Marty didn't know what to wear. She fluttered around the RV like a teenager getting ready for her first date. And this wasn't even a date. Just dinner with the family.

She'd agreed to the dinner event thought she thought she really shouldn't. Being around Jake Stryker was hazardous to her mental health. Yet she had often shared a meal while staying at the home of other clients. It was practical and beat making do with a frozen dinner done in Big Red's microwave oven. Besides, she couldn't think of a good excuse not to accept his invitation.

She changed outfits a couple times, finally settling on a simple floral sundress with a scoop neck. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail, a few ringlets escaping to frame her face. A flick of mascara and a touch of lip gloss and she was done. She studied herself in the full-length mirror on the closet door and decided she would do.

She walked into a house filled with the smell of Italian food. Nora was in the kitchen taking lasagna from the oven, her cheeks flushed from the heat.

"Hi, Nora. What can I do to help?"

"How about gathering up the kids and the guys? My husband and Jake are in the den watching the news and the kids are watching a movie in the family room. Tell them all to get washed up and come and eat."

Marty nodded and turned to leave the room. Great. She was hoping she'd be asked to set the table or given some other task that would keep her away from Jake for a few more minutes, but so much for that.

She followed the sound of male voices to the den and stuck her head in.

"Nora says time to get washed up and come to supper."

"Marty." Jake rose to his feet, a smile lighting his face. "Meet Joe, Nora's husband."

Joe was a stocky man in his early 50s. His hair was gray, his skin suntanned. He rose to his feet and offered her his hand, quickly engulfing her own in its grip.

"Good to meet you, Marty." He had laugh lines that crinkled around his hazel eyes.

"You, too, Joe. Now my next mission is to fetch the kids."

Jake glanced at the watch on his wrist. "You're in luck. The movie should just be finishing up."

"Perfect. Well, I'll see you in a few minutes."

"By the way, since it's just us, we'll be having dinner in the kitchen. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. That sounds nice." And it did. She was glad they'd be in a casual atmosphere, even more glad to see that they would be sharing dinner with Nora and Joe. She was impressed that Jake was down to earth enough to share a meal with his employees—his friends.

Marty moved on down the hall and stuck her head in the family room where Finding Dory was just finishing.

"Hey, you two. Anybody hungry?"

"Me! Me!" two eager voices called out, and the twins jumped to their feet. Bonnie clapped her hands and chortled, "Nora made ‘sagna. I love ‘sagna."

"Well, then let's hurry and wash our paddies and go eat." Marty herded the two kids into a powder room and they both scrubbed their hands then happily headed towards the kitchen.

Soon the six of them were seated at the table and enjoying their meal. First came salads, then lasagna and garlic bread. Marty was surprised at the easy companionship she felt. Talk flowed easily from world news to neighborhood gossip.

She loved the fact that Jake was so at home with his employees. They seemed more like a family than boss and staff. It was so comfortable sitting at the kitchen table eating together—a familial feeling Marty wasn't used to.

She was listening to Joe tell a cute little joke when there was a sudden clunk of something hitting the table. All eyes turned to Brody, whose milk glass had spilled, milk running across the table.

The little boy's face paled, his eyes rounding like saucers. He let loose a horrified moan, his little arms raising up to protect his face.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Tears beaded on his cheeks. He scrambled out of his chair and hid under the table. Bonnie joined the crying, hiding her eyes behind her hands.

The adults were shocked into silence for a moment, taken aback by the child's terrified reaction to the accident. Jake's face was grim as he stood and kneeled down to crawl under the table with his nephew. Marty leaned over and wrapped her arms around Bonnie's shaking shoulders, stroking the little girl's hair back from her forehead.

"Shh, honey, everything's okay. It's fine. It was just an accident."

"Brody's going to get a beating," she cried.

"No, of course he's not. Uncle Jake wouldn't do that."

"Daddy always did."

"Well, Uncle Jake's not your daddy."

 

Jake listened to Marty's voice soothing Bonnie as he crawled under the table and sat next to Brody. The little boy was shaking, trembling, his face soaking wet with tears. It broke Jake's heart to see how upset the little boy was. A fury at Bobby Hammond boiled up in Jake, making it hard to talk. Instead, he reached out and gathered his nephew onto his lap, resting his head on top of the little boy's silky hair.

"Hey, buddy," he said, finally managing to speak. "It was an accident. Accidents happen. Nobody's mad at you."

The little boy hiccupped, pushing his face into Jake's chest. He refused to look at his uncle, clutching his shirt in a death grip.

"It's okay, Brody. I love you. I would never hurt you, and I will never let anyone else hurt you." He rocked the child gently, dropping a kiss on his forehead. "Please don't ever be afraid of me. I love you."

Brody slowly stopped trembling and eventually got brave enough to turn his gaze to his uncle's. They were still tinged with a wary look but there was something else there as well. Hope? Jake wasn't sure but he thought it was.

"You love me?" His voice was tiny but wishful.

"You bet I do. You're my nephew, my sister's child. How could I not love you?"

Brody thought about that, his thumb slipping into his mouth. They sat cuddled together for a couple minutes. Jake felt something stirring within him. This child and Bonnie. They were his now. He hadn't had them, hadn't asked for them. But a connection was there and he wanted nothing more than to wipe away the bad memories and replace them with happy ones.

"Hey, I'm hungry. Want to go back up and finish our supper?" Jake tipped Brody's chin up and winked at him. "That lasagna's getting cold."

"Okay." Jake was rewarded with a tiny flick of a smile. Together they crawled out from under the table and Jake lifted Brody into his booster seat. Nora had cleaned up the spilled milk and Bonnie had calmed enough to take another bite of lasagna. The rest of the meal passed calmly, conversation resuming and the children digging into the food.

"Okay, dessert time," Nora announced. "Who wants ice cream?"

Every hand at the table went up. Marty offered to help Nora dish up the spumoni ice cream, passing bowls around the table. Ten minutes later they all were stuffed and groaning with satisfaction. Both children smiled happily, proudly sporting ice cream mustaches.

"Let's get those hands and faces washed." Nora rose from the table and moved to get a cloth Marty grabbed another one, wetting it at the sink. Before long both kids were clean and blinking sleepy eyes.

"Time for bed, little ones," Nora announced. "Tell everyone good night."

The kids got up and hugged Jake and Joe then turned to Marty. She felt a catch in her heart as she hugged the little bodies to her. No one deserved to go through what those two babies had been through.

She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer. God, help them forget the bad times and only remember the good. These kids were going to need all the prayers in the world to get past the horror they had experienced.