One Year Later
Rafe’s voice awakened Kaitlyn from a sound sleep. “Katie, wake up,” he said. Something nudged her on the shoulder. Rafe’s hand. “Am I late for work?” she asked, rolling over, away from the bathroom light, which Rafe had just flicked on. The cool air from the bedroom invaded the cozy heat under the covers, and she drew them back up around her shoulders.
“Merry Christmas,” he said, bending down to kiss her cheek, smoothing her hair back. “I let you sleep for as long as I could.” Kaitlyn opened her eyes to gray light streaming in the windows—a Christmas morning dawn.
Kaitlyn, smiling at his kisses, finally sat up in bed. Rafe sat next to her, handing her a cup of coffee. Now that they were married, there was no need to set the alarm-clock coffee maker. He was often her coffee maker now. And he made it just the way she liked it.
“I let you sleep in,” Rafe said, the cries of a fussy baby in the background. “We had cereal and peaches except now she wants milk.”
“Thank you for letting me sleep. I’ll be right there,” she said. After Kaitlyn used the bathroom, she walked into the living room to find Rafe standing in front of the Christmas tree, their seven-month-old daughter in his arms. Bandit was asleep on the tree skirt. Rafe wore flannel pj pants and a white T-shirt, and he was barefoot, his thick dark hair still tussled from sleep. The sheer masculinity of his tall form holding the tiny baby made her pause in her rush. But hearing him talk to their baby daughter made her heart melt.
“Your mama was wearing a blue dress. Just about the shade of your bunny sleeper there, princess. And she was the prettiest woman at the whole wedding, yes she was.”
Intrigued, Kaitlyn paused.
“So then I asked her to dance, and as soon as I held her in my arms and took her hand in mine, I knew I would never be able to let her go. And oh, I really tried. But she was all wrapped around my heart, right from the start. Just like you are.” He kissed their child on her little blond head.
“Ba!” Baby Rose said, reaching toward all the shiny ornaments on the tree. Many of which had Rafe’s grade-school face glued to Popsicle sticks and Styrofoam cups. “Babababa!”
He cupped the back of the baby’s head and turned around. When he saw Kaitlyn, his face flushed a little.
“Rafe,” Kaitlyn said, busted for listening in.
“Kaitlyn.” The corners of his mouth turned up in a little smile. “I didn’t hear you. I was just telling Rose the G-rated story of the night she came into being.” Baby Rose saw her mama and tilted her whole body toward her, starting up a bunch of jabbering and waving her arms. Rafe laughed. “I tried to hold her off but she’s hungry. And she’s clearly excited to see you.”
Kaitlyn kissed her daughter’s sweet head and smiled. “That’s because I have breakfast, don’t I?” Kaitlyn sat down on the couch and unbuttoned her pj top and unhitched her nursing bra.
She held her hands out for her daughter. “Come here, little one.” She put the baby to her breast and let out a sigh when the baby began nursing. Rafe came and sat next to her, stroking Rose’s downy head as she nursed.
They heard the tinkling of dog tags as Bandit got up and walked into the kitchen. The sounds of him lapping up water came through loud and clear. Then they heard another noise.
“What was that?” Kaitlyn asked.
“That sounded like the high chair scraping the floor,” Rafe said.
Before Rafe could get up from the couch, the dog trotted back in with the baby’s bib in his mouth. Pleased as can be, he deposited it solidly on Rafe’s lap.
“Good dog,” Rafe said, rubbing Bandit’s head. He bent low to examine the dog, who’d grown quite a lot in the past year. “Are those peaches in your fur?”
Kaitlyn snorted. “Guess it’s your turn to clean up,” she said with a smug smile. “Since I’m…occupied.”
He tossed his head back and laughed. Then he sat back and wrapped his arms around her and Rose. “You’ve filled up my whole life, Katie, in ways I never could’ve imagined,” he said, looking at her in a way she never would have dreamed was possible just a year earlier. “You and Rose and our crazy dog are my life, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“Oh, Rafe,” she said, trying not to cry but failing. “You and the baby are everything to me. I love you so much. I love our life together.”
He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. “I love our life together too.” She always knew he’d had the capacity to love, but she’d had no idea how much. Once Rafe opened his heart, he’d opened it wide as the sky. And that had made her own heart full to bursting.
The baby nursed on the other side and nodded off to sleep and Kaitlyn took her back to her crib. Suddenly Rafe was behind her, silently taking hold of her hands and leading her to their bedroom.
“Merry Christmas, Kaitlyn,” he said, flashing a twinkle in his eye that he always got when he wanted to…
“Um, don’t we have to get ready for brunch at Nonna’s?” she asked, already melting inside at his touch.
“We can be a little late,” Rafe said, guiding her to the bed and unbuttoning her pj top. “We can blame it on the baby.”
“Good excuse.”
He kissed her neck, finding the sweet spot that she loved.
“Well, maybe we can be a little late,” she said, arching her neck so he could kiss her more thoroughly.
* * *
Nonna’s dining room on Christmas day was full of noise, family, and laughter, the kind Rafe remembered from all the Christmases of his childhood. Cade was chasing Michael and Julia into the living room with a Darth Vader mask on yelling, “I am your father!,” making the kids scream with delight. Three babies sat in a row in high chairs while Gabby took photos and videos of their every move. Rafe positioned Gabby’s fancy tripod behind her, setting up his 35mm camera for a family photo.
Sara was trying to wipe spilled mashed peas off the floor, but Bandit and Champ, Colton and Sara’s dog, had gotten there first—followed quickly by Rocket, of course, never to be outdone by the younger dogs.
“Bandit!” Rafe called in a voice of authority. The dog looked up at him with a guilty expression and then promptly resumed licking up the peas.
“Nice job training that puppy,” Colton said, slapping Rafe on the back. “Hope you do a better job with the kid.” To which Rafe gave him a look.
Sara passed over to Colton a crying baby whose angelic face was filled with peas. “Hold Luke for a sec, would you?” she said, running into the kitchen, probably for more paper towels. The baby promptly rubbed his face on Colton’s shoulder.
“Oh no,” Colton said, which made his son laugh.
Sara ran back and swiped at the baby’s mouth with a wet paper towel. “You think Daddy’s funny covered in peas, don’t you?” she said to the baby, who laughed even more.
“Next time I’ll get the paper towels,” Colt said.
“You smell bad,” Sara said, laughing and wrinkling up her nose.
“Who, me?” Colton said innocently. “‘Eau de pea’?”
“No, Luke smells bad,” she said, laughing. “I think that’s why he’s crying.”
“I’ll change him,” Colton said, then dropped his voice. “After I change my own shirt.”
“Peas is a good look on you,” Rafe said. “Very Christmasy.”
Rafe walked over to his daughter, who was enjoying her peas, which Nonna was feeding her as well as Mia, Gabby and Cade’s daughter.
“I’m so glad you named Mia after Mom,” Sara said to Gabby.
“Right,” Kaitlyn said. “Because if she was a boy, she would’ve been named Harlan Coben Marshall, right, Cade?”
“Well,” Cade said, cleaning up his daughter, “I’m glad you and Rafe settled on Rose instead of Raphaela.”
“I love that you named the baby after Nonna,” Rachel said. “Rose is a lovely name.”
“I don’t know why you people think this parenting business is so hard,” Nonna said, taking off Rose’s bib. “It’s easy. Right, little girls?”
When Colton returned with a better-smelling Luke, Gabby said, “Will you put him in Nonna’s lap, Colton? I’d love to get a picture of all three babies with Nonna.”
Colton complied. Next to Gabby, Evie was helping Julia take a picture with an iPad.
“Bet you’re glad you’re done with this baby phase, aren’t you?” Kaitlyn asked Evie.
“Actually,” Joe said, wrapping his arm around his wife and clearing his throat, “We have some news.”
“Oh my gosh,” Gabby said.
“Evie! You just went back to work full-time!” Sara said.
“I know, but since Kaitlyn just hired a partner…I guess I can figure work-life balance out too.”
“We’ll figure it out together,” Joe said, squeezing his wife’s hand.
“Congratulations, sis,” Rafe said, giving Evie a hug. “Good thing you’re pregnant because I don’t think we have enough babies around here.”
“We don’t have enough babies around here,” Rachel said. “Another grandbaby! How wonderful. We are so blessed.”
Rafe’s dad chuckled. “Does this mean we’re going to babysit another afternoon a week? I thought I slowed down so I could play more golf.”
“I’m always happy to babysit.” Rachel poked him playfully in the side. “And you are too.”
Everyone congratulated Evie and Joe.
Rafe went with Kaitlyn to go visit with Nikki, their mom, and Nonna, who were all sitting on the couch with balls of yarn in their laps and holding crochet needles.
“What are you all doing?” Rafe asked.
“Hazel needs more inventory,” Nikki said, winking at Hazel.
Hazel smiled at her mom. “Crochet faster,” she said, gesturing to her to speed up.
“I think she’s going to be a businesswoman, like you.” Nikki got up and linked one arm with Kaitlyn’s and the other with Rafe’s.
“Thanks for letting me stay at your old place. It’s perfect. And it’s so wonderful to be here for the holiday. And…” She teared up. “Thank you both for saving my daughter.”
Kaitlyn hugged her sister. “She taught me a thing or two too,” Kaitlyn said. “She taught me that you don’t have to be perfect to help somebody else.”
“Hazel has a big heart,” Rafe said. “She just needed a little encouragement.”
“She’s doing so well at FIT,” Nikki said. “I feel like I have my daughter back.”
“Maybe you should come back to Angel Falls too,” Kaitlyn said. “We miss you.”
“Hey, guys,” Gabby said, gathering everyone. “Time for a family picture.” She tapped Kaitlyn’s mom on the shoulder. “That means you too, Mrs. B. Everybody stand by the fireplace.”
It took a while to get everyone positioned. “Merry Christmas, Kaitlyn,” Rafe whispered quietly while they were waiting, wrapping his arm around her, a little apart from the crowd. He kissed his baby daughter on the head. “And you too, Rosie-Posie.”
“It’s a great Christmas,” Kaitlyn said. “It’s a little crazy in here today—dogs, spilled peas, crocheters.”
“The happiest chaos ever,” Rafe said, and he meant it. His heart was full.
“Maybe you should help Gabby,” Kaitlyn said.
“Great idea.” Rafe left his spot, took the iPad from Julia, set it on the table, and motioned for her to join the others. Then he adjusted his camera one more time until the timer started beeping.
“Can I hold the baby?” Hazel asked at the last minute, holding out her hands for Rose, who gave Hazel a toothless grin.
“Hurry up, Rafe,” Nonna said as she went to take her place next to Kaitlyn. As she passed him, she dropped her voice. “Thank goodness everyone’s smiling today. I wouldn’t want to have to fall into the Christmas tree again.”
Rafe jerked his head up, but Nonna’s face was as blank as could be. Wait a minute—what? A face plant on purpose? His gaze locked with Kaitlyn’s. She looked as shocked as he did, but then she gave a little shrug and a smile, because Nonna was… Nonna.
“Smile, family,” Rafe said with a sigh. “Say ‘more grandchildren,’ Rachel. Say ‘one semester of college down,’ Hazie.” Then he ran as fast as he could to get into the picture, standing next to Kaitlyn and wrapping his arm around her tight. He almost tripped over one of the dogs, who ran at the last minute to get in on the action too.
There weren’t any angels in the background, or coins to toss into the falls. He wasn’t big on believing in luck, but he did believe in the unbreakable bonds of his family, the loved ones here and the ones who had passed on. And he believed in the power of love. Which made him feel like the luckiest man alive.
“Love you, sweetheart,” he whispered.
“So much,” she said back, blowing him a kiss before she smiled for the camera.