The Happiest Day (19 page)

“I probably can’t
pay you what the big cities could.”

“It’s not about
the money.  I’ve been paid enough over the years to ensure I don’t have to take
jobs just for the money any longer.”

“So, what you’re
saying is when I decide to go back home, you want to come with me?”

“If you’ll have
me.”

“As my employee?”
she reiterated.

He nodded.  “For
starters,” he said, and then winked.

Rachel had to
laugh.  “You’re very tenacious, do you know that?”

“I do know that.”
He sat up straighter when a strange look came over her face.  “Rachel, what is
it?  What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…oh!  He’s
kicking!”  She put a hand on her rounded abdomen and smiled.  “Oh Theo, come
feel!”

He didn’t need a
second invitation.  He sat on the couch next to her and placed his hand next to
hers, laughing when he felt the tiny kick.  “That’s amazing.  Rachel, it’s a
miracle.”  He lowered his head and placed a kiss on her belly.  “I’m Irish
Catholic,” he reminded her when she looked surprised.  “We’re all about
populating the earth.  There is no one higher in our book than an expectant
mother.”

“Why have you
never married?” she asked.  “You would make such a good father.”

“I told you.  I’ve
never stopped working long enough, or been in one place long enough, to get to
know anyone.  Now, here I find myself at Christmastime, holed up in a manger,
with the blessed Madonna.  It’s a Christmas miracle.”

Rachel laughed,
bending to place a kiss on his cheek.  “I really do like you, Theo Bressler. 
Why didn’t I meet you when I was seventeen?”

He grew serious. 
“You’ve met me now.  Maybe not the right time for you, but don’t toss it aside,
Rachel.  We’re only given so many chances in life to be happy.”

They celebrated
Christmas together quietly with no gifts but a fine dinner and conversation in
front of the fireplace.  December turned into January and winter turned into
spring.  Suddenly it was May and Rachel could barely remember her life before
living in this beach house and spending her days with Theo.  They began to
speak of the baby and their plans for when she went into labor.  The beach was
becoming more crowded now and the town had bustling activity.  Theo made some
enquiries and found a physician that would be willing to assist when the time
came for the delivery.

As the days went
by, Rachel felt less and less like moving and spent most of the day relaxing in
the rocking chair.  Theo attended to her like a mother hen and if she hadn’t
have been so grateful she would have snapped at him for his
over-protectiveness.  She thought of Peter occasionally but found that it was
better to push him to the furthest recesses of her mind.  His child with
Blanche was possibly born by now, as well, and he was no doubt enjoying
fatherhood.  She did think of Maryanne, Bert, and Laurie and knew that they
must be worried about her.

“When the baby
comes,” she told Theo, “I need to go home, I think.”

“Are you ready for
that?” he asked.  She had never told him the true story of why she ran away; he
assumed it was because she had been grieving the loss of her husband and she
did nothing to dissuade his thought process.

“I think so.  I
want to raise the baby in my home and I want him to know his family.  I can’t
live in paradise forever, can I?”

He twined his hand
with hers.  “We can always come back when we’re in the mood for a little
paradise.”

She noticed the
use of “we” but didn’t comment on it.  Her feelings for Theo were complicated. 
He made it very apparent that he was in love with her although he had never
said the actual words.  He showed it with his actions every day, though.  In
the middle of the night, when the baby’s movements didn’t allow her to sleep,
she would think about him and whether or not she was in love with him.  She
loved him, for sure, but didn’t know if she was
in
love with him.  He
was handsome, smart, and talented.  He demonstrated his capacity for giving
every day.  Could she picture a life with him, though?

She had been
married to Norris and had spent most of her days as his wife unhappily.  She
had been in love with Peter and her love affair with him had brought nothing
but desolation in the end.  Maybe she didn’t know how to pick the right man. 
Would it be so horrible to marry a man who loved her and only her, and wanted
to spend his days being with her?  Even if he didn’t make her feel the way that
Peter had made her feel, being married to a man that treasured her could only
lead to happiness.  She decided that she would focus right now on the baby and
then after he was born, make some serious decisions about her future.

That happened in
the middle of May when David Thomas made his arrival in the middle of the
afternoon.  He was a big baby with a lusty cry and a thatch of dark hair on his
head.  Rachel held him to her breast and allowed herself the luxury of
remembering the man who had given this child to her.  Peter would love this
child so much.

“You’re crying,”
Theo said, sitting on the bed next to her after the doctor left and wiped her
tears with the pad of his thumb.  “Tears of happiness, I hope.”

“Yes,” she
whispered, opening her eyes.  “Isn’t he beautiful?”

“He’s amazing,”
Theo agreed, running his hand over David’s head.  “Rachel, I know I’m catching
you at a vulnerable moment and it’s as unfair as one can be, but I love you so
much.  I want to marry you and I want to be David’s father.  Please, let’s go
home as a family and start our lives together.”

In that moment,
admittedly a highly emotionally charged one, it did seem right.  It seemed as
if all the puzzle pieces were falling into place.  She put her hand over
Theo’s, connecting the three of them together, her decision made.  She was
choosing happiness. “Yes, Theo.  Yes, I will marry you.”

Rachel married
Theo a month later in South Carolina while the minister’s wife held a sleeping
David in her arms.  Rachel had had plenty of time to think about her decision
and she didn’t regret it at all.  Her life before meeting Theo and giving birth
to David seemed like snapshots from some other person’s life.  When she held
David in her arms and gazed down at his beautiful face, she couldn’t deny that
he looked like Peter but Theo was his father now.  She refused to look back
ever again.

After the wedding,
they spent a few more days at the beach on an abbreviated honeymoon.  She was
relieved that she and Theo were sexually compatible and that she was able to
please him as much as he pleased her.  He was an eager and adventurous lover
and Rachel reveled in the freedom of being able to enjoy his lovemaking anytime
without fear of discovery.  His love for her and for her son was obvious in
everything he did and she felt her affection for him grow more each day.

“I want to
introduce you to my family,” he said on their final night in South Carolina. 
He lay on a blanket on the floor next to David, playing with his toes as the
baby waved his arms in the air.  “What do you think about going to Boston
before we head home?”

“That’s fine with
me.”  She reached down from where she rested on the sofa and ran her finger
over David’s downy dark hair.  “What will they think about you marrying a widow
with a child?”

“I was thinking
about that.  Don’t get me wrong, they would love you and David no matter what. 
It’s just that…
I
want to be David’s father.  Did anyone know you were
expecting when you left home?”

“No, but I was almost
two months along.  We would have to lie, let people believe he was premature.”

“Not to my
family.  They don’t know when we met.  We would only need to bend the truth to
your family.  Does that bother you?”

Her eyes grew
distant as she thought of Peter—something she tried not to do.  What if he
found out that she had been pregnant on the last day they had been together? 
Peter knew better than anyone that Norris had no chance of being David’s
father.  He would know that he was the father.  What if he tried to take David
away from her?  Panic rose in her and she made her decision.

“No, it doesn’t
bother me.  You’re David’s father.  No one ever needs to know differently.”

A smile broke out
over his face.  “We’re a real family now, Rachel.  No one can ever come between
us.”

The travelled to
Boston the next day and were greeted by a very large and very ebullient family
at Theo’s parents’ home.  No one asked questions and seemed to accept that Theo
had married and had become a father without them knowing that he was even
seeing someone.  David was passed from uncle to uncle, aunt to aunt, cousin to
cousin, until finally the grandparents took over.  Theo’s mother, Jayne, sat in
a comfortable chair clasping David to her bosom, a look of ecstasy on her
face.  His father, Sean, hovered behind her, looking as proud as if he was the
father himself.

“I’m sure this
must all be a surprise to you,” Rachel said tentatively, glancing nervously at
Theo who was swallowed up by his four older brothers.

“What Theo does is
never a surprise to us,” Jayne said with a laugh.  “He is a free spirit.  I
worried that he would never settle down and now look at him, a wife and a
baby.  I couldn’t be happier, my darling.”

Sean Bressler
agreed.  “Theo is a man, but he’s also our baby, and the one we worry about the
most.  He’s always off gallivanting the world, going to dangerous places. 
We’re proud of him, of course, but now he’s got something to keep him here and
keep him satisfied.”

“I hired him for
my newspaper,” Rachel admitted, “but I don’t think that means that he plans on
staying around.  I think he will always have that fire to travel the world.”

“Give him a few
more of these,” Jayne nodded her head towards David, “and he’ll won’t ever want
to leave again.”

“Mother, stop
badgering my wife,” Theo said, breaking away from his brothers.  Rachel smiled
inwardly.  His protective streak never waned.  “I fell in love with her because
she understands what I do.”  He sat next to her and kissed her gently on the
lips.  “She’d no more keep me from my work than I would keep her from hers.”

Jayne signed
dramatically.  “Theo, must you be so difficult?”

“Yes,” he answered
with a grin.  “I come by it honestly, according to Dad.”

They spent a few
days with the Bressler family.  Rachel enjoyed the openly loving family and was
sincere in her request that they come visit them in Cincinnati.  “My home is
much too large for those of us who live there, so please, all of you are
welcome to come and stay as long as you’d like.”

Theo had mockingly
laid his hand over her mouth.  “Be careful what you wish for, Rachel.  They’ll
arrive with trunk loads and never leave.”

“I’d be all right
with that.”  She hugged her new in-laws and Jayne shed tears over saying
good-bye to her new grandson.

“We’ll be down to
visit at the end of the summer.  Don’t let him grow too big.”

She and Theo
boarded the train and headed home.  Rachel was nervous to be returning home for
the first time in almost a year.  She hadn’t sent any letter or telegram
notifying anyone that she was returning.  She knew that the reaction to Theo
and the baby would be shock, deservedly so.  At six weeks old, David looked
only as a baby could, but his dark hair was certainly his father’s, not her own
honey blonde or Theo’s chestnut color.  She didn’t think that anyone would dare
ask about the baby’s parentage but didn’t even want the hint of speculation.

She and Theo hired
a car and arrived at the estate early in the evening the next day.  She was
weary and looking forward to settling David in his new home.  The estate looked
fairly deserted and for that Rachel was glad.  The staff hid their surprise
well when they opened the doors to her new family and hurriedly moved to make
everyone comfortable.

“Is my brother
here?” she asked Smythe.

“Yes, ma’am.  I’ve
sent Sheila to get him,” he said, referring to a young maid.  “I believe he’s
in the library.”

“
The library
,”
Theo mocked the butler out of the corner of his mouth.  “Are you sure he’s not
in the conservatory or the orangery?”

“Theo,” Rachel
said, pursing her lips at him to hush him.  “I told you it was an estate.”

“I know you did
but, Jesus, Rachel, this is a mausoleum.  Are we really going to raise our
children here?”  He walked around the foyer, jiggling David in his arms,
looking at the expensive artwork.  “Come on, surely we can find a more suitable
home.  I can’t relax here.”

“This is my home,”
she reminded.  “Our home now.”  She laid her hand against his cheek.  “We’ll
make it a happy one, I promise.”

He turned his head
and kissed her palm.  “I’m holding you to that promise, my love.”

“Rachel!”

Rachel turned and
saw her brother, now a man, striding down the hallway.  It had been almost a
year since she had last seen him and a torrent of emotions rose up in her.  “Laurie,”
she greeted him with an emotional smile.  “It’s really me.”

“I could hardly
believe it when Sheila told me you were home.”  He caught her up in a hug.  “Do
you know how worried I’ve been about you?”

“I know, and I’m
sorry for that.  I just had to get away from everything.”  She pulled away from
him slightly.  “I’d like to introduce you to two people.”  She reached out to
Theo and gestured him closer.  “Laurie, this is my husband, Theo Bressler and
our son, David.”

Laurie seemed
frozen in place for a moment, and then took in a quick breath.  “Theo, it’s
very nice to meet you.”  He held out his hand and Theo took it with a smile.

“I’ve heard so
much about you, Laurie.  It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“It’s Lawrence,
actually,” Laurie said kindly, but firmly. 

“Pish,” Rachel
said with an inelegant snort.  “Who told you that?”

“For years, my parents
called me Teddy and Teddy-bear,” Theo told them.  “I’m in full favor of men
being able to demand that they not be called by childish nicknames.  Lawrence
it is.”

“Five minutes in
the house and you’re already over-ruling me,” Rachel said in mock anger.  “Can
I still call you Laurie if I promise not to do it in public?”

“I suppose, as
long as I can hold my nephew.”

It felt so right
to be home, more than she ever thought it could.  Laurie was delighted with his
nephew and seemed to like Theo, as well.  After she fed and changed David, she
settled him in her old room, in a crib brought down from the attic, vowing to
remove the feminine touches of the room as soon as she got a good night’s
sleep.

The next day, she
called Bert and Maryanne and they drove to the estate immediately.  Maryanne,
now the mother of a baby daughter, Rose, could barely contain her tears as she
hugged Rachel and cooed over the baby.  Bert, however, was more serious and
took the first chance he could to have a quiet conversation with her.

“Where the hell
have you been?” he asked as they drew away from the small group of family
showering attention on the two new babies.

“I’m sorry, Bert. 
I know what I did was selfish, but I think I would have died if I had stayed. 
There was just so much unhappiness here.”

“That doesn’t
answer my question.”

“I was at the
beach house.”

“Where does
Bressler enter the picture?”

“He was on
sabbatical, spending time in one of the neighboring houses.  We met each other
walking the beach.”

“So how do we make
the jump from beach buddies to marriage?”

“In that setting,
with no distractions, we got to know each other very well.”

“Obviously,” he
said archly, looking pointedly at David.

“Bert, don’t judge
me.”  Her tone was sharp.

“I’m not judging
you, Rachel, but you leave here less than a year ago, a new widow, to my
knowledge embroiled in an affair with Peter-”

“Don’t say his
name to me!” she snapped.

“Well, I couldn’t
get any more information out of him than I’m getting out of you.  When you left
us that cryptic note, I really thought that you were headed to New York to be
with him.  When I contacted him, he claimed that he knew nothing of where you
went.”

“On that point, he
didn’t lie.  Peter and I ended things right before I left.  I haven’t spoken to
him since.”

“What the hell
happened?” he hissed.

“Bert, that’s all
ancient history.  Please, let me get on with my life.  I’m so happy.  Can’t you
be happy for me?”

He stared at her
for long moments, searching her eyes.  Finally, he sighed.  “Rae, I’m happy for
you.  I swear it.  If this is what you truly want, then I support you.”

She smiled and
looked over at Theo holding their son.  “How could I not want this?  Isn’t he
wonderful?”

“Which one?” Bert
said ruefully.

Rachel’s smile
grew.  “Both.”

As Rachel and her
family settled in to routine life, Maryanne decided to take a trip to New
York.  She brought along her maid to watch the children as she made
arrangements to meet Peter.  She waited patiently in the restaurant, glancing
at her watch discreetly.  He was late and she wondered if he was going to stand
her up.  Her relationship with her brother had certainly withered after he had
moved to New York.  In the past year, she had rarely even talked to him.

“There’s my
Annie,” a voice said in her ear and she turned delightedly.

“Peter!” she
exclaimed, standing to hug him tightly.  “Oh, I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you,
too.” He pulled away gently and held out her chair.  “Sit.  I’m sorry I’m
late.”

“It’s all right. 
I’m sure you’re busy.”

“I am, but never
too busy for you.”  He sat opposite her.  “So, to what to I owe the pleasure of
your company?  Are you here on a shopping trip?”

She nodded
slightly.  “Of course, but mainly to see you.  I barely ever hear from you.”

He motioned to a
waiter.  The young man came over and took their order promptly.  Peter waited
until the man left, and then leaned forward on his forearms, a small smile on
his face.  “How have you been?”

“Wonderful.  The
children are happy and healthy, Bert is doing well...” She took in his graying
temples and new, taut lines around his eyes and mouth.  “How’s Blanche?”

He raised his
eyebrows, looking away for a moment.  “The same.  How’s the paper doing?”

“Good.  Sales are
steady.  We…uh…hired a new photojournalist.  Theo Bressler.”

Peter’s interest
was finally captured.  “I’ve seen his work.  He’s talented.  How did you manage
to get him?”

“Rachel hired
him.”

Peter picked up
his glass and drank deeply, his eyes anywhere but on his sister.  “Rachel?”

“Yes, she’s
running the paper again and doing a brilliant job with it.  She has a lot of
plans to modernize it and expand it.”

“I didn’t now she
was back.  Last I heard from Bert, you still didn’t know where she was.”

“I know.  I think
Daddy’s death hit her harder than we had assumed.  We had no idea where she was
for almost a year.  We were worried sick, but last month she came back home.”

Peter’s jaw
clenched then unclenched, his finger tapping out a rapid rhythm on the table. 
“Did she say where she’s been?”

“She was at the
beach house in South Carolina.  She said she spent the time just sleeping and
walking…just healing, I think.  Anyway, she met Theo there.  He was on
sabbatical and had a home near ours.”  Maryanne took a sip from her water
glass.  “They became close friends…and, well, they actually got married.”

Peter’s
non-reaction spoke volumes.  He stared at the pattern on the tablecloth for
long minutes, his finger tracing the swirls.