Twisted Paths by Terri Reid Page B

Mike cleared his throat loudly behind them. “Okay, well, this is awkward.”
    Mary heard a quiet swear word slip from Bradley’s lips and had to bend her head against his chest to hide her smile.
    “You needed something?” Bradley asked.
    Mike grinned at them. “Well, yeah, sorry and all,” he said. “But Clarissa has had a pretty full day and she’s just about asleep on her feet in there.”
    Bradley sighed. “Sorry, Mike, you’re right. We’ll be in there in a moment,” he said.
    Mike winked at Mary and then disappeared.
    “You can stop smiling now,” he said to her.
    She giggled. “Sorry,” she said raising her face to his. “I don’t know what came over me.”
    He smiled down at her. “I love you, Mary O’Reilly,” he said. “That’s what came over me.”
    “I love you too, Bradley Alden,” she replied. “Now let’s go put our daughter to bed.”
     

Chapter Thirteen
    After good-night wishes from all of the men in the house, Mary took Clarissa upstairs to help her get ready for bed.
    “Do I get to live here?” Clarissa asked as they entered her bedroom.
    “Yes, you do,” Mary replied, pulling a new set of pajamas out of the drawers. “Do you think you’ll like it?”
    Clarissa looked around the room, the walls were pale blue and the woodwork was white. The shelves were nearly empty, with only a few of her possessions lying on them.  Her dresser matched her bed, a delicate white enamel painted set with small appliques of roses on them.   There were new toys, still wrapped in their original packaging in a shopping bag from the store and a huge stuffed teddy bear in the middle of her bed.
    “My mommy would have liked it,” she said sadly. “She loved the color blue.”
    Mary gave her a hug. “What was her favorite blue thing?” she asked.
    “She had blue slippers,” Clarissa said, her eyes filling with tears. “Daddy bought them for her for Christmas. She loved them lots.”
    “Those slippers sound wonderful,” Mary said. “And your parents sound like they loved each other very much.”
    Clarissa nodded. “I miss them.”
    “Of course you do, darling,” Mary replied. “And I’m sure they miss you.”
    She took a tissue from the dispenser on the table next to the bed and gently wiped Clarissa’s face. “They loved you so much,” she said.
    Taking a deep shuddering breath, Clarissa nodded and remembered what Mike had told her. “I’m trying to have faith,” she explained to Mary. “And not be too sad.”
    “Having faith is sometimes a hard thing to do,” Mary said. “And you seem to be doing an exceptional job.”
    Smiling, Clarissa looked around the room again. “I do like it here, very much,” she admitted.
    “I’m so glad,” Mary said. “Now, through that door is your bathroom.  Why don’t you wash up and brush your teeth, and I’ll try to organize some of your things.”
    Clarissa walked through the open door, her pajamas in hand, and Mary could hear the water running in the sink.  She took some of the toys out of the bag and was walking to the shelf when Henry appeared in front of her. She jumped back and dropped the toys onto the rug. “You could have warned me,” she whispered harshly.
    “Sorry,” Henry said. “I just wanted to be sure she was safe.”
    “Mary,” Clarissa called from the bathroom.
    “Yes, sweetheart,” Mary called over her shoulder.
    “Is my mom with my dad now?” she asked.
    Mary looked at Henry and raised an eyebrow.  “What would you like me to say to her?” she asked.
    “Tell her…,” he paused for a moment. “Tell her that her mother and I are together in heaven.”
    “But I can let her know…,” Mary began.
    He shook his head.
    “Yes, your mom is with your dad now,” she said.
    Clarissa walked out of the bathroom, dressed in her new flannel nightgown, with a toothbrush in her mouth. “Good,” she said, around the scrubbing. “Cause he always took care of her. Now he can take care of her