Vivian (21 page)

“
Hi, girls,” Penelope said very softly. “Do you want to meet your sister?”

Both girls nodded, but neither of them made a move toward her bed until Vivian gave them a little push.

“
Isn’t she beautiful?” Vivian asked and two little heads nodded in unison.

“
I thought she’d be bigger,” Emma said.

“
She will be soon,” Vivian assured her. “You can get a little closer.”

Ava was the first to reach for her little hand. Gwendolyn quickly wrapped her hand around Ava’s little finger and she giggled.

“
She hold me.”

“
She sure did.”

Vivian hadn’t been prepared for the feelings that would wash over her as the girls gazed at their sister. She remembered those moments, lying in a hospital bed holding her girls. There was an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment. There was a love that enlarged her heart.

Watching Brock stroke Penelope’s hair and kiss Gwendolyn’s head made her heart ache. Adam hadn’t been there to share that moment with her. Sam would share it with Amelia. And she knew, without even having to ask, that Clayton had shared those moments with Linda.

Amelia stepped in and wrapped her arm around Vivian. “Are you okay?”

“
I’m having a moment.”

“
You’ll have another chance.”

Vivian looked up at her. “For what?”

“
You and Clayton can have more babies.”

Vivian shook her head. “How did you know that was what I was thinking about?”

“
I’ve learned a lot about you in the past six months.”

“
I’ve learned a lot about me too.” She rested her head on Amelia’s shoulder. “But we now have four girls all about the same age. I don’t see us having any more kids. This is just going to have to be something I miss out on.”

Amelia gave her a little squeeze.

“
I wanna howd her,” Ava turned to Vivian.

“
Oh, I don’t…”

“
I’d love to have her hold her,” Penelope said. “This is her sister. I want them to love her and of course we need some pictures of them. Gwendolyn will want pictures of this for her scrapbook.”

Vivian smiled. “I think that’s precious.” She looked at Ava and Emma. “First things first. We need to wash our hands and then find a nice big chair to sit in.”

Both girls’ eyes opened wide. “Why do I have to wash my hands?” Emma asked in protest.

“
I said so, mainly. But Gwendolyn is only a few minutes old. She needs you to be clean. You’ll have lots of time in your life to get her dirty.”

That had caused Penelope to laugh and Amelia followed. Vivian realized that she missed out on a lot of special moments in her life. But it was time to start collecting them. She’d start paying attention to everything from here on out.

~*~

Thanksgiving was held on Sunday, and Vivian thought it might just be the best Thanksgiving she’d ever had. The old house on Main and Pine was filled with family.

After the run in with Darby, her parents flew in to help with the girls. They were a little more than surprised to find out she’d met a man and married him six months after her husband had died. But she was fairly confident that when they’d met him, they too had fallen in love with him.

Charlotte and Stephanie bonded with her parents and that had filled her heart as well. Love came in so many forms. She’d fallen in love with Amelia and Penelope—which still surprised her. She loved Sam and Brock. Clayton, well she was certain that a part of her had fallen in love with him the moment he knocked on the door of the daycare center looking for care for his girls. And those girls—oh she loved them and she was thrilled that she’d get to be the one carrying on as their mother—though she’d always be clear, they had a wonderful mother. That she was sure of.

She’d fallen in love with Dorothy—Grandma Dorothy.

Knowing Dorothy had chosen to stay in Parson’s Gulch had her equally as happy. Clayton needed family around, even his in-laws. But Vivian knew it would be good to have her there too. Not only had she fallen in love with her, but the girls would always have that part of their mother with them. That was invaluable.

As the families mingled and everyone took their turn to hold and love Gwendolyn, Vivian realized that she still loved the one man who’d brought them all together. Oh, it wasn’t the same as what she felt for Clayton. She was crazy in love with him. But there had been a time when Adam had made her head spin with ideas of what could come. Who would have thought that what was to come would be her there holding Adam’s daughter?

“
You look very natural with a little baby in your arms,” Clayton sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“
It feels good. And she’s so beautiful.”

“
She looks just like Ava. I’m sure they’ll hear that a lot when they get older.”

Vivian rested her head on his shoulder. “He would have loved her,” she said, her voice cracking and a tear sliding down her cheek.

“
He’s where he can watch over her—all of them. Remember, he was a hero. That’s what she’ll know.”

Oh, this man was a gem. Was there any situation he couldn’t fix with just words?

Vivian looked up and spotted her mother, with Ava on her hip, looking at them smiling.

“
I think my mother loves you,” she said.

Clayton looked up and smiled at her. “I asked them for their blessing. I told them I realized we were already married, but their blessing would mean a lot.”

“
I love how you think.” She pressed a kiss to his lips.

The doorbell rang and Vivian noticed that Brock quickly moved through his family to answer it. A moment later a man with a white collar walked through the door, escorted by Brock.

He pointed toward Penelope who stood slowly from her seat.

“
Father Josh, this is my Penelope,” he said and Vivian felt the words
my Penelope
squeeze at her heart.

Penelope shook the minister’s hand before Brock took hold of both of her hands.

“
I know this isn’t how you’d planned for this, but Penelope, I’d like to marry you here, now, with our families surrounding us.”

“
Brock!” Her eyes were open wide as she scanned the room. “You planned this?”

“
Last minute really. I met Father Josh at the hospital. But we are starting a new life here with Gwendolyn and my entire family is here. Will you marry me today? After all, this is our Thanksgiving and there is nothing I’m more thankful for than you and our little Gwen.”

Penelope reached her hand to his cheek. “I’d love to marry you today.”

“
I hoped that’s what you’d say.”

Penelope, Vivian, and Amelia sat in the bedroom they’d originally designed for Penelope and the baby. Together they’d fussed with her hair and added some makeup. Vivian wasn’t sure she needed any. She still had that glow to her.

Gwendolyn slept in her infant seat after having been fed.

“
I didn’t think this is what I’d be doing this morning,” Penelope said as she looked into the dresser mirror.

“
He’s right,” Amelia said as she looked at her in the mirror. “What better day to get married than on a day built around thanks.”

Penelope turned and looked at them both. “I’ve been thinking about Adam a lot the past few days. I suppose it’s because of Gwendolyn.” She looked down at the sleeping baby. “Am I pushing him out of my life?”

“
Adam?” Vivian moved toward her.

“
He’s only been gone six months.”

“
And you only knew him a few weeks.” She took Penelope’s hands in hers. “What good would it be to live in mourning and not going on with what he gave you?” They all looked at the baby. “Look what he gave you.”

“
Are you mad at me?”

Vivian turned back to her. “For what?”

“
For her?”

Vivian shook her head. “I was mad the moment I met you. I was mad the moment I found out about her. But,” she let out a sigh, “I found out I loved you both as much as I ever thought I loved Adam. And I love your baby—his baby. I’m the one who is thankful that I get to be with her.”

They both turned when they saw Amelia’s shoulders bounce and they realized she was crying.

“
Is this normal? I’ve been crying lately. I don’t cry. I don’t like crying.”

Penelope nodded. “I cried the whole time.”

“
I know,” Amelia sobbed.

Vivian could feel the rise of her own tears. “Oh, you guys are sissies.” She pulled them both in and held them tight.

Vivian stood next to Amelia and Brock’s sister Sadie. She gazed lovingly at her own husband Clayton who stood next to Sam and Brock’s brother Mason. Gwendolyn cooed in her grandmother’s arms.

Vivian had always thought Penelope was beautiful, but watching her walk down the stairs toward Brock—well she’d never seen anyone look so amazing.

The ceremony in the toddler room was quick, but lovely and Amelia cried the entire time.

Sam wrapped her in his arms. “I never thought I’d see this side of you.”

“
They assure me I’ll be doing it a lot.”

“
I think the reason behind your emotional breakdowns is the best reason to be crying.”

She gave him a shove.

“
Okay, there’s my girl.”

That made her laugh as she rested her head on his shoulder again.

Mason and Sadie walked into the room each with a tray of champagne flutes. “Okay, Sadie has the wussy stuff for pregnant and nursing mothers. And the yummy stuff,” he lowered his voice to be deeper, “for the four young ladies who are sisters.”

They giggled and headed toward Sadie to take their drinks in the fancy glasses.

Everyone in the room was handed a flute and they raised them toward the bride and groom.

“
To the married couple.”

Each of them sipped and Amelia, Vivian, and Penelope settled their eyes on one another.

They took one another’s hands and walked out onto the front porch of the house that Frank Monroe had given them and looked up toward the starry sky above.

“
I never thought that I’d say this, but Adam Monroe, this is for you,” Amelia raised her glass to the sky.

“
To Adam,” Penelope raised her glass.

Vivian raised her glass up toward the stars. “To Adam Monroe.” She let out a sigh and smiled. “Thank you.”

Each of them sipped from their glass and Vivian turned to see Clayton and their four girls looking out the window at her. She gave him a smile and he blew her a kiss.

God, she was Happy.

July in Parson’s Gulch, Oklahoma was never bearable. But for a pregnant woman, it was worse. Vivian was just glad she was in the early stages, because Amelia looked miserable.

The headstones for Frank and Stella Monroe had turned out nicer than Vivian could have ever expected. She laid the bouquet of flowers she’d brought for them on their grave.

Darby had been indicted in the deaths of Frank and Stella. He’d been harboring that hate in him for a long time. Vivian wondered how he’d never let it slip, in all those years, that Adam was his brother.

He’d been to the house on Main Street and Pine dozens of times, he’d confessed in court. It just happened that one night they’d finally caught him, as he’d run out of the house after texting Vivian from Stella’s stolen phone.