A Family of Their Own (18 page)

She slipped from the stool and knelt beside him. “Absolutely.”

Their lips met as the girls squealed and jumped around them. Peyton’s voice cut through Lucy’s cheers. “Now we’re really sisters.”

Lucy’s squeal subsided. “We are.”

They threw their arms around each other and spun around the room until Kelsey had to call their antics to a halt. “You’ll break your necks.”

“Anyway, I have something else for all of us.” Ross walked to the breakfast table and returned with the box.

The girls dropped their embrace, their gazes flitting from Kelsey to Ross.

Kelsey eyed the logo on the cover from a florist shop. While Ross lifted the lid, she and the girls waited. Her heart swelled with happiness.

Ross reached in and pulled out a Hawaiian lei and draped it over her neck. Then he slipped one over Lucy’s head and another over Peyton’s. They eyed the lovely circle of baby orchids and stared at him. “Dreams Come True has offered to give our daughters a special trip to—”

“Hawaii.” Peyton’s and Lucy’s voices split the air.

“Dad, really?” Peyton tugged on his arm.

Lucy stood looking at him, her mouth gaping. “But what about Mom?”

Ross gazed at Kelsey and closed the distance between them. He slipped his arms around her. “She has to be there. It’s her honeymoon.”

Her mind spun. A honeymoon in Hawaii—and with the girls. “You couldn’t have planned anything better.”

He held up his hand. “But I refused the offer.”

The room silenced.

“I thought the money could go to a child whose parents can’t afford a trip.”

“Really?” Peyton’s sad eyes gazed at him.

Kelsey leaned toward him, her mind snapping. “You really did this?”

He nodded.

“Did you talk with the donor? Do you know who he is?”

“No, I spoke with Ethan. He understands. And why would I know the donor?”

“You’re friends with Ethan. Maybe he knows and just won’t say.”

Ross shook his head. “No one does as far as I know.”

Kelsey acknowledged that he was telling the truth. The elusive donor. Would anyone ever know?

“Dad, then we’re not going?” Peyton’s plaintive voice tugged at Kelsey’s heart.

He chuckled. “Sure we are.” He bent and kissed Kelsey’s hair. “All we need to do is set the date.”

“Now.”

“Soon.”

Kelsey gazed into his eyes. “Very soon.”

The girls ran to them, the four of them surged into one giant embrace and Kelsey reveled in the gift. God, as always, guided their paths. She’d learned the hard way. And she knew that two were much, much better than one. Four, even better.

“I love you, Kelsey.” His whisper feathered her ear.

She brushed his lips with hers. “I love you, too, and I promise this from my heart.”

Dear Reader,

This series has been a challenge to bring you a story that you can enjoy with a happy ending and yet tell the story of parents dealing with seriously ill children. But this is life for many people who face each day with hope and fear. I decided to challenge both Kelsey and Ross with a romance that added another challenge—two children with debilitating diseases. I researched these serious illnesses and hope I have presented them accurately. If not, I apologize. Life often brings problems to each of us—illnesses, death and losses of all kinds in our distressed economy—but we have one constant assurance. We are never alone. The Lord is by our side with love and mercy, carrying our burdens when we ask and offering us life eternal. No matter how difficult our troubles are on earth, we have God at our side. We are forever blessed.

1. Kelsey and Ross met for the first time and felt an immediate connection. Have you ever met someone and liked that person right away? How can this happen?
   
2. Kelsey and Ross seemed destined for each other. He’d shown an interest in MOSK, he knew Ethan and he was the best man at Ethan’s wedding. They questioned if this was God’s doing. If it was, why would the Lord guide two people together like this?
   
3. What strengths do Kelsey and Ross have that support each other?
   
4. “Two are better than one” from Ecclesiastes 4:9 is a theme in this novel. Have you found this to be a truth in your life? If so, in what ways?
   
5. If a person has never married, how does “Two is better than one” still fit into the person’s life?
   
6. Have you or someone you know had to face life with a severely ill child? What keeps people going in this situation? What gives them strength?
   
7. Ross struggled with Peyton’s new medication. It offered him both pros and cons. Kelsey sometimes felt the same way about her situation with Lucy. What fears did they struggle with?
   
8. Have you experienced a situation in your life when learning the truth frightened you as much as not knowing? What kind of circumstances would arouse these fears?
   
9. Kelsey felt gullible and stupid, not realizing that her husband was cheating on her. How can someone miss the clues? Have you missed clues in your relationships?
   
10. Peyton and Lucy were typical preteens. What characteristics did you see in them to prove this?
    
11. Peyton was a lonely girl in the beginning of the novel. When you were young, did you ever feel the way she did in school or when it came to making friends?
    
12. Were you surprised when Ross decided not to take the Dreams Come True trip, but pay for it himself? Why would he do this?
    
13. Ava Darnell, a member of MOSK and a secondary character in this novel, will be the heroine in the next book of the Dreams Come True series. What do you know about Ava that could make her an interesting character?
    
14. Have you found any plot threads in this series that have yet to be answered? What are they? Do you think you might learn the answer in the final novel in the series?