“Yes, Mary told me. Didn’t she tell you that I would call you back when I had time?”
Phyllis looked as if she’d just been drop-kicked. She glanced at Mary and then back at her son.
“Well…yes…I suppose she mentioned it, but you didn’t call and I needed…” She took a deep breath and started over, refusing to admit she’d been wrong. “Your Aunt Evelyn is in town. She and Hubert are coming to dinner tonight and I want you to come.”
Daniel looked at his mother, then at Mary, who was still clutching the hall table as if it were a lifeline. Suddenly, things were beginning to make sense.
Mary braced herself, waiting for Daniel to accept and knowing that she would have to endure a night of misery when they went. But Daniel surprised her by refusing.
“Sorry, Mom,” then he walked past Phyllis and put an arm around Mary and gave her a quick hug. “We’ve already made other plans.”
Phyllis’s lips went slack. If he’d slapped her, she wouldn’t have been more surprised. She glared at Mary, convinced that the woman was, somehow, at the bottom of Daniel’s refusal.
“But Evelyn hasn’t seen your daughter and there’s no telling when they’ll be back in town.”
Ignoring the whine in his mother’s voice, he tightened his grip on Mary.
“Hope isn’t just my daughter, Mother, she’s our daughter, and I’m sorry we can’t come. Tell Aunt Evelyn we’ll send her some pictures, okay?”
Mary was in shock. She still couldn’t believe what was happening or what had caused it, but it was all she could do not to giggle with relief.
“Want to stay and have lunch with us?” Daniel asked. “It’s not much. I’m not as good a cook as Mary, but she cut her hand pretty badly this morning and I’m filling in. I still think she should have gotten stitches, but she thought otherwise. Anyway, it’s only canned soup and sandwiches, but I slice a pretty mean tomato.”
Phyllis wouldn’t look at Mary and couldn’t meet Daniel’s gaze.
“No…I’d better not. Since I’m having company tonight, there are a dozen things I need to do.” She smoothed a hand down the front of her dress and then lifted her chin and made herself smile. “Thank you for the invitation, though. Maybe some other time.”
“Give our love to Hubert and Evelyn,” Daniel said.
“Yes…yes, I will,” Phyllis muttered. “They’re going to be disappointed.”
Daniel chuckled. “Then maybe next time they’ll call ahead and let people know they’re coming.”
Phyllis didn’t bother to comment as she let herself out of the house.
The moment she was gone, Daniel took Mary by the shoulders.
“Mary…”
She sighed, then looked up.
“Talk to me.”
“What is there to say?”
“You can start by telling me how long she’s been treating you like this.”
Mary’s chin trembled, but she wouldn’t let herself cry.
“Since the day she found out I was pregnant and we were going to get married.”
“No way!”
“Oh, but yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Suddenly, Mary’s chin jutted mutinously. “And say what? That your mother thinks you would never have asked me to marry you if I hadn’t gotten pregnant?”
“That would have been fine for starters,” he muttered.
“I couldn’t,” she said, then pulled out of his grasp and turned away.
“Why the hell not?”
She answered, but the words were spoken so softly, he couldn’t hear what she said.
“What did you say?”
She pivoted sharply, her voice rising in misplaced anger.
“Because I wasn’t sure but what it might be the truth.”
Daniel was momentarily speechless, unable to believe the words that had come out of her mouth.
“You can’t be serious!”
She stood her ground without answering.
Daniel tried to draw a deep breath and choked on tears instead.
“My God, Mary Faith…how can you doubt me like that?”
Mary’s lips trembled as her eyes welled.
“Oh, baby…don’t,” Daniel begged. “Please don’t cry.”
He pulled her close; his hands shaking as he tunneled his fingers through her hair, then rocked her where she stood.
“I promise you will never suffer another indignity from my family and I apologize for being blind to what they’ve been doing. Trust me. It won’t happen again. I love you so much, sweetheart, and losing you would kill me.”
“You can’t lose me,” she whispered. “And I love you, too, Daniel. Forever.”
“Okay, then,” he said softly, then gave her a kiss so tender that it stole her breath away.
“Are you real hungry?”
Mary tilted her head, meeting his gaze with a smile.
“Not for food.”
“Thank God,” he muttered, and swept her off her feet and into his arms. “Now if Hope will just stay asleep for a little while longer…”
Mary leaned her cheek against his shoulder as he carried her down the hall to their bedroom.
“It’s been a long time,” she said softly, as he laid her down on their bed.
“Too long,” Daniel said softly, and began unbuttoning his shirt.
The last thought in Mary’s head was a small prayer that this dream would not end.
It was three o’clock in the morning when the phone rang. Daniel jerked in his sleep and then reached for the receiver before he was fully awake, not wanting it to ring again for fear it would awaken Hope.
Mary sat straight up in bed, listening as Daniel answered.
“Hello? Mom! What’s wrong? What? Slow down…slow down…you’re not making any sense.”
Phyllis took a deep breath and then started to cry.
“Oh, Daniel…it’s gone. Everything is gone!”
“What’s gone, Mom?”
“Our home. Our car. The clothes. All of my pictures.”
Daniel swung his legs to the side of the bed.
“What are you saying?”
“The house caught on fire.” She choked on a sob. “Everything is gone.”
“Are you and Dad all right?”
“Yes, but—”
“Where are you?” he asked.
“Across the street at Bob and Julia’s. Hang on a minute, will you? Your father is trying to tell me something.”
“Yes, sure,” he said, and wiped a shaky hand across his face as he began to visualize the enormity of the loss. It was the house he’d grown up in, and there was nothing left but memories.
Mary