Epilogue

 

Eighteen months later

 

The sun shone down on the large crowd gathered in front of the new Rainbow Falls fire hall. Maxi set a large pitcher of lemonade on the table under the giant oak tree and took mental inventory. Iced tea, water, lemonade, her mother’s homemade brownies, sugar cookies, and pumpkin loaf. That should keep the guests from getting restless after the ceremony.

She scanned the crowd for Jason’s familiar face. A smile broke out when she spotted him standing with fire chief, Steve Hamilton, ready for the ribbon cutting. This was Jason’s big day, the culmination of his dream. Her heart filled to the bursting point at the joy on his face. Jason had sold off some acreage on the outskirts of their property and used the profit to pay off his bank loan. The whole community had come on board with the project and funding had poured in faster than anticipated to build the station. And now, just down the road from their farmhouse, the sparkling new fire station was ready for the volunteer fire brigade to serve and protect.

Lily came up beside her, Annabelle glued to her hip. “I think they’re about ready to start. Let’s go get a better spot.”

“OK. Everything’s ready here.” Maxi pulled the tie off her stubby ponytail and finger combed her now chin length hair into submission.

“Don’t forget the apron.” Lily pointed to her full-length flowered garb, which Maxi hastily whipped off and then smoothed down her simple green dress. Her hand lingered for a moment over her stomach and she smiled to herself. Today was Jason’s day, but she had a surprise of her own for later. A slow roll of nerves hit her. She hoped his reaction would be as positive as hers.

The ceremony was quick and to the point. When Chief Hamilton cut the ribbon and declared the Andrew North Fire Station officially open, a huge cheer erupted from the excited townspeople. Jason’s grin stretched wide enough to create two dimples. He peered through the crowd, and when his eyes met hers, he winked.

“I love you,” he mouthed.

Tears of gratitude welled. “I must be the luckiest person in the world,” she whispered.

Lily nudged her. “Well, maybe the second luckiest.” Little Annabelle twirled one of her dark curls around the finger of one hand and sucked the thumb of the other. Lily smacked a huge kiss on the girl’s plump cheek.

Maxi reached over and kissed the other cheek of her honorary niece. Her lovely little secret made her appreciate the toddler all the more.

“Here come the crowds. We’d better man the table.” Lily handed Annabelle off to Nick standing on the sidelines and hooked her arm through Maxi’s.

Once again, Maxi thanked God for bringing her back where she belonged, surrounded by family and friends. Her thoughts turned to Gloria Johnson who’d had her baby and had moved away to raise him. In her newfound state of serenity, Maxi could even forgive Gloria for everything she’d done to her and Jason.

Peg pushed Mama in her chair over to help serve the refreshments. Maxi had never seen her mother look so relaxed and happy. As much as Mama missed Charlie, the constant worry over his drinking had taken a toll, and now that the problem had been removed, she’d settled into her new life rather happily. Peg also benefited from having a roommate, and Jason slept easier knowing his mother wasn’t alone.

Clint Hanley stood among the crowd. Maxi smiled at the pleased look on his face as he watched Jason accepting congratulations from the community. Maxi had never been more proud of Jason and the way he’d put the past behind him, helping Clint obtain janitorial work at Nick’s church and doing his best to forge a relationship with his father. Now Clint would become one of the volunteer firemen at the new station named after her brother.

Life seemed to have come full circle.

Several hours later, after the festivities were over and everyone had gone home, Maxi finished putting away the last dish. She wiped her hands on the dishtowel, noting the slight tremor as she hung it on the rack. She licked her dry lips and took a deep breath before joining Jason in the living room.

Despite the warm fall temperatures, Jason had a cheerful fire crackling in the fireplace. He looked up from prodding the logs with a poker when she came in.

“Hey, honey. How’s the fire?”

“Perfect.” She took a seat on the well-worn plaid couch.

Jason put the poker down and came to sit beside her, his arm draped over her shoulder in casual familiarity. His warmth enveloped her, bringing a sense of calm to her nervous stomach.

“Jason, can we talk for a minute?”

Her voice must have given her away. He turned to look at her, a concerned frown wrinkling his forehead. “Sure. Is something wrong?”

“Not exactly.”

This was coming out all wrong. She’d envisioned the perfect moment, like something out of a romantic movie, but this wasn’t turning out as she imagined.

Concern became silent alarm. Jason pulled her hands into his. “What is it? Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.”

She tried to swallow, but her throat refused to cooperate.

“You’re scaring me, Max. Just tell me.”

All her fluffy words flew out the window. “I think I’m pregnant.” Unwanted tears sprang to her eyes. Before her vision blurred, she saw the surprise register on his face. She prayed not to see anything negative, like horror or disappointment. “I know we said we’d wait a few years,” she hurried on, “and I don’t know for sure—”

He framed her face with his hands and silenced her ramblings with a kiss. She reached up and clamped her hands around his arms as if to anchor herself to him. When he pulled back, a huge grin split his face.

“A baby?” As quickly as it appeared, the grin faded and fear settled over his features. Jason jumped up and began to pace.

Her stomach roiled with a wave of nausea. What if he still didn’t want children? What if he couldn’t get past his fear of being a bad father?

She rose on unsteady feet. “You’re not happy about this.”

Jason whirled. He crossed the room in two strides. “No. Yes. I don’t know, Maxi. I’m happy. I’m just terrified.”

Her breathing calmed. Fear she could deal with. “You’ll be a wonderful father, Jason. I’ve seen you with Annabelle. You’re terrific with her.”

He tugged her hand and led her to the couch. “That’s not it. I can’t bear the thought of you going through labor…” He paused. “…like Lily did.”

It all came rushing back to her then. The way Jason had practically shot off Nick and Lily’s porch the moment she’d mentioned having a baby. He’d been picturing her in labor.

Her insides relaxed their death grip. “Let’s not worry about that now. It’s a long way off. In the meantime, you get to deal with my nausea and hormonal mood swings.”

With gentle fingers, he wiped away the moisture off her cheeks. “Not to mention the tears.”

She gave a light laugh. “Yeah, that part’s very annoying.” She sobered. “You sure you’re OK with this?”

His smile returned. “I’m more than OK. But you’ll have to put up with my paranoia when it gets close to the time.”

“Deal.” She reached up to caress his cheek. “I love you very much.”

“I love you more.” He kissed her and then pulled her tight against his chest.

She rested her cheek against his flannel shirt and let out a quiet sigh. For the first time since Drew died, she felt whole again. God had taken the fragments of her heart and healed them with the power of His love and acceptance. Maxi knew that somewhere Drew and her father were smiling down on them, giving them their blessing.

With God onboard for the journey, she was sure the life she shared with Jason would be just that—one continual blessing.