Page 22 of Flamingo Christmas

Sue touched his cheek to get his attention. “I’m thinking it’s the connection to her most beloved toy that pierced her sleep. Somehow she knew Jingles would be with you. And you’re the one she wanted the most.”

Art’s face lit up and he gave her a smile Sue would never forget.

“You believe that?”

“I’ll always believe that.”

“Okay. Then I’ll believe it too. But we might as well keep the doctors happy and let them take the credit.” He leaned in to kiss her softly. “Promise me that you’ll stop me if I pinch her just to see if she’ll wake up.”

“I know how you feel. It seems too good to be true. Poor little girl, she’s missed weeks out of her life and yet she appeared almost normal when the nurse was questioning her. I’m amazed at how quickly children heal. I wonder if they’ll allow her to come home for Christmas.”

“The tests they did tonight were all reassuring. But they have more to do tomorrow, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.”

Sue stood to leave and found herself wrapped in his arms again. She leaned her face into his neck, clung around his waist, and sighed with delight. When his lips found hers, she swooned.

“Do you feel like I do right now?” Art stared into her eyes, and she didn’t hide any of her delight.

“I do. I know Lisa’s your child, but I’ll admit to being personally ecstatic. And since she woke up, I have this crazy urge to jump for joy. Not only because she’s come back to you, but because in all this misery we found each other.”

“Yes. You get it. That’s exactly the way I feel. How lucky can a man be when the two most beloved people in his world are safe?”

Epilogue

A Christmas wedding!

Sue couldn’t get the thought out of her mind. That night, after she helped Art put Lisa to bed, they returned to the kitchen to clear the dishes. And as they often did, rather than get right into their chores, they ended up sharing another glass of wine for him and tea for her.

“Hey, come here and let me hold you. I haven’t had a chance since this morning. I want to feel you close.” Art kissed her with pent up desire, and she sunk into the delight of his passion. After moments where their breathing became somewhat ragged, she knew if she didn’t stop them now, they’d end up in the bedroom. “Later, baby. Quit trying to get out of helping me clean the kitchen.”

Laughing, his voice husky, he admitted, “You’ll always come before the dishes, sweet girl.”

“Behave. I have something I want to discuss with you.” She hugged him and then took his hand to lead him back to the table. It’s where they often ended up to discuss their days.

“You know how we’ve been going around in circles as to when we should hold the wedding.”

“Uh huh. In my defense, I opted to have it as soon as possible. It’s you who’s been putting things off.”

She leaned in for another kiss before settling back in her chair. “I can’t get this thought out of my mind. What about a Christmas Eve wedding?” She held her breath and watched Art’s expression. When she saw the instant delight, her heart settled, and satisfaction reigned. “You like the idea.”

“I love the idea. It’s a lot closer than waiting until next summer. You know I want to put a ring on your finger before the new baby is born.”

Sue caressed her belly and giggled. “Our baby is just a teeny blessing right now and yet already, we both think of the child as a part of our world.”

“Well, you’re past the first six weeks and everything is gloriously normal. Let’s see, you’ll be just three months into the pregnancy at Christmas.”

“Yep. And admit it, you’re the old-fashioned daddy who wants to make us legal. Living together isn’t enough for you, is it?” As soon as she saw his expression, she relented. “And you’re right. Lisa is getting older and even though she seems to have accepted me as her new mommy, it would be best if we have a wedding day for everyone to remember. Besides… you know I want to marry you. I’ve known you were my destiny almost the first moment we met.”

He leaned in and kissed her again. “Me too. And I think your idea of a Christmas wedding is fantastic. It would be the perfect time to make the baby announcement too.” He reached for her hand and fondled it, his head down, as a shy look replaced his earlier enthusiasm. “Do you think it’s silly of me to want to wait until the first trimester is past, and we know for sure the baby is safe?”

“Not at all. You and Janette went through a terrible experience getting pregnant. I agree that I wouldn’t want to tell everyone about our baby, accept all their best wishes, only to have to contact them with bad news. And you had to do it twice. Once Lisa came along, I bet you were on tenterhooks the whole time.”

“We were. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Yet Lisa’s here with us today. And she’ll be the one most excited about the wedding.”

Sue nodded happily, envisioning the bright smiles lighting up a little girl’s face.

Art’s comment ended in a question. “If we keep it small, we could hold the ceremony here, right? I knew I wanted this big old barn of a house for a reason.”

“Great idea. Hey, wait a minute, you said we had to have a huge place to fill with brothers and sisters for Lisa.”

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