Page 46 of Renewal After Dark

“What? He’s funny.”

“No, he isn’t.”

“I really am,” Jared said.

Quinn reached for baby Violet. “Come see Uncle Quinn, angel. Everyone’s being mean to me.”

Lizzie smiled as she handed over the baby to her uncle.

“My goodness, she’s a beauty,” Mallory said as she leaned in to kiss the baby’s chubby cheek.

“We think so, too,” Lizzie said, “but we’re kind of biased.”

“You’re allowed to be. She’s perfect. Is she sleeping any better?”

“Nope, and neither are we,” Jared said, “but that’s fine. We’re told she’ll sleep through the night before she’s twenty, so we’re looking forward to that.”

Mallory laughed at the face he made.

“Here comes the big boat.” Quinn turned so Violet could see the ferry coming. “You’re going to meet your aunt and cousins.”

“She’s very excited,” Lizzie said. “Insisted on wearing her best dress.”

The others laughed.

“You’re the cutest new mom ever,” Mallory said.

“I’m a bit silly, but I blame the sleep deprivation.”

“You’re not silly. You’re madly in love with your little girl. That’s the way it should be.”

Jared slipped an arm around Lizzie, wondering for the umpteenth time if a heart could burst from too much happiness. He’d thought he loved Lizzie as much as possible before, but watching her become a mother, after an awful battle with infertility, had been the most incredible experience of his life. Not to mention his own pure joy and bliss at becoming a father.

Before Violet had arrived in their lives through a series of still-unbelievable events, he’d thought he’d be okay if they couldn’t have kids. After all, he got to love and be loved by the incredible Lizzie James and had a life anyone would envy. But after just a few weeks with Violet, he was glad to have been proven wrong. She was the sun, the moon, the stars and better than just about anything, even ice cream.

They’d breathe a little easier when her adoption was final in a few months, but they were trying not to worry too much about that. Violet’s biological mother, Jessie, had left her with them because she knew they would care for the baby when she couldn’t. She’d willingly signed the adoption papers after they’d finally found her. They didn’t expect Jessie to have regrets, but until the ink was dry, that was always a possibility.

Jared couldn’t allow himself to consider any scenario that disrupted their happy little family, so he refused to let his mind go there. He was pretty sure Lizzie was following the same plan. They never talked about any outcome other than her officially becoming their daughter.

Kendall and the boys waved to them from the bow of the big ferry as it came into port.

“I still can’t believe Joe and Seamus took the ferries out to sea to ride out the storm,” Jared said to his brother.

“I know. I can’t even think about that without wanting to be sick. And that they rescued Deacon Taylor while they were out there.” The island’s harbor master had drifted out to sea on his overturned boat.

“That was a freaking miracle.”

“Indeed.”

After the ferry backed into port as smoothly as always, cars and trucks began disembarking before people followed. The group was smaller than usual, since the number of visitors tended to dwindle after Labor Day.

The boys bolted off the boat ahead of their mother. They were ten and twelve, with sandy blond hair and big smiles as they came running toward their uncles.

“Holy moly, have you guys been eating Miracle-Gro or something?” Jared asked as he hugged them.

“That’s not for people, Uncle Jared,” Henry said with preteen disdain for dumb adults.

He’d gotten tall since Jared had seen him six months ago. The sprinkling of freckles across his nose indicated a summer spent in the sun, as did the blond streaks in his light brown hair. His brother was about six inches shorter than him with braces on his teeth. Both boys had their dad’s brown eyes and bright smiles that were like Kendall’s had been before life had kicked her in the teeth. They were funny and inquisitive, and Jared loved being around them.

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