Unfailing Love

Six-Let me be worthy of you

Jacob stared in awe at the real-like fireman's outfit complete with hat and badge. His gaze lifted to hers.

"Wow!" His fingers ran over the badge with reverence. "Thank you, Mama." The words were choked with emotion.

The other kids gasped and a chorus of "oohs and ahs" followed. "Cool!"

"Like a real fireman!"

"Can I touch it?" one boy asked.

Her son nodded graciously, letting the other kids admire his gift.

Dani realized she owed Reynolds a debt she could never repay. He'd clearly known how her son would react to the gift and had gotten it for her to give Jacob.

"How'd you know?" Rachel asked, impressed.

"I didn't." She'd made enough mistakes and wasn't taking credit for something she hadn't done. "A friend helped me out."

"Right. A friend." Rachel shot her a look of disbelief, clearly thinking Dani meant a boyfriend. "Well, nice job in trying to buy his affection."

"It's not like that," she started to explain, but telling her about Agent Reynolds would invite questions she wasn't ready to answer.

Thankfully, a young woman unknowingly came to her rescue. "Little boys love firemen. You're officially the envy of every other mom here."

Dani turned to the woman who'd spoken the kind words and she smiled. Unlike the rest of the moms present this one didn't seem to dislike her.

"Charlie loves them too," the woman continued. "My name's Lindy. The red-haired boy next to Jacob is my Charlie."

In the next heartbeat, Jacob ran to her and she crouched down and gave her son the biggest hug. Aware of the attention on them she reluctantly let go and whispered for him to finish opening his presents. Jacob obeyed but the judging stares lingered. Dani wished she could disappear, but Lindy was waiting for her reply.

"It's nice to meet you, Lindy. I'm Dani, Jacob's mom."

Lindy's smile was easy. "I know, Jacob talks about you all the time. I've seen pictures of you."

Dani tensed, not wanting to talk about her past. "Meredith did a great job with the party."

"Oh, my goodness, yes!" Lindy agreed, letting her change the subject. "She's fabulous. Josh is lucky to have her."

"He sure is," Rachel agreed, her gaze sliding to Dani and waiting for a reaction.

Dani kept her smile in place and nodded. That had been her game plan for most of the day. Smile, nod, repeat. As much as she wanted to dislike Meredith, it was impossible. If there was a kinder woman on earth, Dani had never met her. Unlike most of the other moms, Meredith's eyes were gentle when they met hers.

"It's great that you and Josh have a good relationship," Lindy continued, pushing a chunk of hair behind her ear. "I can't imagine being at a party with my ex and his new girlfriend. You three are better than I am."

"Not really," Dani whispered softly and saw the confusion then sympathy flash in Lindy's eyes. "Josh and Meredith seem perfect together," Dani added, trying to recover. It was the truth and it seemed to smooth any trouble her blunt honesty might have caused.

"A match made in heaven," Rachel said smoothly, but there was a flash of sympathy in Rach's eyes.

Lindy tossed a half-smile but said nothing more about Josh and Meredith. Dani felt an immediate bond with her.

Just before she and Charlie left Lindy gave Dani her number. "Maybe we can take the kids to the park and play sometime."

"I'd like that." Dani longed for a playdate more than anything, but she couldn't get her hopes up. She'd signed away her parental rights when Jacob was born, and it was unlikely Josh would trust her with him now.