A Baby for Christmas (Love at The Crossroads) (15 page)

“Right.” Royce nodded.  “Solae, we wouldn’t be having this conversation if I didn’t think you two loved each other. Like my wife said, my brother can be stubborn.” When Hershel was about to say something, Royce stopped him. “The fact is you two have made bad choices. Solae, using Hershey as an excuse not to get married is weak. Hershel, you’ve been selfish. Solae never would have left if you had given her the one thing she wanted—to be your wife and a mother to my nephews. You snoozed and lost that opportunity because she became a mother without you.”

“Amen.” Solae nodded.

Candace frowned. “
Shh.
The bottom line is this is God’s will about Hershey.” The baby stirred, hearing her name. Everyone held their breaths as the baby took center stage. Looking around, she crawled out of Hershel’s arms into Solae’s. “The biggest question is if you two were already married, would you have adopted Hershey when the call came.”

Solae looked at Hershel, then shrugged. “Honestly, I want to say I would have, but I don’t know.”

“It’s almost Christmas, why don’t you two work out your differences and give Hershey the best gift any child would want—a mom and dad.”  Royce stood and pulled Candace to her feet. “That is all. This meeting is adjourned.”

Christmas Day

Solae and her mother had gone overboard buying toys for Madison Hershey Wyatt-Palmer. That didn’t count the clothes Candace, Julia, and Desiree had bought. But it was her daughter’s first Christmas, and as far as Solae was concerned, it was her prerogative to spoil her only child.

Not surprisingly, her daughter had a ball playing with the bows and gift paper rather than the toys. Hershey loved being the center of attention as she and her parents laughed at her antics.

She could never thank Candace and Royce enough for intervening on Hershey’s behalf—as they were quick to tell her. Since then, she and Hershel had reconciled. Now Solae was waiting on the proposal that he promised would be memorable. Solae smiled, she couldn’t wait to see that.

The doorbell rang as she finished dressing Hershey, followed by her mother announcing that she had company downstairs.

“Okay.” She brushed Hershey’s soft curls and then put a gold cap with a red velvet bow on her head. Giving her daughter an approving nod, Solae praised God for the perfect gift, a baby for Christmas.

Coming down the stairs, Solae noticed it was too quiet for there to be company. Once she made it to the landing, Solae went in search of her guests. Seconds later, she sucked in her breath at the sight of three handsome Kavanaugh men, dressed in black tuxedoes and red bow ties. Each knelt on one knee, but only one had a black velvet box resting in the palm of his hand. Her parents were nowhere to be seen, but Solae suspected they were within hearing distance.

So this was it. The moment Solae had been waiting for all her life. Although she knew it was coming, her eyes still watered with emotion. Hershel stood and walked to her. After brushing a kiss on her lips and then on Hershey’s cheek, he lifted the baby out of her arms.

“Boys, I want you to take your sister in the kitchen. I think your soon-to-be grandparents have a treat for you,” he stated as if they were already a family.

Hershel was making this seamless. Harrison scrambled to his feet and hugged Solae. She rubbed the top of his head when he looked up at her.

“Daddy said you were our Christmas present.” He squeezed her tight.

Brandon joined them. “Now, I’ll have a pretty Mommy to show my friends.”

“Sons,” Hershel reminded them, and Brandon carefully took Hershey and disappeared down the hall.

Alone, Solae stared into Hershel’s eyes as he guided her to the sofa. He got back down on one knee. “Merry Christmas, babe.”

“Merry Christmas,” she whispered.

“There’s no doubt that the greatest gift today is salvation. The second is finding a wife, and the third is having beautiful children—two sons and a daughter. I love you, Solae. What makes you so special is your gift to me today—a woman who loves me and a daughter that, without you, I wouldn’t have.” He opened the box and she gasped at the ring.

“It’s so beautiful.”

“It’s so you. Will you marry me?” He slipped on the engagement ring before she could answer.

But she was filled with so much emotion; she couldn’t speak, so she nodded.

“If you can tell me you love me, then you can say, ‘yes, I’ll be Captain Kavanaugh’s wife.’”

“I would be honored to be your wife and Harrison and Brandon’s mother.”

As if her parents and the children had been cheerleaders standing on the sidelines, they all rushed into the room, cheering, clapping, and celebrating the good news.

“If you would marry me today, it would be a done deal.” Hershel kissed her.

“I don’t think I would stop you either.” Solae laughed, admiring her ring. Then within minutes, they had their coats on and hurried out the door to the church to celebrate the greatest gift on Christmas.

Months later

Hershel stood at the altar. Solae’s parents spared no expense for their nuptials. Solae said she wanted the affair to be centered on them as a family, which explained why his ten-month-old-daughter-to-be captured the crowd’s attention as her little legs carried her down the aisle as if she was tap dancing next to Lindsay.

She was the center of attention with guests’ “oohs and ahhs”. Hershel squatted and encouraged Hershey to come to him. Lindsay released Hershey’s hand and she took off down the aisle.

After sweeping her up in his arms, he kissed her and then handed her off to Candace, who was the maid of honor and Julia was a bridesmaid. Both women were a couple of months pregnant.

The background seemed to fade as Mr. Wyatt-Palmer escorted Solae down the aisle. Wow. She reminded him of a princess and he was blessed to be her prince.

When her father stopped at the altar to hand her over, Hershel was waiting. It seemed like he’d been waiting his whole life for the woman that would complement him. The ceremony concluded not long after it began. The only moments Hershel remembered were the kiss he bestowed on his wife as if no one was around and the hug she gave him after the kiss that conveyed her love.

“Finally, I’m a wife.” Her voice trembled as she looked up into his eyes. Her arms were still around his waist.

Kissing her forehead, Hershel closed his eyes and
snuggled her closer. “Thank you for saying yes.”

“Thank you for asking,” she whispered.

Pat Simmons is a
 self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth. She is passionate about researching her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels. 

She hopes her off-beat method will track down distant relatives who happen to pick up her books. She has been a genealogy enthusiast since her great-grandmother died at the young age of ninety-seven years old in 1988.
 

She describes
 the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as an amazing, unforgettable, life-altering experience. She believes God is the author who advances the stories she writes. 

Pat
 has a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. She has worked in various media positions in radio, television, and print for more than twenty years. Currently, she oversees the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions. 

She is the author of nine single titles and several eBook novellas.

Her awards include
Talk to Me,
ranked #14 of Top Books in 2008 that Changed Lives by
Black Pearls Magazine
. She is a two-time recipient of the Romance Slam Jam Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance for
Still Guilty
(2010) and
Crowning Glory
(2011), and the first recipient of the Katherine D. Jones Award for grace and humility as an author.

Her bestselling novels include
Guilty of Love
and the Jamieson Legacy series:
Guilty by Association
,
The Guilt Trip
, and
Free from Guilt
.
The Acquittal
is her 2013 release;
No Easy Catch,
April 2014.

Pat has converted her sofa-strapped, sports-fanatical husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, and GPS-guided chauffeur. They have a son and daughter. 

Pat’s interviews include numerous appearances on radio, television, blogtalk radio, blogs, and feature articles.

Visit
www.patsimmons.net
or
email her at
[email protected]

Snail mail: Pat Simmons, P O Box 1077, Florissant, MO 63031

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