Family

Laura hardly hears Nate’s voice. As his hand touches her shoulder, she flinches so violently that she knocks her purse off her desk. “Oh, Nate, I…” She swallows hard, her cheeks reddening some. “Sorry. I just…you startled me.”

Leaning down, she picks up her purse, still seated, and just stops, trying to get her thoughts straightened out. Closing her eyes, she grimaces. “Um…lunch…Jaime’s house…” She nods, then stands up, looking towards the exit. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly seems to gain back her composure, though along with it comes the all-too-familiar barrier between her and Nate, reflected in her eyes. “Yes, let’s go. I’m starving.” She forces a smile. “You driving?”


Carson jumps as Misty comes up being him yelling. His eyes widen in surprise and he reaches for her hands as she grabs him around the waist.

As she moves in front of him, a grin starts to form, amused by her antics, and even a little pleased that she wouldn’t care what other people thought. He was the odd man out here, and distrusted by many – but Misty had no bones about making her affections public.

Carson is taken a bit off guard as Misty hops up onto the copy machine and forces his lips to hers. His hands rest on the machine on either side of her, bracing himself. But as she kisses him, he starts to relax, kissing her back as a hand makes its way up her back to her shoulder. He takes his time, in no hurry at all to break the moment. After getting yelled at by Reese and being angry, Misty was turning him right back around again, taking his emotions on a roller coaster ride that made his spine tingle.

Carson’s arm makes its way around Misty’s waist and he pulls her closer to him, forgetting about the paperjam that was still waiting to be fixed.

Finally drawing back, he rests his forehead on hers, giving her a sly smile. “If that’s how you say good morning, I better be a little quicker on the uptake from now on.”

Taking her in a firmer hold, he pulls her off the machine and backs up a step or two to a chair where he sits down, setting Misty so she’s straddling his lap, still facing him. He folds his hands behind her back and just studies her face for several moments. “What am I gonna do with you, hmm? A bloke can’t get any work done around here with a sheila like you running around scaring the tar out of people.”


Cindy responds to Wes’ presence by leaning into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. “Oh, Wes…” The anguish seeps out in her voice, though her eyes remain dry. “I just want all this pain to go away. I just want it all to end and be left in peace.”

She shifts her weight so her back can lean against Wes’ chest, her eyes drifting across the waving grass. Somewhere deep within, she feels the same strength she had relied on as a teenager. The same strength she had relied on as that struggling single mother who had made the best out of her circumstances with God’s help. Pulling with all her might, she draws it out, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “It will be okay,” she reassures herself aloud. “It has to be. No matter what…there’s reason to this somewhere…”

Turning her head, she cranes her neck to look up at Wes. “Thank you for helping me stay strong, Wes… I love you so much. You’ve given me so much more than you’ll ever know.”


Con catches the shift in Jamie’s demeanor, though it’s subtle and only lasts a moment. He often forgot about Jamie’s past, and sometimes felt stupid for not being more sensitive towards it.

Jamie’s offer to find a hotel makes Paula’s eyebrows raise. She points a finger at her. “Now look…if you’re with Con, you’re family, and no family of mine is ever going to be called a burden. If you prefer to find a hotel, that’s fine, but otherwise, you’ll settle down right here.” A soft smile forms on her lips, spilling over into her eyes. “And call me Paula.”

Con can’t help but enjoy Jamie’s arms around him, and feels just a bit of pride, being able to show her off to his family. “Come on, I’m assuming you brought stuff with you to stay. Let’s get you settled in the room, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

It doesn’t take long for Con to help Jamie back inside, and leads her down the hall to one of the bedrooms. He quickly starts gathering up his own stuff, tossing it into his bag to take downstairs where all the boys were sharing the big family area. The girls had the other spare room on the main level, and Sadie was kept with Paula and Dan.

“There you go.” Con sets his bag to the side. Glancing out the window, he sees some of the others coming to the house for lunch. “There’s Eric and Lydia and Seth,” he points out.

Crying can suddenly be heard down the hall, and Paula’s passes by the open door. “And that would be Sadie.” Con cocks his head and looks at Jamie for a moment. “Dan and Paula mean a lot to me…they’re the closest thing I’ve got to parents. I’m glad you came so I could share this part of my life with you.”