Page 17 of Tying the Knot with her Sweet Scrooge

“What’s going on?” she whispered in disbelief, her voice hoarse with emotion and confusion. “Are you… are we…?”

“My name is Caleb, and we’re spending the night in a cabin,” the little boy volunteered happily, tugging on her hand. “My Daddy is here to do his thingie with the special book I’m not supposed to touch yet.”

Jill met her husband’s eyes in wonder, seeing the love shimmering in his gaze. Her eyes traveled from person to person in amazement, as she let out a tearful laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. This was extraordinary and her husband had obviously been planning this for a while.

“Mrs. Houghton,” the man holding the Bible began. “My name is Joshua Parr, but my call sign is Paradox. This is my wife, Mallory – and my son, Caleb. My boss is a friend of your husband’s and Panic knows me from my time in Ghazni on the airbase. Harley said you are in need of a pastor to say a few words. I would be honored to speak over you both as you renewyour vows – and we brought Christmas presents for everyone to celebrate the Joy of the Season.”

Her eyes met her husband’s once more as he smiled at her.

“So, do you think the prettiest girl in the universe can put up with an ol’ grouch like me for another twenty years?” Her sweet Babe’s voice cracked slightly, and she knew it had to be killing him because he’d always been so proud. For him to have included John and Logan, meant that maybe that bond between the trio went deeper than she ever imagined.

“I would love another twenty years with you,” she whispered and smiled at Caleb. “Are you walking me down the aisle, young man?”

Caleb looked at his father curiously, as he nodded, and Caleb gave a casual shrug, walking her toward them all. Juliet and Lily were dabbing at their eyes, their knowing smiles brilliant. Lena hugged her tightly and so did Lyndsey. As Jill moved to her husband’s side, she looked at each of them in understanding.

“You all knew?”

“Oh yes,” Logan grinned, elbowing John. “We eat this stuff up – breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

“Truth!” John chuckled, reaching over to shake her husband’s hand. “Good job, brother. You’ll have to help me pull this off someday…”

“John!” Lily laughed – and Jill saw the affectionate couple share a knowing smile.

“Not me, Dasher,” Juliet volunteered. “I wanna lay on a sandy beach with an icy drink in my hand on some deserted island or cabin over the water.”

“You’re on – and we’ll have the Houghtons or the Griffins check on the kiddos.”

“Just get us to the twenty-year mark without us driving each other nuts, and I’ll be a happy camper,” The other woman, Mallory, spoke up and looked at her husband, raisingan eyebrow and giving him a lofty look – to which the man presiding as their pastor, looked at Houghton, smirking.

“You’ll have to share your secret someday.”

“Friendship, trust, and understanding,” her husband said quietly, holding Jill’s gaze. “Everything that matters falls into those three categories, and I’m lucky enough to be married to someone who embodies it with everything fiber of their being.”

“I love you,” Jill whispered tearfully.

“I love you, too – and always will.”

“Then let us begin,” Joshua said, opening his Bible and nodding. “Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here before God…”

EPILOGUE

“Mrs. Houghton, you’re doing so good,” Dr. Josephs said happily, but Jill didn’t feel like she was doing a good job. This felt like it was taking forever, but she sure didn’t want to complain when Lena’s sister, who was an OB/GYN in Sweet Bloom, had flown out dutifully every month for a quick visit and to check on her.

And it didn’t hurt that Lena was pregnant too. The two of them practically had personalized care, which made Jill feel much better about being pregnant at forty years old. Lena hadn’t delivered yet, so Jill was getting to experience this first out of the two of them.

“Give me another hard push,” Dr. Josephs instructed again.

“I’m trying, but I’m so tired,” Jill admitted between pants, bearing down with all of her might and squeezing her husband’s hand.

“You’ve got this,” her sweet Babe said encouragingly – only drawing her aggravation.

“I do nothavethis,” she spat as she sucked in another breath and pushed as hard as she could again. “If I had… this… then…Ohhhh…”

And instinct took over.

Jill strained and pushed as hard as she could, her body trembling as a rush exited her, followed by a very irate shriek in protest. Her husband dropped her hand, causing her to look up at him in surprise. His profile was one of shock, awe, love, and bewilderment, and her eyes followed his.

“You’ve got a boy – and he’s a big little fella!” Dr. Josephs cried out happily, holding up the fattest little baby that Jill had ever seen. Big ol’ red cheeks with deep dimples, and there were rolls of fat on the little legs, arms, and tummy. He looked like one angry pissed-off Cabbage Patch Kid – complete with a tuft of brown hair sticking up in the center of his head.

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