“You know, Walter,” she said with a grin over her shoulder, “the least you could do is make an honest woman out of her.” She caught their startled faces before heading into the kitchen.
Where, of course, her own little family was doing their best to polish off the cake. “You better save some of that for my sister or there will be trouble.”
The boys all looked panicked and quickly put their pieces back on the platter. They knew better than to get in between Mia and cake. They all did.
Jeremiah tugged her into his arms. “When do we tell them?” he asked, knowing the boys could hear. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed a little of the blue frosting off the corner of his lips. “Let’s make them guess.”
“We’re getting a dog!” Casey cried. He’d been on a real dog kick ever since Sandra and Walter had bought a new pup.
“No,” Jeremiah said firmly. “No more dogs.”
“They’re getting married, dummy,” Ben said, and Aaron looked up.
“I thought you guys already were.”
“What?” Lucy cried. “When?”
“You guys took that trip to Vegas…no?”
“It wasn’t Vegas, it was Sonoma,” she said. “And I was selling wedding rings, not getting married. Do you guys really not listen when we talk to you?”
“We listen.” Aaron shrugged. “So you’re getting married?”
This really was not the kind of reaction she’d been hoping for. She wanted some yelling. Some hugging.
“You guys are bummers.”
“Who is getting married?” Mia asked, stepping into the kitchen. She handed Oliver off to Jeremiah, who, for whatever reason, was like the baby whisperer when it came to that kid.
“We are!” Lucy said. “We’re getting married.”
Mia shrieked and Jack ran in at the sound. “What’s going on?”
“They’re getting married!” Mia cried, her eyes alight, and Jack turned to Jeremiah, clapping him on the back.
“Good news, my friend. Excellent news.”
“What news?” Walter asked, walking in. Sandra followed, her lipstick suspiciously reapplied.
“We’re getting married,” Lucy announced, and finally the room erupted. Jack got out the champagne and poured glasses for everyone but Walter and the kids.
“To happy endings,” Walter said, lifting his ginger ale. Her family, old and new, all looked each other and smiled. How they’d managed to create a family from the pain and tragedy of their past, how they’d managed to forgive each other and move on to a place of happiness was the greatest blessing of her life.
Utterly unexpected, this family of hers. But she couldn’t imagine one better.
She turned to Jeremiah where he stood holding that sweet sleeping baby in his arms. “I love you,” she said.
He grinned, kissed her lips. “I love you too.” But when he glanced down at that baby he sobered. “But…I think we have a problem.”
“What?” she asked, incredulous. There were no problems on a day like today. It wasn’t allowed. It was a rule of the universe.
“I think I want a baby.”
Uh-oh.