Zack stepped behind Sondra and wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her big belly. The squirming twins reacted to his touch and kicked. Sondra rubbed the spot just below Zack’s hands. “Ouch. They’re getting stronger every day. That one hurt.”
Zack kissed the top of her head. “You’ll be a great mom.”
Tears trickled down her face and she reached up impatiently to wipe them away. “This isn’t the way I thought it would end. I miss Nikki so much.”
“I can’t imagine how hard this has all been.” He rested his chin on her head. “Your Mom has been a real trooper. Planning a funeral right after her mission…”
“As hard as it was, I think she was glad she could be here when it happened.”
“I doubt any of us would be feeling like this if we didn’t have the sure knowledge that we would see them again.”
“Tell me again what Nikki said.” Sondra stepped away and looked up at him.
“She talked about all eight.”
“That must’ve been their babies. There were eight of them including the twins I carried for her.”
“Do you remember the dreams you’ve been having?”
She nodded, her throat too tight to speak. He stroked her hair a moment and then said, “I think you were having a premonition, and I have a confession.” Zack’s face was contrite.
Sondra’s brows furrowed in concern. “How bad is it?”
“Well,” Zack rubbed his forehead, a sign of his embarrassment. “I often thought of the twins as my own even before Nikki and Brad died.” When he saw her shocked expression, he hurried on, “I know it was wrong of me.”
He bent down to rest his head against her stomach, “but I just couldn’t help myself….our marriage put ideas in my head I just couldn’t shake.” His elusive dimple appeared. “And I’m not as selfless as you are. I couldn’t see myself letting someone else raise my children. If I didn’t spend some time away, I knew I wouldn’t have enough self-control to keep from wondering if the embryos were my own, and I wouldn’t have let you hand over my children. Since you were willing to sacrifice so much for Nikki, I didn’t want to take that choice away from you.”
He paused and said, “The last few months have been torture. I wanted to be here with you every day. I never planned on this marriage staying fake for so long.”
Sondra patted his head, still resting on her. “For the sake of the twins, I think it will have to stay fake for a couple more weeks at least.”
“Do you remember the day after the brake failure?”
Sondra nodded.
“I had you added to my will. I wanted to make sure you were taken care of if anything happened to me.”
“You did that for me?” She was stunned.
He stood up and reached for her wrist, where the tennis bracelet sparkled under the artificial lights. She watched as he undid the clasp and turned the bracelet over. There, engraved in elegant script on the gold under each jewel was a letter. Eternally yours.
“Oh, Zack, I had no idea you felt this way.” Fresh tears started, but these were ones of joy.
He knelt down with the bracelet in his hands and asked, “Sondra, will you marry me?”
She stared at him, a puzzled expression on her face. “But we’re already married.”
“I know, but I never did this right, and I’d like to propose properly before we make it official.”
“Ummm…I don’t know how to break the news to you, but our marriage is as official as it gets.”
“Not really. There’s somewhere else I had in mind.” He looked up at her, a serious look on his face. “Will you marry me? And this time, I’d like it to be in the temple.”
“Oh, Zack,” and fresh tears were coursing down her face. This time, she didn’t try to stop them, “I’d be thrilled to be your wife.” He stood up and gently wiped her tears away. Her eyes opened wide. “Do you want me to re-write that prenuptial agreement?”
He was nuzzling her neck as she spoke. He looked up at her question. “I never did want that stupid agreement. I burned my copy the day you handed it over.”
“You did?” she asked, astonished.
He nodded. “I knew I wanted to marry you the first time I cleaned tears off your face. You looked so heartbroken sobbing in your sleep. I wanted to kill whoever had hurt you like that. Of course, when I found out what the reason for your sorrow was, I couldn’t be angry at Nikki.” He bent down to kiss her wet cheek. “I couldn’t believe my fortune when you blurted out a proposal.”
“I don’t make a habit out of it, you know.” She tried to sound prim and proper, but her wildly beating heart left her breathless.
“I would hope not.” He spoiled his tone by nibbling softly on Sondra’s ear.
Sondra was tired of his little nibbles and pulled his mouth to hers, exploring his lips with an intensity that left both of them breathless. “I confess I’ve been dreaming about this,” she breathed, the color racing up her face.
He sighed and pulled back. “As much as I’d love to continue this enjoyable past time, I don’t think it would be good for the twins.”
“Two more weeks and they can be induced. I’m as big as a house.”
“We have some wedding arrangements to make, Mrs. Carlson. I think your mother wants to be a part of this one.”
She laughed. “It’s a good thing their mission is over. Mom is going to be very busy.”
He turned, pulled an unresisting Sondra into his arms, and kissed her with a passion she echoed. He pulled back again. “Happy anniversary, Beloved. I’m going to go call the temple.”
“You didn’t tell me which one.”
He stopped and turned back to her. “We have several in the valley to choose from. Do you have a preference?”
“I was thinking something out of the valley would be nice. I’ve always loved the Bountiful Temple.”
“Bountiful it is, then.” He reached out to caress her cheek. “I never want to face losing you again. For the rest of eternity, I want you by my side.”
Sondra reached for the picture of Brad and Nikki sitting on the hallway table. “I just wish they could be here with us.”
“I think things happened exactly the way God intended them to.”
“I don’t think God intended Scott to kill anyone.” She protested.
“No, but He didn’t step in to stop it, either.”
“Based on the charges against him, he won’t be threatening anyone for a very long time.” Her eyes flashed angrily.
“I would guess he won’t ever get out.”
“Not if I have anything to do with it.”
Zack re-fastened her bracelet and watched the sparkles for a moment. “Do you know what makes diamonds so valuable?” He asked.
Sondra blinked. “Diamonds?”
He chuckled. “Do you think I’d give anything but diamonds to my lovely wife?”
“But I’d asked for something else.”
“And my intentions weren’t for anything temporary.” He bent down and kissed her again and then continued. “As I was saying, diamonds are valuable because they are flawed. Each one is slightly different. Cubic zirconia is uniform. There are no differences. They sparkle like diamonds but they don’t share the same value. I know it’s hard to even think of it, but even Scott is a beloved son of our Father in Heaven. He has some big flaws, and I’m grateful he won’t be out to hurt anyone ever again, but his actions didn’t change his eternal value or the eternal nature of Nikki and Brad’s relationship.”
He rested his cheek on her head and then straightened. “I come from two generations of mixed marriages where one spouse was a member and the other was not. I didn’t want to risk not having an eternal relationship. I wanted my children born in the covenant. If we can get to the temple soon enough, even the twins will be.”
Sondra kissed the palm of his hand, then he gently reached up to caress her face again and said, “Even the darkest clouds are lined with silver.”