The Forever Husband

“Thanks, guys,” Cassie said. “I’ve been missing these books. I’ll read one to you tonight, Mom.”

“Good,” Hope pulled a chair up beside the bed and sat down. “If you feel like it.”

“I feel okay. My fever is down—almost gone, Nurse Trudy said.”

“Great!” Hope responded. “Maybe, by tomorrow, it will be all gone.” She knew that Cassie’s doctor was reluctant to let her go home—despite her continuing improvement—until he was certain she was well. Completely. The last time she came home after being hospitalized with a lung infection, she suddenly became worse and much to every-one’s dismay had to be readmitted. No one wanted that to happen again. “I’ll talk to your doctor in the morning. Then I’ll find out how you’re doing.”

“Are you teaching tomorrow?” Cassie asked.

“Yes,” Hope answered. “Second grade.” She had reduced her workload to substitute teaching after Cassie’s diving accident almost two years ago. But Hope taught whenever she could. Since her separation from Eric six months ago, whatever money she earned proved useful. When they had sold their house earlier in the year, they’d split the equity evenly, and Hope was saving her share with the thought of buying a small house of her own when the time was right.

“Guess what?” Beth asked as she climbed up on the bed to sit by Cassie’s feet. “Daddy’s picking me up in a little while, and we’re going home to eat fried chicken with Grandma and Grandpa.”

“Lucky you,” Cassie remarked.

Her daughter’s complexion looked much brighter than it had yesterday, Hope noticed. She leaned forward to touch the girl’s cheek. “That sounds good to me, too, hon. We’ll have fried chicken to celebrate when you come home, if the doctor says it’s okay,” Hope added.

And until Cassie came home from the hospital or until her grandparents’ vacation ended, Eric would be there, she reminded herself. How could Hope explain to the girls that he would be living with them again, and yet not let them expect too much? Especially, when she was having difficulty keeping her own wants and wishes in line.

“Cassie, Beth. Do you know Grandma and Grandpa are going to be gone for a while? They’re taking a little vacation.”

“Grandma told me they’re going on a cruise,” Cassie confirmed. “She’s always wanted to do that. She told me this morning.”

Hope nodded her head. “Right, well, while they are gone, they think I need someone to help out around the house.”

“Like a housekeeper? Like some of the families on TV have?” Beth asked.

“No,” Hope answered, suddenly feeling thankful that her life wasn’t as mixed up as some of the sitcoms she’d seen. “No, they asked your father to move in while they’re away. So…Dad will be living there. With us. Temporarily.”

The girls’ faces lit up like fireworks. Just the response Hope had feared.

“Yeah! Dad’s coming home! When?” Beth squealed. Cassie was a little more reserved, smiling broadly, but not asking any questions.

“He’s moving some of his clothes and belongings from his apartment—”

“I never did like that apartment he had over the office, anyway,” Cassie remarked. “I’d rather have him at Grandma’s with us.”

“Me, too!” Beth chimed in.

“But, remember, it’s only for a short period of time,” Hope reminded. “Just a couple of weeks or less.”

“Or more,” Beth replied.

“No,” Hope stated firmly, and gathered Beth into her arms. “This is just for a little while.”

“But this is exactly what we were praying for, isn’t it, Cassie? Ever since Dad left—”

“Beth, honey, Dad and I aren’t getting back together. We’re just going to be staying in the same house for a while,” Hope explained as a sudden pang of loneliness hit her. How she wished it did mean more. She and Eric had known many happy years together.

Beth still sounded optimistic. “Maybe he’ll start going to church again. Wouldn’t that be good? He could teach Sunday School like he used to do. I know the kids miss him. And he could be trusted again.”

“You mean a ‘trustee,’” Cassie corrected.

A flash of humor crossed Hope’s face. Then it was gone. Maybe Beth was right. Hope had stopped trusting him. Lord knows, Eric had given her enough reason to do so.

“Girls, this is exactly what I was afraid of. Don’t get excited over this. Nothing has changed between your father and me.”

“But prayer changes things,” Cassie said with sincerity. “You said so yourself.”

“Yes, it can change things,” Hope responded, “but God doesn’t answer every prayer with a ‘yes.’”

“But some of them, He does,” Beth argued.

Some of them, He does. Hope couldn’t argue with that. She’d seen many prayers answered in her lifetime, one of the greatest being Cassie’s complete recovery from serious injuries she’d sustained at a pool two summers ago. The girl had regained her ability to walk again and returned to a normal life, although it had taken time and therapy. Too much of both, according to Eric. And that was only part of what had driven him away from the Lord, from church and from his family.

But through it all, he had never blamed Hope. Not for anything. Sometimes she wondered if she’d have felt less guilty if he had.

“Hi, girls. How ya doin’?”

Eric’s voice sounded pleasant, almost soothing as he greeted the children. Hope glanced up from fluffing Cassie’s pillow to see him enter the room with a smile. A nice smile. The kind she could almost believe was meant for her.

“Ready for some chicken? I’m starving,” Beth said as she picked up her pink jacket and ran to give her big sister a hug.

“’Bye, Beth. Save some of that food for me!” Cassie called as Beth headed toward the door.

Eric kissed Cassie and mussed up her hair a little before he walked away. “I’ll see you again tomorrow, sweetie.” Then he looked directly at Hope. “I’d be glad to stay here if you’re tired. You could use a good night’s rest at home, you know.”

Home. Exactly where was that? It used to be wherever Eric was. She shook her head. “Thanks, anyway, but I’m fine tonight. Maybe some other time.”

Eric nodded in reluctant agreement. “Then, we’ll see you in the morning,” he responded quietly.

Hope saw a flicker of uncertainty, almost a ten-derness, in Eric’s gaze before he took Beth’s hand and turned to go. His dark brown hair was cut short and silky straight in complete contrast to the blond curls of the little girl who gazed up at him as they walked away. Eric hadn’t changed his clothes since she’d seen him earlier. His gray slacks and white shirt were slightly rumpled, and his dark blue tie was loosened but still present. He had that weary look about him that Hope wanted to soothe away with the right words or a soft touch. She lowered her clear blue gaze to the pillow she still held in her hands. She missed him. Deeply. She didn’t want to, but she did.

“Mom, ready for me to read to you?”

She returned her gaze and attention to her brighteyed daughter. “Of course, I am, hon. Just let me move these cushions around and turn this cot into a bed.” Hope picked up the extra folded blanket she had brought from home so she could make herself comfortable on the makeshift bed. Nights of unsettled sleep sometimes brought an achiness into Hope’s shoulders that she couldn’t quite overcome, and she knew she would miss Grace’s occasional backrubs. They’d been almost as good as the ones Eric had given over the years. No, on second thought, Hope considered as she remembered her husband’s strong, warm touch, they weren’t that good.

“Cassie, hon,” she said, wanting to think of something else—anything else—but Eric, “I think it’s time for you to read.”

As Eric led Beth through the maze of hospital corridors and out to the parking lot, he was thoughtful. He wanted to help Hope in whatever ways she would allow, and he knew there might not be many. He’d avoided her for too long, but only in an attempt to protect his own heart. Maybe she wouldn’t forgive him. Maybe he was too late. And maybe asking his parents to go away on an unscheduled vacation wouldn’t prove to be the perfect solution he hoped it might be. He guessed the next two weeks would give him the answers he needed.

Chapter Two

“C’mon, Carrie Elizabeth. We’re gonna be late,” Hope said, grabbing the car keys early the next morning. She had returned to the house to pick Beth up for school. “Let’s go.”

“If you’re in a hurry to leave, I can take her to school,” Eric offered as he entered the kitchen. Streams of sunshine through the window lit up the room. “I have a few extra minutes this morning.”

“You’re sure?” she asked hesitantly. Having Eric walk through a doorway at any moment was something she had to get used to. And, could, too easily.

“I’m sure,” he answered, reaching for Beth as she ran into the room directly toward her father. “‘Mornin’, babe.”

“Dad! You really are still here!”

“That, I am.” Eric hugged her small frame to him, then released her. “Your grandparents must be sleeping late. C’mon, let’s eat a quick breakfast so you can make it to school on time.”

He glanced up at Hope, surprised to see her still standing there in the doorway, watching them. “If you see Cassie before I do this afternoon, tell her I’ll be there later today,” he said, looking into her fathomless blue eyes a moment longer than he should have.

“Give me a kiss, honey. I’ll see you at school later.” She kissed her daughter, then glanced at Eric again. “Thank you. I need to get there early to look over the lesson plans,” she said before leaving through the back door.

Eric’s presence, his helpfulness and kindness, could be difficult to accept, she knew, but it could also be the Lord’s way of showing them His will for their lives…something Hope hadn’t felt very certain of lately. For years she’d believed that she was following the right course, living in the center of God’s will, and that the love He’d blessed Eric and her with would go on forever. She’d given her heart to the Lord at the conclusion of a Sunday School class one day when she was only six years old. The teacher had asked if anyone wanted to pray for salvation, and Hope had raised her hand. So her heart had belonged to God even before it belonged to Eric Granston.

She climbed into her van and started toward Beechmore Elementary, still lost in thought. Eric was now with her again, but only because he didn’t think she was capable of handling everything by herself while Ed and Grace were away. And he was probably right, she lamented. She needed his help to get Beth to school on time and to be there with her at night while Hope slept at the hospital. She stopped for a red light. Yes, he was being helpful and considerate, almost friendly. But where was the Eric she’d married and loved? He certainly wasn’t the man who was at this moment sharing breakfast with their six-year-old daughter. The Eric she used to know would have kissed her good morning, said a prayer over their breakfast and shared a cup of coffee with her.

The blaring horn of the automobile behind her returned Hope’s attention to the traffic light, which had changed to green. She continued on her way as her thoughts went in another direction. Eric wasn’t the only one who’d changed since Cassie’s accident, she realized. She’d never kept secrets from him before, not until that summer day at the pool.

Entering the familiar school parking lot, she carefully pulled into the first available space. She’d been convinced years ago that the Lord had brought Eric into her life. And He had blessed their union in many ways. Could He have done all that—given them such happiness for so many years—only to let them mess things up like this? Now that Cassie was better and life held such promise? Hope didn’t have all the answers, but somehow, some way, there had to be more in her future with Eric Granston than a divorce decree—if only they could find their way to it.

“How did you meet Mom?” Cassie asked between bites of cherry-red gelatin from her lunch tray later that day. Eric had finished up earlier than expected at a closing and had stopped in to see how his daughter was feeling.

He leaned back in his chair. Meet her? He could barely remember a time when he hadn’t known Hope Ryan Granston. “We met in kindergarten, I guess. We went through school together, graduated from high school and then college together.”

Cassie grinned from ear to ear. “So you were childhood sweethearts?”

“Yes, you could say that,” he responded quietly, reflecting on earlier days. “We were friends for a long time before it became a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship during high school. Your mother was very popular in school, you know. She was pretty and smart, and fun to be with.”

“Don’t you think she’s all those things anymore, Dad?”

“Yes, I do.” He answered her question before his mind went back, momentarily, to envision the teenager he had fallen in love with. Hope’s blond hair had been short then, in an almost boyish cut, but the style had looked good on her. She was thin and athletic, an excellent student and a sports fan.

“So, it wasn’t like they say in the movies? Love at first sight?”

Eric smiled. “You’re very nosy today,” he remarked. “But I guess with your mother and me, it was more like friendship at first sight. The love part kind of caught us by surprise.” Very much by surprise, he recalled as he thought of that long walk home from the high school one day.

It was years ago. Several inches of snow had fallen during the afternoon. After school, he and Hope had trudged through the fresh snow, both of them loaded down with books and gym bags. Eric was carrying Hope’s clarinet case. They were cutting across the field that adjoined the property owned by Hope’s parents when Eric tripped over something in his path, falling facedown in the snow. The books flew to one side and the gym bag and clarinet case to the other as he hit the ground hard. And although the fall hurt his shoulder a little bit, nothing hurt as badly as his fourteen-year-old pride.

But Hope hadn’t laughed. She certainly could have been amused by the sight of him clumsily plunging into the white depths. But she hadn’t. “Eric!” Hope had called out his name, in a typically feminine, almost maternal, manner. “Are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?” She dropped her belongings on the ground and knelt beside him as he sat up, slightly stunned by the incident.

Eric wiped snow from his face. “I’m okay—just embarrassed,” he replied, as Hope pulled off her red gloves and brushed more snow from his face with warm hands.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” she’d responded, pushing strands of hair away from her friend’s forehead in a tender touch. Friends. That’s all they were, wasn’t it? In that moment, it didn’t feel that way to Eric. Hope knelt only inches from him in that field, with her jeans getting wet from the snow, while she looked for a long moment into the dark eyes that viewed her with new interest. “A fall like that—” she hesitated before lowering her luminous blue gaze to look away from him “—could happen…to anyone.” She stumbled through the sentence. Then, she cautiously looked back at him to find that his eyes hadn’t strayed from her face. She smiled a little, and Eric thought for the first time how beautiful she was. Awash in unfamiliar thoughts, he slowly leaned forward, his mouth brushing hers in a soft kiss that she returned, tentatively at first, then, gradually, with a little more confidence. They finally broke apart abruptly, each of them settling back into the snow and gasping for breath—

“Dad,” Cassie interrupted the private memory, “tell me about how you fell in love.”

The straight line of Eric’s mouth showed no hint of the emotion behind his memories. “It’s difficult to tell anyone about the precise moment you know you’re in love, Cass. You’ll understand that when you’re older.” But in fact, Eric knew exactly when it had been for him: that afternoon in the snow. During that warm kiss that caused him to forget about his fall, his sore shoulder and the books lying where they had dropped. After that kiss, Eric and Hope had belonged to each other.

He cleared his throat. “Did you know your mother was the only girl on the high school golf team in those days? There wasn’t a girls’ team yet, and she played well enough that she was invited to join the boys.” He laughed quietly at the memory he always had whenever he thought about her golfing days—Hope surrounded by males.

“Weren’t you jealous?” Cassie asked as she took another bite of the meal she’d been picking at. It was as though she could read his mind. “Mom being around all those other guys?”

“You bet I was. I didn’t like it at all, and I wasn’t a good enough golfer to make the team, so she was on her own.” Just like now, he thought briefly.

“What if she gets married again someday? It won’t matter to you?”

“Married? You don’t need to worry about that happening soon,” Eric remarked, wanting to bring an end to this topic. Unless Cassie knew something he didn’t. He hadn’t been around enough lately to be aware of what was going on in Hope’s life, but his daughter was usually good at telling everything she knew about a subject without being prodded. So, he waited.

Cassie coughed several times. “Well, maybe not real soon, I guess.”

“What does that mean?” Eric asked. He reached for a nearby pitcher of water and poured some of it into the plastic cup on her lunch tray.

“Nothing. It’s just that Mr. Shelton, the principal, has been talking to her about the future, and they have eaten lunch together at school. Does that count as anything?” she asked in between sips.

It counted. But Eric wouldn’t let any emotion register there in front of his daughter. Not even surprise, and that wasn’t all he was feeling.

“Dad, you didn’t answer me.”

“Lunch in a school cafeteria with dozens of other people wouldn’t be much of a date now, would it?” Eric said.

“I guess not,” she replied.

But it was enough to bother Eric. Shelton. He didn’t recall anyone by that name at Cassie’s school, and he’d been there quite a few times. “I thought you had a female principal. Mrs. White, wasn’t it?”

“That was last year, Dad. Mrs. White had a baby, and she wanted to take some time off.”

“So Mr. Shelton replaced Mrs. White?”

“Yes, and he’s a—what’s the word? His wife died, and he’s a—”

“Widower?” Eric finished.

“Yes, that’s it. He has a son and a daughter, younger than me. Grandma says he needs a wife. I heard her and Mom talking about it.”

Eric watched Cassie push her food away, only half-eaten. “Why don’t you at least eat that applesauce, Cass. You love applesauce.”

“I used to love it. Now, it tastes gross.”

Something else he hadn’t known. Suddenly, Eric felt very alone. He wasn’t around enough to keep up with the changes that were happening with his children—or with Hope, apparently. Was she really interested in this Shelton guy who supposedly “needed” a wife? Or could it possibly be some kind of potential “arrangement”? No, she would never settle for something like that. Not Hope. Not after having known how good a real marriage could be. He glanced out the window. And theirs had been good, for a very long time.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Cassie’s question drew his attention back to her, and he studied her pretty blue eyes so similar in color to her mother’s.

“Nothing, hon. What were we talking about earlier? Mom being on the golf team, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Cassie replied. “I wonder if those boys teased her about being the only girl?”

“In the beginning they did. But then she hit a three wood two hundred yards down the fairway to help them win a championship. That brought an end to the teasing.” Eric thought of the strong-willed attitude his wife often displayed. Hope wouldn’t have stopped playing on that team even if the teasing had continued. If she wanted something, she went after it. At least, she used to. Surely, life hadn’t changed her so much that she’d consider a relationship of convenience with a widower she barely knew. Had it?

“Can’t you and Mom stop being mad at each other? I know it was all because of me that you—”

“Cassie,” Eric gently interrupted her. “You know we’ve talked about this before. And your mom has talked about it with you, too. The problems between your mother and me have nothing to do with you. And we’re not really mad at each other. Not anymore.” At least, he wasn’t. But he knew it might take a little time to learn Hope’s feelings.

“Finished with your lunch?” a nurse asked as she entered the room. “How are you doin’ today, Mr. Granston?” she added when she noticed Eric sitting in the chair beside the bed.

“Fine, Trudy. Thanks,” Eric answered while watching her take away Cassie’s plate, still half-full of her noon meal. The dinner roll and the gelatin were all that had interested her.

“Now, look here, Cassie. You’re going to have to do better eating these meals or I’ll have to come in here and feed you. You got that?” Trudy threatened with a friendly grin.

“Are you going to be here tonight?” Cassie asked. “I like it best when you’re here.”

“I’ll be here for sure, hon. I’m working a double shift today. Now, you lie down and rest for a while. I’ll be back to check your temperature.” Then she turned to Eric. “Mr. Granston, why don’t you go on down to the cafeteria? I’ll keep an eye on your daughter for you for a while.”

Eric stood up and stretched his long legs. “I could use a sandwich and a cup of coffee. Cassie, maybe you can get to sleep if I’m not in here talking to you.” He ran a hand through his dark hair before leaning down to kiss Cassie. “I’ll be back in about twenty minutes, princess.”

Then he slipped out the door, stepped into an empty elevator and pushed the button for the lobby. Happy memories of wintry days and warm kisses in the snow had momentarily taken the edge off reality. He’d lost Hope, and getting her back was going to be difficult. If not impossible.

The elevator stopped, the doors came open and Eric came face to face with the very object of his thoughts.

“Hello,” he said and stepped out.

“Hi. I didn’t realize you were coming here,” Hope replied, looking startled to see him.

“This morning’s closing finished quickly, so I stopped by,” Eric replied. “Where’s Beth?”

“She’s still at school,” Hope answered as she tucked some hair behind an ear. “I only had to teach until noon today.”

Eric nodded. Then there was awkward silence between them. Now what? Eric wondered. Lunch, he suddenly remembered. “I’m going to get some lunch. Cassie is finished eating, and she’s resting right now.”

“Oh, well, maybe I’ll wait a while before I go up.” Hope readjusted the slipping shoulder strap of her canvas tote bag before it could slide down her arm. “She won’t rest at all if I walk in right now.”

“That’s probably true,” Eric said. “I’m on my way to the cafeteria for something to eat. Want to come along?”

Hope looked at him in what she knew was probably an amusing combination of surprise and skepticism. She couldn’t quite believe he was making the offer.

“You can go on up if you’d rather. I won’t be offended,” he added, then paused.

Hope smiled. “Actually, I’d like to talk to you about something. Maybe this would be a good time.”

Oh, no, Eric thought, what did she want to discuss? Did it involve a guy named Shelton? He pointed toward the nearby cafeteria. “Let’s go,” he said, and they walked down the hallway together in an uncomfortable silence until they entered the à la carte line.

“Coffee, please,” Eric requested of the waitress behind the counter. Then he ordered the special of the day: grilled cheese with a bowl of tomato soup, and coffee. Hope asked for the same, but with decaf instead of regular coffee.

Soon they were seated at one end of a long cafeteria table, eating together for the first time in months. “I don’t know, but I’m wondering if maybe we should have ordered something else,” Hope remarked after sampling a bite of her sandwich. “Grilled cheese in a restaurant is hardly ever as good as homemade.”