A Small Miracle Happened (10 page)
The family’s reaction distracted him. Apparently he was the only one who hadn’t known Dan was planning to propose tonight.
Chris lost track of how many times he was kissed or hugged, and he thought the others did too, because he was sure several of them did so more than once. But they all settled down eventually, if that phrase could be used to describe half a dozen people talking excitedly about wedding plans. And the discussion mostly involved the others trying to make Dan and Chris’s plans for them.
Good luck with that
. Chris smiled noncommittally and left the responses to Dan, who was more than capable of standing up to family pressure. He repressed a chuckle as Dan effortlessly dodged his uncle’s questions about what kind of ceremony they’d have.
Chris liked Dan’s family, including Uncle Aaron. They didn’t share a faith, but they did share a love of stories and tradition. Come to think of it, getting married under a canopy and breaking a glass were attractive traditions too. Dan would probably object, though. Whatever Dan wanted would be fine with Chris.
Stepping away from the babble, Chris found himself standing in front of the menorah again. The candles had almost burned down, and Rachel came forward to blow them out. Tomorrow she would put it in storage until next year.
Dan’s little menorah had a permanent home in the bottom drawer of the desk Chris kept in their second bedroom. Dan had been surprised last year when Chris wouldn’t let him pack it away with the other holiday decorations. But Chris liked keeping it where he could take it out from time to time. He’d trace a thick finger over the dancing figures, and sometimes he’d whisper a thank-you to them. They’d set his own private miracle in motion on the day they’d landed on the wrong doorstep, and he offered them his eternal gratitude.
Loose Id Titles by Mari Donne
A Small Miracle Happened
Mari Donne
Mari Donne was born and raised in New Jersey, but after more than twenty years in the Midwest she has finally learned to relax and enjoy the slower pace of life. Although the appeal of tractor pulls still escapes her, she loves many other things about her adopted state of Iowa, not least that it is the first in flyover country to legalize same-sex marriage.
Fascinated by books and stories from an early age, Mari always wanted to be a novelist, but fell victim to the dreaded demon of Practicality. She worried that years of producing mundane, reality-based prose in an office environment would make it impossible to go back to fiction writing. But when she finally tried, she found it immensely liberating to be allowed to just make stuff up. Even more thrilling was the discovery that fantasizing about hot men was actually part of the job description instead of just a way to survive boring meetings.
Mari and her husband have two grown children and are empty-nesting happily together.
Visit Mari on her website:
http://maridonne.com
, on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/mari.donne.5
, or on Twitter: @MariDonne42, or e-mail her at [email protected].
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