A Family of Their Own

They watched him pour a liquid into the center of the rings and then turn to Peyton. “We don’t have birthday candles, but I’ve made you a birthday volcano.” He struck a match, held it over the center of the cone and a large flame shot from the top. Everyone at the table oohed, and Kelsey broke into the happy-birthday song. He and Lucy joined in, along with the chef and strangers sitting at their table surrounding the grill. Peyton beamed at the special attention, and it did his heart good.

She hadn’t said thank you, but she’d smiled, and the chef smiled back as he went from plate to plate with the vegetables before he prepared the meat.

Lucy leaned across her mother. “That was neat. Better than a birthday cake, right, Peyton?”

Peyton only nodded.

Lucy settled back in her chair, and Ross sent up a prayer that the Lord intervene in a big way as the evening went on, or tonight could be a total bust.

Kelsey watched the girls moving from exhibit to exhibit, delving into every hands-on physics experiment they ran across. Never having visited the Cranbrook Institute of Science, now she wished she’d brought Lucy here before. The place amazed her and delighted Lucy.

As the girls examined the equipment, learning how matter works, she’d found a bench and rested her feet. For some dumb reason, she’d worn pumps. But then dinner meant sitting. She grinned, recalling that Ross had stressed that the evening wouldn’t end with their meal.

As always, Lucy’s curiosity whetted her appetite not to miss a thing. She’d taken in all of the Cape Farewell exhibit, and wherever they went, Lucy had tried to engage Peyton, but the girl who rarely smiled seemed to withdraw into herself the more Lucy tried. Lucy’s disappointment showed, and Kelsey’s heart wrenched for Peyton as well as Ross. He’d tried so hard to engross her in conversation with Lucy numerous times without success.

Though the evening hadn’t been a disaster, Ross had obviously hoped for much more. Kelsey beckoned to him, seeing stress growing on his face.

He sidled next to her and released a lengthy sigh. “Sorry about the evening. As I said, Peyton has her moody times, and today seems to be one of them.”

“You’ve given her a great birthday celebration so don’t beat yourself up.”

“I know, but—”

She touched his arm. “Was it us? Is she distant because we’re here?”

He patted the back of her hand. “I really don’t think so. At home she’s often the same way. She stays in her room.” He pursed his lips, as if trying to bottle his emotions. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

She lifted her other hand and covered his, wishing she had Solomon’s wisdom. “Have you discussed Peyton’s behavior with her? You said some very meaningful things when you told me about her problems.” She lifted her hand and pressed it against his cheek, seeing his good looks tense with disappointment. “Think of times you’ve been rebuffed or you felt out of it in a crowd. It’s so easy to step back so you won’t experience those feelings again. We protect ourselves that way.” She lowered her hand. “Maybe Peyton doesn’t understand why she feels the way she does.”

“It’s a defense mechanism, one we all use at times.” He rubbed his temple. “But if she never tries, she’ll never realize that she can make friends.”

His eyes captured hers with a desperate look that tore at her heart.

“She needs a woman’s love, and though my mom is so good to Peyton, that’s about all the female contact she has. I have no siblings, so Peyton has no aunts or cousins. It’s tragic in a way.”

Her mind spun. “I see why you’re frustrated.”

“If she’d give you and Lucy a chance, you could make a difference for her.” He closed his eyes and shook his head.

His comment jolted her. Was that what the friendship meant to him? She tried to let the thought slip from her mind but couldn’t. “I’m not sure I like—”

Ross’s eyes bolted open. “What I said was crude. Please don’t think that I’m befriending you only because of Peyton.”

Though she weighed her words, Kelsey let them fly. “I wondered.” Better to end the friendship now, than to be hurt.

He shifted on the bench to face her. “Can I be honest?”

“I’d like that more than anything.”

“I’m not good at this, but I’ll try to explain. I like you. Really like you. You’re a beautiful woman, but you mean more to me than what’s on the outside. I like your common sense. I like your bravery. When we’re not stressed, you make me laugh.”

“You’ve given me a few chuckles, too.” A strong need to lighten the moment struck Kelsey. He’d been through enough today.

“Let me finish. I haven’t had a social life since Ruthie died. First I wasn’t ready, and then Peyton was diagnosed—” “What happened to your wife? Are you divor—” “She died.”

Died. The word sank to Kelsey’s stomach.

“She died from cardiomyopathy. The same disease Peyton has.”

She gasped. The news struck her hard. “Ross, that’s too much for anyone. No wonder you’re struggling.”

“Peyton’s illness was caught sooner. I recognized the symptoms, and though I tried to pretend they weren’t there, I faced it. We have hope with Peyton. God willing, lots of hope.”

Kelsey captured his hands in hers. “I’ll pray for you and Peyton every day. I realize we’re new friends, but I’m sick at heart learning this.”

“To be honest, I hate to tell people. I don’t want sympathy or pity. I’m strong and capable.”

“You are. I can see that, but you can accept people’s understanding.”

His head bobbed in agreement. “That’s important.”

“Mom, did you see what I did with that ball?” Lucy bounded to their sides, pointing at one of the experiments.

“No, I’m sorry. I missed what you did.” She glanced at Ross, sensing that their conversation had stopped at a bad time.

Lucy beckoned to her. “I’ll show you.” Ross rose as he checked his watch. “I have one more surprise for you girls.”

Lucy bounced on her toes. “Another surprise?”

His valiant effort to stay positive warmed Kelsey’s heart.

“We’re going to see a show called Space Park in the planetarium. It’s 3-D projections choreographed to music.” He rose and swiveled around, searching for Peyton. When she glanced his way, he waved to her. “We should get in line or we’ll miss it.”

“Speaking of missing it …” Kelsey opened her purse. “We have a present for Peyton.”

Peyton arrived in time to hear her, and a glint of interest flashed in her eyes. “A present?”

“Yes, a birthday present.” Kelsey eyed Ross. “Do we have one minute?”

He nodded as she dug into her bag and pulled out a small, gift-wrapped box. She handed it to Peyton. “Happy birthday.”

Lucy snuggled in beside her. “I hope you like it.”

Peyton tore off the paper, and Kelsey stooped and cleared it from the floor, along with the ribbon, while Peyton opened the lid and looked inside. “Daddy.” She held it up.

He grasped the box and looked inside. “That’s your birthstone. Amethyst. It’s beautiful.”

He returned it to her. “Would you like to wear it?”