The Christmas Proposition (17 page)

“No,” he said. “I was wrong to ask—”

“When I was getting Mickie in her pajamas, I saw one of the pictures I took the day we went skiing,” she continued. “You and Mickie are my life now. My loyalty is to the living. Tom’s parents can represent him at the ceremony.”

But as much as he wanted her there with him, her generosity of spirit prompted Derek to dig deep into his own soul and find out just how much he loved Rachel.

“I can’t let you do that.” The rightness of his decision washed over him. “Your husband was a hero. You need to be there.”

Her brows pulled together. “But I want to be with you at your ceremony.”

“They’ll be other awards,” he said. “If it’s okay, I’d like to be at your side when Tom is honored.”

“You’d do that? You’d miss your own banquet?”

“I owe the man.” He cupped her face gently with his hand. “Tom loved and cared for you all those years before I met you. He kept you safe and happy.”

Rachel’s eyes grew large. “Oh, Derek, I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s not all.” Derek had planned to wait but he couldn’t hold back any longer. “I want to build a life with you, Rachel. Raise a family—”

She covered his mouth with her fingers. Her gaze searched his. He saw the hesitation, the fear. “Before you say anything else, you need to know that Tom and
I went through several years of infertility treatments before I finally got pregnant. They never discovered the problem, so it’s a very real possibility that I’ll never be able to conceive.”

“And that’s important…why?”

“Because you want a family and children of your own.”

“No, I want children. That doesn’t mean you have to give birth to them,” Derek said. “We can adopt or take in foster kids. In fact, I called Mickie’s social worker the other day and left a message. I told her I wanted to adopt Mickie.”

“I left her the same message.”

“You did? I thought you didn’t think you could manage a child alone with your schedule?”

“I told myself love would find a way. I couldn’t let her go, Derek. She’s my daughter.”

“She’s my daughter, too.”

Her gaze locked with his. In that moment, everything between them settled into something eternal.

“
Our
daughter.
Our
child.” The joy in Rachel’s eyes told him it was time.

“I have something to ask you.” Reluctantly Derek stepped from her arms. “Wait here.”

He went back into the living room in search of his coat. He stopped when he saw her wedding ring sitting on the ledge by Tom’s picture.

Smiling, he rummaged through his pockets and returned several seconds later, a little box clutched in his fingers.

He’d never imagined proposing in a fuzzy pink bathrobe, but then from the second he’d gotten hit on the
head by a curveball, nothing had gone as he’d planned. All the challenges, all the strange twists had brought him to this point with Rachel. Derek took her hand and dropped to one knee.

“You bring a joy, a completeness to my life that is beyond what I could ever imagine. I love you, Rachel. All I want for Christmas, all I’ll ever want for the rest of my life, is you by my side.” Derek flipped open the box and the large emerald-cut diamond sent rays of colored light scattering. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Tears slipped down her cheeks. For a second Derek felt a pang of fear. Then he saw the love shining in her eyes and the panic fled.

She held out her hand and he looked pointedly at her bare finger.

Her cheeks pinked. “I took Tom’s ring off. It was time.”

Any lingering remnants of doubt about his place in her heart disappeared forever.

“There are probably some memorable words I should say now, but the only one that comes to mind is
yes.
” Her eyes glittered like sapphires in the light. “
Yes,
I love you.
Yes,
I’ll marry you. And
yes,
I promise you’ll never have to wear a pink robe ever again.”

Derek laughed with relief and sheer joy. Then he slid the ring on her finger and they went together, arm in arm, to wake up Mickie.

A
lthough it was only February, all signs pointed to spring at the Wildwoods Mountain Resort in Jackson Hole. Outside, the sky was clear blue and the sun shone brightly. Inside, red, yellow and white tulips, symbols of true and everlasting love, filled the great hall.

Rachel had envisioned her wedding as a small, intimate affair witnessed by close family and friends. But then her coworkers at the hospital had asked if they could come. And Derek’s large extended family had made plans to attend. The ones who surprised her most were Tom’s parents. At the ceremony honoring their son, they’d told her they’d be back to witness her walk down the aisle.

When they’d all gone out for dinner in January, Rachel discovered Tom’s dad was a huge baseball fan. He and Derek had hit it off immediately.

The final addition to their guest list had been an even more pleasant one. At the last minute Lexi and Nick had decided to stay in Wyoming through the summer, allowing them to be part of the wedding party and sending Mickie over the moon with happiness.

Mickie followed as Addie twirled her way across the room. Addie was her very best friend in the world.

They’d been charged with keeping Fred out of trouble at the reception. When the bloodhound stopped by a table and sat down, Addie quit twirling and they decided to get some food.

Mickie glanced around the room, finally spotting her new parents by the stone fireplace. Her dad looked every bit as handsome as Ken in his black tuxedo, and her mom’s wedding dress made her look like a fairy princess.

While Mickie watched, her dad began kissing her mom, which didn’t surprise Mickie at all. He’d been doing that a lot lately. Lots more than Ken ever kissed Barbie. “We did it,” Mickie said, expelling a happy sigh. “They’re really and truly married.”

“Puking was an excellent idea,” Addie said in an admiring tone around a mouth filled with cake.

Mickie popped a butter mint shaped like a flower into her mouth. She saw no need to inform Addie that she’d been so sick on Christmas Day that she barely remembered what had happened. All she knew was that when she finally felt better, there was a new shiny ring on Rachel’s finger.

“Did I tell you my mom is having a baby?” Addie
swiped off a big hunk of frosting from her cake with her finger, then put the plate with the cake next to Fred.

“No way.” Mickie almost choked on her mint. “My mom is having one, too.”

Mickie had been surprised but pleased when her parents had told her the news yesterday.

“Your baby will be friends with my baby,” Addie said with a decisive nod. “Best friends. Just like you and me.”

“My mom says we’re going to build a house close to yours with room for lots of babies and some bigger kids like me,” Mickie said. Like Addie’s family, they’d live only part of the year in Jackson Hole. Mickie wasn’t sure what California was like, but she didn’t care where her home was as long as she was with her family. But she couldn’t help being glad she’d still get to see Addie.

“Mickie.”

At the sound of her name, Mickie looked up and saw her mom motioning for her.

“It’s time for family pictures.”

“Gotta go.” Mickie jumped up and hurried across the room.

The photographer had just positioned them on the staircase when Fred galloped up, crumbs of cake around his mouth, remnants of the white gauzy bow Mickie had placed around his neck hanging askew. He surveyed the three of them, then plopped down in front of Mickie.

The photographer paused. “Do you want the dog in the picture?”

“Please. Please. Let him stay,” Mickie urged.

“What do you think?” Derek asked Rachel.

She let her gaze run over him. He looked so hand some in his black tux that Rachel had difficulty keeping her hands to herself. She straightened his tie, then brought a finger to her lips. “Well, he
is
part of the family.”

“Yippee,” Mickie squealed.

Rachel glanced around the room, at the family and friends who’d come to help them celebrate their love, to the daughter who’d brought them together, then side ways at the man she loved more with each passing day. Contentment wrapped around her like a favorite coat. It seemed almost…sinful to be this happy.

While the photographer fiddled with his camera set tings, Rachel leaned close to her husband’s ear. “I’ve got a proposition for you. Want to round the bases with me tonight?”

Before he could answer, Mickie leaned back between them. “If you’re playing baseball tonight, count me in.”

Derek and Rachel exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

Mickie gestured like she was pulling a steam engine’s horn. “Woo-hoo. Baseball it is.”

Rachel laughed so hard tears filled her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.

Mickie continued to pull the pretend steam engine horn adding a deep chug-a-chug sound.

Fred’s sleepy eyes brightened and he began to bay.

The camera flashed.

“Got it,” the photographer said.

Rachel wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to catch her breath. “That’ll be one interesting picture.”

“Not half as interesting as our life together is going to be.” Derek slipped an arm around his wife and grinned. “Batter up?”