In the bathroom, Jack sat beside the tub waiting for Sue to give him Abigail who happily kicked water while lying on Sue's lap.
"Jack?" On the third time she called his name, Sue realised his attention was focused neither on her face nor on Abigail, but somewhere in between. "Jack Samuel Hudson!"
He reluctantly diverted his gaze from her very alluring curves. "Yes, sweetheart?"
"The baby?" She held Abigail up for him.
"Come see daddy." He wrapped her up in a towel before standing. "Will you require my services as well?"
"Maybe later..." An enigmatic smile adorned her reddened cheek as she sank in the bubbles. "Have fun with Abby."
He carried her into the nursery where he dressed her in a red and green pyjama.
"You know, angel, a little nap before your next bottle wouldn't be a bad idea." Since feeding time wasn't before another hour, he carried her to her crib. "It would give daddy a chance to join mommy in her bath and wash her back." The hope of a romantic interlude shattered when he lowered her on the mattress and she complained loudly. "Does that mean no?" With her cradled in his arms, he sat in the rocking chair. "Wouldn't you like a little brother?" When he gave her a pink pacifier, she sucked eagerly on it. "You cannot be hungry already, can you?" He kissed her forehead. "You're gorgeous, did you know that? And you look a lot like your mommy."
Though a part of him knew it was impossible, he couldn't help but see a resemblance. Jack knew his mother would see it too and wouldn't question Abigail's legitimacy.
"Grandma Hudson will be so thrilled to meet you. She never had any little girl to cuddle." How they would announce the news to his parents, and to Sue's parents, still remained to be partly decided. "And I bet you'll win your grandma Thomas' heart in a second too." He brushed her little cheek. "It's me she'll want to strangle—"
"Who will want to strangle you?" After her bath, Sue had joined them in the nursery, but she'd only caught his last remark. "Or is it a father-daughter discussion?"
"Your mother." In the best of times, Carla Thomas was a force to reckon with. She wouldn't take the news of a grandchild born out of wedlock too kindly. "Sue, we could tell—"
"No, Jack." A sigh traveled from her belly to her mouth. They'd already agreed to tell their families they kept their relationship and the pregnancy a secret because of the repercussion at work. "My mother would feel compelled to set the record straight. I prefer facing her wrath than risk losing our daughter. Besides, the odds are that Abby was born out of wedlock. We're probably not lying on that subject."
"Still, your mother shouldn't think I got you pregnant before I married..."
She gazed at him with her eyebrows raised, challenging him to continue. The silent objection hit home. He slid a hand inside her pink terry robe and massaged her belly.
"I seriously need to slip that ring on your finger before baby number two arrives, don't I?"
"Unless you want my mother to strangle you for real."
He leaned for a kiss. "Message received. Maybe I should be a good boy and go for a run."
"Run?"
He gestured toward Levi who whined near the crib, eagerly awaiting another walk.
"But we just went out for a walk."
"I guess he was too enthralled by the decorations and lights to take care of business." He handed her Abigail. "I'll be back in half hour."
As Jack exited the building, a rental car parked in the street. He veered in the opposite direction.
***
Sue ventured in the living room with a quiet little girl in her arms to retrieve a red envelope from her purse.
"Now that Jack is out, let's get his present in the tree. We'll see how keen a special agent's sense of observation really is."
She chuckled as she hid it between branches of the tree near the top, only a hint of red still visible. She had bought him hockey tickets for a January game, secretly hoping Jack would take her along instead of asking Bobby.
"You know what, Abby? If daddy wants to have a night out with uncle Bobby, it would be fine with me. You and I could spend a quiet evening home."
A warm feeling enveloped her. This was home. Seated on the floor with Abby on her lap, she gazed at the Christmas tree. Underneath was another gift with her name on it. Jack had already given her everything she ever dreamed of. She couldn't image what else he could surprise her with.
***
Irene knocked on the door for the fourth time. "I'm telling you, Steve, it was Jack we saw outside."
"But Jack doesn't have a dog." Though he argued with his wife, Steve had to admit the young man leaving the building away from their car looked like his son. "Maybe you're right. Let's wait for him inside."
As he opened his wife's purse, he was slapped gently.
"Don't go messing up my purse." In a roll of eye, she retrieved the key herself.
Messing up your purse? The clutter in her purse was already a mess, but he refrained from expressing his opinion out loud.
The key turned in the hole and they heard the click of the lock as it disengaged. The door creaked when they opened it. They came him.
The couch concealed Sue from their view.
They hung their coats in the closet by the door, Irene putting her purse on the nearby coffee table. The official paper caught her eye immediately. She gasped
"Steve, look. Abigail Faith Hudson." Awestruck by the discovery, she handed him the birth certificate.
"Jack and Sue had a little girl... on Saturday?" As the implications sank, his heart expanded to make room for his new granddaughter. "No, Friday. The 21st was Friday. Abigail was born on Friday."
"Abigail. That's a lovely name." Excitement built rapidly inside her chest as Irene advanced further into the room. "I so knew I heard a baby."
"I guess you were right, but I wonder why Jack didn't tell us."
"He did say he had a surprise. Steve..." Her eyes got misty as she gazed at the blonde woman and the newborn infant lovingly cradled in her arms. There was an inner beauty radiating from her. No wonder her son had fallen in love with her. Something mystical drew her toward them as Irene recalled Jack telling them once she was deaf. To avoid startling Sue, she knelt down as she approached them.
Sensing a presence, Sue swiftly turned around and gaped. Her eyes widened in alarm as she instinctively backed away while tightening her grip on Abigail.
"It's okay, honey. I'm Irene Hudson. Jack's mom." Her deep brown eyes smiled at Sue. "We didn't mean to scare you. We knocked... sorry."
The excuse sounded lame to her own ears, and she regretted the intrusion. Had she known, she would have waited in the car for Jack's return.
Upon reading the 'we' pronoun, Sue looked above the woman's head and saw Jack's dad. A smile spread to her face. She knew exactly what Jack would look like in thirty years, except for his eyes, which he'd obviously inherited from his mom.
"Hi, I'm Steve. Jack's dad."
"Hi. I'm... I'm Sue."
Unsure what else to say, she stood up and was imitated by Jack's mom who tenderly hugged her.
"It's such a pleasure to finally meet you. And is she the surprise you and Jack had for us?" She eyed her new granddaughter with love. "Abigail is it?"
Stunned they knew her name, Sue stared at them in confusion until Jack's dad grabbed her attention by brandishing the birth certificate.
"You and Jack shouldn't let official documents lying around in the apartment." He deposited the certificate on the table before hugging her affectionately. "Welcome in the family, darling."
Sue tried coming up with some greetings of her own, but her voice failed her as tears threatened to spill from her misty eyes.
"It's okay, honey, no tears." Jack's mom kindly invited her to sit on the couch where she joined her. "Whatever reason you and Jack had to keep her secret is not important."
"With Jack, it's bound to be work related." His dad's mumbles, as he sat by his wife, drew chuckles from Sue. "See, I knew it. It was work."
"May I?" Irene extended her arms. "Please?"
"Grandma wants to meet you, Abigail." Feeling safe and accepted by her in-laws, Sue handed her daughter to her new grandmother.
"Oh my God, you're so tiny. And so gorgeous. You're grandma's best Christmas present, sweetie pie." Irene lifted a loving face toward Sue. "Thank you."
***
In preparation for take off, the flight attendant buckled up facing the first class passengers.
In the third row, a pale teenage girl wearing an upscale private school uniform sat by the window.
Thinking the girl might be upset over missing Christmas Eve with her family, the flight attendant promised herself to rummage through the cupboard for a special treat as soon as the pilot turned off the seatbelt sign. Her job was to make her passengers comfortable and happy. She bet the brown-haired girl had a beautiful smile hidden behind her despondent expression.
The teenager sighed as she watched through the window. The lights from D.C. faded quickly. Soon they would fly over the ocean where darkness would engulf them. Her parents would be so upset when they learned she was expelled and coming home for good, not just for the holidays. They would probably sent her to another fancy boarding school in Italy or Spain, paying her way into it, which was fine with her. She couldn't wait to turn eighteen and be free to do as she pleased.
At least she'd taken care of her little problem before flying back. Had she showed up with it, her parents would not only have made the problem disappear, but they would have blamed her for not taking care of it sooner, and as a result, they probably would have cut her allocation. No child of them was ever allowed to bring shame on the family name. Not that she'd planned of getting rid of it that way, but fate had given her the opportunity she needed.
She'd been downtown looking up the address of an illegal doctor specializing in that kind of problem solving when the storm had hit. The buses began running late, and in her haste, she taken the wrong one and ended up in front of a huge building. She was Irish not American so she never paid much attention to the buildings or their names. There were just too many of them. But she'd entered that one to warm up. It was packed with people coming and going. Announcement of closure was on everyone's lips.
A huge cramp had torn at her insides as she'd stepped into a bathroom. The cramp was much worse than the little ones that had plagued her since she drank the mixture she read about in the morning on the Internet. It was followed by a second big one, and a third.
The bathroom was deserted. To relieve the pain, she just pushed and pushed, holding on to the side of the counter.
She knew she was pregnant, but according to her own calculation she had another two months to deal with the problem. She wasn't even showing. Not that people would notice since she was slightly overweight. Nobody ever noticed her... except that jerk, and once he got what he wanted, he'd dumped her like a bag of potatoes and she never heard from him again.
The slimy thing just appeared between her legs. She held it with revulsion. It was still attached to her, but she didn't want any part of it. She put it on the counter while she dug through her backpack. She had scissors and a pair of brand new running shoes she'd just bought. Afraid she might bleed to death, she took the lace off and tied the cord before cutting it, just like she saw in the movie. As she quickly cleaned herself, a bloody mass came out. Utterly disgusted, she threw it in the garbage with the scissors without paying any attention to the wiggling thing on the counter until it began to wail. Terrified of the trouble she'd be in if someone heard it and barged in on her, she shoved it in the garbage can and pushed piles of paper towels on top of it until it stopped making noises. Then she hurried outside.
Like usual, no one paid attention to her when she left the building to hop on the first bus that stopped. Eventually she made it back to her dorm to learn her overnight flight home to Ireland was cancelled. Relieved her nightmare was finally over and no one would ever know about it, she'd slept soundly for the first time in months.
***
"Jack assembled the furniture by himself?" Not quite believing it, Steve inspected the crib thoroughly.
"He did follow the instructions." Knowing the change table would be inspected next, Sue hurried to change Abigail's diaper.
"He followed instructions?" His mom laughed. "That is even more impressive."
"Hey, I resent those allegations." He came in the nursery with Levi and once Sue turned toward him, he reiterated his objections with his hands.
"You should be proud, Jack, you're still able to impress your parents." A devilish smile adorned Sue's face, a smile he wanted to kiss.
He signed. "Funny you." Then he kissed her before picking up his little daughter.
"Were you good for mommy, angel? Did you get to meet Grandma and Grandpa?" He approached his parents and hugged them. "What brought you here?"
"We came for the surprise. Here, sweetie pie." His mom stole Abigail from his arms and went to sit in the rocking chair with her. "Grandma will take care of you while mommy gets your bottle. You're grandma's little treasure, yes, you are."
His dad elbowed him in the ribs before whispering. "You didn't really think she would simply wait very patiently for your visit, did you?"
"I heard that, Steve."
Having read it, Sue chuckled before getting Abigail's bottle and letting Jack's mom feed her. Then she leaned against Jack. "Did you have a nice run with Levi?"
"I did, but Levi changed his mind halfway, so we kind of half walked and half jogged back." He ran his fingers in her blonde hair. "I guess you met my parents."
She nodded. "They're charming. Just like you said they would be."
While his parents had lived up to their reputation, Jack wondered how much Sue told them. He looked at them. "Are you guys staying for a while?"
"Yes, we booked a hotel room, and no argument, Jack. You have no room here for us, which makes me wonder..." His dad enveloped the room with his arm. "Are you going to paint this room? I could help you with it. We just need to move the furniture out for a day or two, time for the paint to dry."
His mother rolled her eyes. "You know, Jack, you could have thought about it before the baby was born."
"Yes, well... we were not expecting Abigail before Christmas." The truth left a sour taste in his mouth that he didn't expect, his expression not escaping his mom's scrutiny.
"We gathered that much." Irene smiled at the surprised expression on both Jack's and Sue's faces. "Jackson Samuel, I raised you, remember? I don't believe you could have kept Sue and Abigail a secret for nine months. You love them too much." Her son was as easy to read as an open book. "And I'm pretty sure I can safely apply the same argument on Sue."
"Mom, listen, it's—"
"No, you two listen to me. Your dad and I can see that for whatever reasons, and we trust you had very good reasons, you made a choice regarding Abigail. By doing so, you gave us a brand new granddaughter to love." She gazed tenderly into the gorgeous little blue eyes. "The details are not important. Right, grandpa?"
Steve beamed with pride. "I couldn't have said it better myself. Now, am I going to get a turn cuddling her or not?"
***
The phone rang as Jack's parents were leaving. "I need to answer this. I'll see you later at church."
"Count on us." Irene hugged Sue and the baby. "Tell Jack not to worry. I'll make certain your dad don't get lost."
"I heard that, Irene. Come on, time to leave. The kids need to get ready."
Jack returned in the living room as Sue closed the door after his parents.
She sought refuge in his arms. "You have wonderful parents, Jack."
Yes, he did. Somehow they had guessed the circumstances of Abigail's birth were unusual, still they'd unconditionally opened their hearts to their new granddaughter.
With Abigail resting peacefully between them, he lifted her chin toward him for a lingering kiss.
"I think our little angel is asleep."
He picked her up and headed for the nursery where he put her to bed, before returning his attention on his future bride.
"She is giving us some time alone." He wiggled his brow suggestively at her. "Any idea how to spend it?"
"How about you go take a shower so we can get dressed and leave for church?"
"Excellent plan, sweetheart." He shed his shirt and pants on the floor before taking her with him, and leaving the bathroom door ajar in case Levi needed to fetch them.
"But Jack..." He silenced her with a passionate kiss while untying the knot holding the terry robe together. His hands caressed the skin underneath enjoying the warmth and softness of her body.
His mouth left wet kisses along her collarbone as the robe slid off her shoulders to meet his boxers on the blue and white tiles.
Sue gasped. The coldness of the wall contrasted with the burning of Jack's body against hers. He swallowed the sound, hungrily devouring her, as water softly caressed them. Desire and passion rose, engulfing their hearts, their souls, their entire beings as they joined intimately, completely, until nothing else existed.
***
John hung up his cell phone.
They were in Sue's apartment after letting themselves in with her spare key. They'd found Jack's number in the kitchen by the home phone, along with his address.
"Jack wishes us Merry Christmas. Sue and his parents were over. They're leaving for church in an hour or so."
His wife frowned. "Did he say why Sue isn't answering her blackberry?"
She'd tried to reach her daughter ever since they'd arrived in D.C.
"Jack thinks she may have left it in her coat pocket or the car. He offered for her to call us back later."
His wife's eyes widened in alarm. "You didn't tell him we weren't home, did you?"
He smiled. "Of course not. I didn't want to spoil the surprise. I told him we were going out so she wouldn't be able to reach us.
Carla sighed in relief. "Did he say which church they were going to?"
"Yes, the little church nearby that Sue always attends. We could walk there. It wouldn't take us more than ten minutes."
"What about his apartment?" She pointed at the address beside Jack's home number. "How far are we from there?"
"Maybe twenty minutes." John had driven by that neighbourhood on his way here.
"Do you think it would be more appropriate to meet them at church or at Jack's?"
Her husband shrugged. They had not seen their daughter since August. Either place was fine with him as long as he got to hug her.
***
They caressed each other with the soap, soothing their feverish bodies while leaving behind a rich lather immediately rinsed off by the warm water.
The towel was soft and fluffy. He gently dried her skin, massaging her at the same time and pampering her with small kisses that left her panting. So much for behaving, though the fleeting thought barely left an imprint in his otherwise occupied mind.
She expected him to follow her in the bedroom, but instead he headed for the living room, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. Her curiosity was piqued when he returned with her Christmas present from under the tree and placed the box on the bed.
Smiling at her, he signed. "You can open it'."
She gasped in wonder as she pulled a shimmering sapphire dress out of the box. The silky fabric glided through her fingers. "It's gorgeous, Jack."
The dress had caught his eye in a display window while he shopped for the rocking chair. He hoped he'd sized it right. "Would you wear it for me tonight, please?"
Her eyes sparkled like diamonds. "With pleasure."
"I can even help you with it?" He tugged at her towel, then suddenly stopped before it was totally undone.
"Is it Abigail?"
"No." He frowned as he didn't expect any more visitors before mass. "It's the door. I'll be right back."
He tightened the towel around his hips before opening the door. His hand froze on the doorknob.
"Oh, my..." Mortified, Carla put her hands over her mouth.
"Jack, we're... we're sorry to disturb you." John apologised on both their behalf. "We're obviously catching you at a bad time."
"Mr. and Mrs. Thomas." Not only was Jack as stunned they were, he felt way more self-conscious and underdressed than they probably did. "Would you... hum... excuse me for—"
Levi's barking interrupted him and awoke a little girl.
Carla Thomas tiptoed in the door, trying to look over Jack's shoulder. "Was it Levi? And is that a baby?"
"Mrs. Thomas, I can explai—"
"I'll get her, Jack." Sue yelled from the bedroom after Levi went to fetch her.
"Sue?" Her mother pushed past the half naked man in front of her.
"Carla, wait." In an attempt to stop his wife, john stepped into the apartment as he grabbed her arm. "Jack?" He eyed the younger man questioningly. "What is going on?"
"It's not what you're..." In retrospective, it was exactly what Sue's parents were probably thinking. "Please, have a seat. " Jack gestured toward the living room. "If you give me a minute to... to get dressed, I'll explain everything."
Without waiting for their acknowledgement, he hurried into the bedroom to put something decent on.
John held on to his wife's arm to prevent her from venturing anywhere in the apartment. "Carla, give them a chance to explain."
"I'm not blind, John, I can see what is going on. It's obvious they..." As she surveyed the room disapprovingly, she caught sight of the certificate on the table. "John?"
He took a look, and as he read it twice, he let go of her arm. "There has to be a logical explanation, Carla. We would know if they had a baby."
"Would we? When is the last time we saw Sue?" As she mentally counted the many months since she'd seen her daughter, she ventured in the hallway.
"Carla? Please?" When his wife was upset, there was no reasoning her— or stopping her.
Carla paused in the doorway of a small room and gaped at her daughter. She barely felt her husband's hands on her shoulders, too taken by the scene unfolding in front of her.
***
"You will be a good girl tonight, won't you?" Sue changed another wet diaper. At this rate, they would need to go buy another box tomorrow. "Was that a smile? Does that mean yes?"
Her infant daughter wiggled happily.
"You're just too adorable." Sue kissed her cheek. "Yellow or blue sleeper?" She opened the right drawer of the change table. "Daddy likes the yellow better, but the blue would match mommy's dress. What do you think?"
The tiny lips parted.
"We'll take that as yellow." Laughter filled her belly. "Almost ready to leave." When she picked her up, the tiny fist grabbed the collar of her terry robe. "Yes, mommy needs to change into—"
The words died in her throat at the sight of her parents standing in the doorway.
"Hello, darling." John entered the nursery with his speechless wife.
"Dad? Mom?" Stunned by their presence, Sue glanced back and forth between the two.
Mesmerized by the infant, Carla took a wobbly step as she inquired softly, her lips barely moving. "Who's the little one?"
"Abigail Faith." Behind them, Jack answered as he joined them into the room. He'd changed into black pants and the soft blue dress shirt that Sue had worn as a nightie. His arm wrapped around her as he stood by her side.
A warm memory resurfaced in Carla's mind. "Abigail was your favourite doll as you grew up. You always said it would be your daughter's name."
"She is my daughter." She gazed sideways at the man she loved. "Jack's."
Jack stared at her in disbelief. "You named our daughter after your doll?"
"But she was my favourite doll, Jack." Stars danced in her eyes. "She had big blue eyes and long shiny black hair."
"Which you cut with the kitchen scissors." John hadn't forgotten how upset his daughter was once she realised the hair wouldn't grow back.
"More like shaved." Carla sadly shook her head at the memory. "You were inconsolable after the fact."
Jack protectively placed his large hand over Abigail's head. "Forget about ever giving her a haircut."
Sue chuckled and he couldn't resist a kiss.
"May I hold her, please?" Carla smiled lovingly as she extended her arms toward her daughter.
"Let's go see, grandma." Sue lowered the infant in the arms of the woman with whom she hadn't always saw to eye to eye, but whom she loved regardless.
Abigail opened bright blue eyes for her grandmother. "She is gorgeous."
John peeked over his wife's shoulder then teased them. "I can see you were indeed working on a very special project. Well, you nailed it. She resembles her mother."
Heat crept up her face as Sue's mind drifted to their other little holiday project.
"Sweetheart, you should get dressed." Jack nudged her toward the doorway. "If we want to be able to sit at church, we need to leave soon."
She softly whispered to his ear that she wanted his shirt back, which left him grinning as she exited the nursery. Later tonight, he would gladly oblige.
John gauged the younger man's reaction. "If Sue needs a hand with her dress, son, we can keep an eye on Abigail."
His wife elbowed him in the midriff. "John Thomas. Behave."
His eyes locked on Jack, John shrugged. "Just being practical, dear. I'm sure Jack offered plenty of help before tonight."
"You're impossible." Carla rolled her eyes as she went to sit in the rocking chair where she devoted her attention on Abigail.
Jack wasn't certain who Carla surprised the most, him or her husband, when she unconditionally accepted Abigail without asking any details about her birth. He'd expected a confrontation with Sue's parents, more precisely with her mother. It was ironic that Sue had faced his parents alone and that he'd faced hers, or at least her dad, by himself.
The thought that John waited for Sue to leave the room so he wouldn't hurt her feeling while giving Jack the third degree crossed his mind. In a few decades, he saw himself behaving the same way when facing Abigail's suitors. No one would touch his little girl. He would protect their children at any cost.
As it happened, Mr. Thomas waited more patiently for some sort of explanation than Jack would if the situation was reversed.
"I thought I would know what to say, John." He might as well throw himself at the wolf and hope for a short agony. "Only to realize I cannot give you the answer you want to hear."
"You could try, Jack."
"And tell you what?" The paradox seemed to mock Jack. "That you got the wrong impression? That I never acted inappropriately toward Sue? Well, you don't... but I don't believe I ever did."
The odd explanation further confused John who arched a brow.
"God granted me the love of the most amazing woman I could ever dream of. That woman is your daughter. I feel blessed every time I hold her in my arms, or kiss her, or make love to her." The truth shone ardently in his eyes. "God also gave us this precious little girl to love. I cannot change how our relationship unfolded."
John measured him up. "And would you change it if you could?"
"No. I wouldn't because I don't regret a single moment I spent with Sue."
"Do you love her, Jack?" The question was spoken softly from the rocking chair.
"Yes, I do love her. I love her more than everything in this world or the next." His voice caught in his throat as Sue entered the nursery.
She looked absolutely stunning in the dress. It shaped her alluring curves perfectly, leaving him breathless. Her soft shy smile beckoned him to her.
Her heart began racing as the passion spilling from his eyes enveloped her.
"You are beautiful, sweetheart. You captured my heart and my soul." Jack gently pushed a lock of hair from her bare shoulder, the silky threads entangling between his fingers. "You are my life, Sue. Forever and for eternity."
He tenderly brushed her lips, keeping the kiss chaste, using every once of restraint he still possessed to resist the powerful urge of sweeping her off her feet.
"That's all we needed to know, son." John loved what he saw, though he missed his wife's expression, as she glanced back and forth between Sue and the baby, before staring intently at the couple. "Carla? Are you all right?"
"Mom?" At a loss to explain her mother's change of attitude, Sue braced herself for an argument. "I love Jack. What we share—"
"What you and Jack share is wonderful, darling." Her features softened as Carla gazed in awe at the sleeping infant in her arms. "I've prayed you would find love and happiness in the arms of a good and kind man, and God answered my prayers. He even threw in this little miracle."
She exchanged a glance with her husband and understanding fell upon him as well.
Tears filled Sue's eyes. "Abigail is—"
"Sue, darling, it seems that for some very important reasons— reasons that we don't need to be privy to— God, in his infinite wisdom, bestowed this little angel with the best parents HE could find." Her mother smiled. "You and Jack have a beautiful little daughter, and grandpa and I are delighted by her arrival."
***
The church parking lot was full. Jack drove around the block and recognised Bobby's and Myles' cars along the street.
"There." John pointed from the passenger seat. "Skilled enough to squeeze in?"
"If not, I have good insurance." Jack stared dubiously at the narrow space and surprised himself by successfully parking his car.
"Do you think they will get married?" Carla asked her husband quietly while they waited on the sidewalk.
Sue and Jack were still in the car, taking Abigail from her car seat and placing her in the sling.
"Jack is an honourable man, Carla. I'm sure that sooner or later, he will legalise their situation." There was no doubt in his mind, that the father of his new granddaughter would do what was right.
"I would prefer sooner... before they are blessed with a second little miracle."
He pulled his wife into a tender embrace. "As long as Jack loves her, I don't mind them giving us another little one. We cannot get too many grandchildren, can we?"
"No, John, we cannot."
***
The reverend welcomed everyone at the door. Jack took advantage of his presence to covertly slip him the licence that Myles had obtained for him.
The clergyman nodded in understanding. "Thank you, son."
Jack caught sight of his parents and led his family toward them. Sue gasped when she saw Bobby, Tara, Myles... and Lucy who ran to her and hugged her. Jack would need to thank Bobby who made sure Lucy was in attendance.
After Jack made the introductions, they all squeezed in together on the bench. The service was beautiful. The children choir sang heavenly. And Abigail was a perfect little angel, her little blue eyes locked on her mother while her tiny hand tightly grasped her daddy's finger.
"Before we all leave to our own family festivities, I have a few announcements to make. Tomorrow we have a Christmas dinner between noon and two o'clock. Everyone is welcome... and please stay for the dishes." Laughter echoed in the church. "Also, in a few minutes, I will preside over the union of a young couple." Whispers rose in the crowd. "I'm sure they would appreciate if you all attended, so I promise to keep the wedding very short." The reverend smiled at the crowd who showed no sign of departing. "Sue and Jack, would you approach, please?"
Sue looked absolutely stunning with her flustered expression and her eyes widen in awe. He lifted her chin to him, brushing his thumb on her bottom lip to focus her attention.
"Sue Thomas, would you marry me, here, tonight, in front of our families and friends, and all those good folks?" It wasn't how Jack had planned it. It was a hundred... no, a thousand times better.
"Yes. I would."
They walked down the aisle together with Abigail and knelt in front the Reverend.
Myles split his attention between the couple in front and the people sharing the evening with him. Bobby grinned while Tara and Lucy shed tears of happiness on his shoulders, and both sets of parents reacted the same way, with sheer joy and pride. And for the first time in a long time, a smile reached his blue eyes as Myles felt at peace with himself.
Jack pulled the ring from the velvet box he carried in his pocket and slipped it to his bride's finger.
"You may kiss your new wife, son."
Jack wrapped her in his arms, careful as not to crush their little girl, and lost himself in the kiss, totally oblivious to the loud cheering and clapping that erupted in the church.
"Merry Christmas." The Reverend's wishes reverberated loud and clear through the speakers. "And may the peace of God carry you through the New Year."
FIN