in the mood to go out. But it was almost the boys’ bedtime and with her and David out of the house, Mary Karen could help Granny with her speech without any interruptions.
Though the temperature was still mild by Jackson standards, July made sure Adam was bundled up and grabbed a coat for herself. They walked in silence for a block until July brought up the subject still weighing on her mind.
“I hated that you had to get in the middle of that thing with Caleb,” she said. “I’m an adult and a mother. I should have been able to handle a disgruntled preschooler.”
“You did fine.” David reached over and took her hand. “But I was glad I was there.”
“Why?”
“Caleb is smart but strong-willed,” he said. “Mary Karen does a great job with him. But sometimes a boy needs a father figure to reinforce what she’s already taught him.”
“He was right about one thing,” July said. “I had promised.”
“There is no excuse for a child to speak to an adult in such a disrespectful manner,” David said. “Not only that, you’d apologized and explained why you were late.”
Her heart gave a little leap. “Are you saying a person should always accept an apology?”
“David. July.” John Simpson hailed them from across the street.
David waved and turned to July. “Shall we go say hello?”
July nodded and tucked away her disappointment. She was eager to hear David’s response to her question. But she would bide her time and find a way to bring it up later. After all, they’d barely started their walk.
Although John and Kayla had left the baby with Kayla’s mother so they could have their first “date night” out, they asked David and July to join them for pizza. The growling of July’s stomach provided the answer and a moment of laughter.
They snagged a table in the middle of the popular eatery’s dining area. The conversation flowed fast and furious despite the fact that every few minutes someone stopped by to visit.#p#分页标题#e#
July enjoyed being part of the foursome. She liked talking babies with Kayla. She liked the way David’s arm rested on the back of her chair. But she especially liked the way David made a point of introducing her when friends and acquaintances would stop by and how he included her in any conversation. By the time the pizza arrived, July felt as if she was on a first-name basis with most of the population of Jackson.
“I swear you guys know everyone in town.” She bit into a thick slice of pineapple and cream cheese pizza.
“Jackson isn’t that big,” John said.
“And when you’ve lived here as long as we have, there aren’t many people you don’t know,” Kayla added.
“That would be nice, I think,” July said, resisting the urge to sigh. “Though I like the city, too.”
“You’re from Chicago, right?” Kayla asked.
July nodded and took another bite of the yummy pizza.