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Clark winced at the hope in his son’s face. “It’s after five, Jace. They may be gone for the day.”
Merry stood up and touched his arm. “Would it be okay if I made the call while you stay with him? I might be able to work some magic.”
Emotions warred inside Clark as his first instinct was to tell her no, because up until they’d moved back to Mistletoe, he’d handled everything for them. Being here on the farm, he’d slowly learned that having a village of people to help wasn’t such a bad thing. It took trust, and Clark trusted Merry.
“That would be great. Thanks.”
Merry left the room and he heard the front door open and shut. She must have left her phone in the car.
He could tell that, to the Winters women, taking charge was just in their nature. They didn’t think anything about donating their time and caring for others, and it was humbling to witness. Harder to accept.
Especially when having her there made everything better and he didn’t want to lose that.
“You okay, Dad?”
“Yeah, sure.” Clark leaned over and kissed his son’s forehead. “I just hate when you’re sick.”
“Me too.” Jace settled down into his bed and pulled the blanket over him. “Merry took good care of me.”
“I can see that.”
“Can we keep her?”
Clark’s heart thumped. “What?”
“Can Merry be a part of our family, like Uncle Sam and Victoria and Chris?”
“You mean I don’t have to marry her to get you new grandparents anymore?” he teased.
Jace shook his head. “Victoria told me that she took in Noel when her parents died and that she thinks of Noel as her daughter. That families don’t have to share blood to show love and that she will always consider me her family. And you too.”
Clark’s vision blurred and he wiped his eyes with a little laugh. “She said that, huh?”
“Yeah, so I was thinking. You don’t have to marry Merry if you don’t want to, but I like her.”
“I know you do, buddy.”
“So can she be our family, too?”
“If you want her to be family, then she is.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Hey, speaking of Merry, she mentioned a mean kid in your class. What happened?”
“He said I was stupid for liking Spider-Man. That Batman was better.”
“I don’t know who this kid was raised by, but calling someone stupid is wrong. Besides, Marvel is way better than DC.”
“That’s what Merry said.”
Jace’s tone overflowed with approval and Clark laughed, thinking Forget food. The way to a boy’s heart is through his favorite superhero franchise.
The front door opened and closed again and he heard Merry thanking the person on the call. “We’ll be right there.” She leaned around the doorway, grinning. “Good news. Dr. Hofstetter said he’d stay for us, but we have to leave now.”
Clark pulled the blanket off Jace and lifted him into his arms. “You hear that? I think Merry might be a superhero all on her own.”
“I’ll take that compliment. Can I borrow your washer before we go? I’d like to throw my clothes in while we’re gone.”
