If Wishes Were Horses (A Fairy Tale Life Book 2)

by C. B. Stagg

  “Good idea,” Doc replied for the group. “Whiskey, Rosie, and I will be a few minutes behind you.”

  Chapter 48

  Jase

  UPON ENTERING THE CLARK house, we became part of a scene pulled straight from a 21st century Norman Rockwell painting, just with a blended twist. The first thing I saw was Casey seated on one end of the couch, with Julian curled in his lap stroking his beard. Casey was whispering something into the boy’s ear, and whatever it was made him laugh so hard tears began to roll down his chubby cheeks.

  In the recliner sat Vaughn with a smaller version of Julian asleep in her arms. She was rocking in the chair, stroking the boy’s head as she watched him sleep, and stealing kisses now and then from his curly hair. When she caught my eye, she mouthed, “Taj,” pointing at the sleeping angel in her arms.

  Donna and Hank Riley sat chitchatting around the kitchen table with Claire and Kyle Clark, the steaming cups of coffee in front of them seemingly forgotten. While it appeared Curt was on the floor in front of the Christmas tree, talking, laughing, and playing checkers by himself—every minute or so a hand would dart out to make a move, the recliner blocking his opponent.

  “Oh, they’re here,” I heard Casey say to the room, before calling out to us. “Come on into the dining room, we’ve been expecting you.” So we bypassed the cozy Christmas scene and filed around the Clark’s large and very formal dining table—some sitting, some standing—as Casey sat at the head of the table to address what had become quite the eclectic crowd.

  “I’m going to skip introductions for the time being. At this point, I’m not sure who knows who, and really, that’s not what’s important right now.” He turned his attention to his parents. “Let me catch everyone up so we’re all on the same page before going forward, okay?” He looked expectantly at the group and everyone nodded. Smart move on his part in my opinion, as I was even getting a bit confused.

  “Here are the facts. As you know, Vaughn and I are engaged to be married. As of very recently, Jase and Bec are, too.” Then he looked over at me. “And, by the way, thanks for stealing my thunder, bro.” The men and women who were gathered around the table all laughed. He smiled, and I shrugged, both of us well-aware there were no rules of decorum for the unique situations in which we’d both found ourselves as of late.

  “And while it’s also known that we plan to adopt Julian, who, until recently was in the care of Donna and Hank, there’s a little more to that story. For those of you who don’t know the Rileys, they live next door to the blue house in College Station and have been Julian’s foster parents for almost a year. They’re the couple out there with the kids right now.”

  Anyone who glanced in the next room would find Hank holding the sleeping baby he’d taken from Vaughn just moments before, while Donna played a game on her phone with Julian in the kitchen.

  “What we’ve learned recently is that there were two other siblings removed from the home at the time Julian was rescued. At a meeting this morning, we learned the names and ages of the siblings. In fact, that little angel Hank’s holding is Taj. In the meeting,” his gaze fell upon his parents, “Vaughn and I decided we would file to adopt Taj along with Julian.” A quiet electric chatter filled the room at the news of not just one, but two new grandchildren for the Clark family to love.

  “Hang on, y’all. There’s more,” I spoke, and I suddenly felt a pang of guilt for those I’d pressed on the witness stand. Being the center of attention and the holder of so much life-changing information wasn’t a comfortable situation to be in, even when the information was all good news. “Becky and I learned yesterday that she has a daughter.” The Clarks gasped at the news. Whiskey had stayed back at my mother’s house with Rosie and Doc at their insistence, but I was expecting them to walk through the door any minute.

  “Obviously, there is a long story accompanying her sudden and very unexpected appearance, but all that matters is Becky and I are parents. When we learned Julian also has a nine-year-old sister, Casey, Vaughn, Becky, and I agreed that Bec and I would pursue the adoption of the girl as a sister for Whiskey.”

  The faces of both the Clarks and Hansons were priceless. There was a lot of information we were dumping on them all at once. But every single thing that had either already happened, or was about to happen, meant only wonderful things for everyone in the room. It was clear everyone felt the same way.

  “Jase, may I take over from here?” George asked. I nodded. “Thank you. Now, Casey initially started looking into the adoption of Julian Jackson months ago, even before he and Vaughn met. Of course, Jase was his obvious choice as a source of information, but Jase contacted his mother, who in turn contacted me to further investigate the child’s status. So the knowledge of Julian’s siblings is not new to me. The case of Rebecca’s daughter was, we thought, unrelated to the Jackson siblings, but some interesting ties have recently emerged that most of you aren’t aware of yet.”

  I looked down at Becky, who shrugged, before looking in the direction of Vaughn and Casey, receiving the same response. A churning in my gut made me wonder how much more I could take. But when Rosie slipped into the crowded room, making room for Doc and followed by Whiskey (who walked right to me and grabbed my hand), the ache subsided. No amount of warning could have prepared me for the love I’d feel for another human, when said ‘human’ was my daughter.

  The small sound of a throat clearing in the doorway leading to the kitchen made all eyes swing in that direction. “Red!” Whiskey screamed, dropping my hand and weaving through adults to tackle a slightly smaller girl Rosie had been ushering into the room.

  “Jase and Becky,” Rosie announced with an enormous and very satisfied smile painted across her face, “I’d like you to meet Ruby Grace Jackson. She’s been in our care since January of last year. You may have heard us refer to her as ‘Red,’ but that’s her nickname. Imagine our surprise when we learned that she was the one you were looking for. I believe she may be the missing puzzle piece to your family. Am I correct?”

  Becky stood frozen at my side, unchecked tears running down her cheeks, as she watched her daughters dance in a circle holding on to one another.

  “So, we have them all?” I asked, looking around.

  “Yep,” Vaughn nodded. “We have them all.”

  At that, the meeting was informally adjourned, and adults started introducing themselves to those they didn’t know and offering greetings to those they’d met before in passing. Becky and I approached the girls, who were huddled in whispers under the watchful eye of Rosie. When she saw us approach, she pulled the girls apart.

  “Momma?” Whiskey looked at Becky, eyebrows raised.

  “I love hearing you call me that, you know.”

  Whiskey smiled. “I know. I’ve been waiting for a good reason to say it. Momma, this is my friend Ruby Grace, but I call her Red. She lives with Rosie and Doc, and they live on the foster ranch next to the one where Sarge and I lived.”

  I searched her face for any traces of sadness in mentioning Detective Key, but I saw none. George had filled us in on the last days before his death. Cashion Key had prepared our daughter well, and not only had she accepted his death, but she’d also been emotionally ready to start her new life with us. The addition of Ruby Grace would just be an added bonus.

  “Ruby Grace, we’ve been waiting your whole life to meet you,” Becky said, stooping down to take the girl’s hand and pulling me with her.

  “You have?” she asked in wonder, looking back and forth between Bec and me. It was uncanny how she and Whiskey looked like a matching set and how the set they made matched Becky almost exactly. “You’ve wanted to meet me? For my whole life?” Becky nodded.

  “Well, yeah!” I said to her. “Since the minute both of you were born, you were meant to be ours. You didn’t know it, and we didn’t know it, but somehow I always knew I’d have two beautiful daughters. And now, here you are.”

  “Daughters?” Whiskey asked. “Is Ruby Grace coming
to live in the blue house with us too? Are we going to be sisters?” Whiskey’s grasp on Ruby’s hands caused her knuckles to turn white, but neither girl seemed to mind as they awaited our answer.

  “You’ve always been sisters,” Becky replied, answering so much more for me than only what the little girl had asked. “But now, yes, we would very much like to take both of you to the blue house to live with us. I’ll be your mom, Jase will be your dad, and Whiskey here, well… I think you already know the rest.”

  She leaned in closer, pulling both of her girls in for a hug. Rosie, Doc, Jill, and Bennett—along with my mother, and George Preston at her side—watched on as we unofficially became a family.

  Chapter 49

  Becky

  “UMM, Y’ALL,” CLAIRE CALLED, holding her cell phone to her ear. “Christian is asking what time we’re planning on leaving.”

  I looked at Jase at the same time Vaughn looked at Casey, identical questions on our faces.

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell y’all. We’re going to Christian’s church for a special service this evening.” My future husband had some things to learn about communication.

  We both rolled our eyes. “I need to change,” Vaughn said, looking down at her body. I nodded in agreement.

  “I’m okay, but yeah, Vaughn, I’m not sure plaid sleep pants will make a good first impression on your future brother-in-law’s congregants.” We both laughed, and I followed her into the room she and Casey would be sharing during the trip to help her get ready for our impromptu visit to Christian’s new church.

  When we returned, the new grandmothers had dressed the kids in the best clothes they’d come with, and we all loaded up to begin the fifteen-minute drive up the highway.

  It took four vehicles to shuttle the new seventeen-member family.

  “What’s happening here tonight? No one’s even here.” I checked my watch. “You did say the service started at six-thirty, right?” Walking up, the church building itself looked about as abandoned as the parking lot, with only a soft glow coming through the sanctuary doors, though strains of a guitar playing Christmas music could be heard coming from somewhere inside.

  Once we were all in and out of the cold, Christian emerged and ushered all the grandparents and children further inside, leaving just Casey and Vaughn on one side of the vestibule, Jase and me on the other, and George Preston standing in between.

  George cleared his throat, and Casey started to explain. “Look, there’s a reason we’ve come here tonight, but it’s not to attend a public church service.”

  “We’re actually here for a wedding.” My heart stopped at Jase’s admission.

  “Whose?” Vaughn and I both asked.

  “Ours,” both Casey and Jase answered in unison.

  We all swiveled to face George at the sound of him clearing his throat again. “Marian and I have moved Heaven and Earth to bring all the children together for Christmas. As you well know, each child’s status within the state system is in a different stage. Holding Cashion Key’s power of attorney, Whiskey is legally yours. Ruby Grace, who was placed with Rosie and Doc by pure luck, has been legally, though temporarily, placed in your care as well. I filed her application of adoption weeks ago on your behalf, Rebecca, with the hope that things would work out as they have.”

  He turned to speak to Casey and Vaughn. “Taj has been transferred into the care of Donna and Hank Riley pending your foster application, which is processing. Your application for his adoption, as well as Julian’s, will be filed the day after Christmas. Knowing both of you as they do—and that you’re weeks, if not days, away from becoming full-time caregivers to both Taj and Julian—the Rileys have agreed to a co-parenting agreement; both fitting within the laws they must follow as foster parents and your desire to establish yourselves as the boys’ parents.”

  “But…?” The room fell quiet, but I nodded, also needing the answer to Vaughn’s simple question.

  “But, all of these processes will be much simpler if you’re officially married.”

  I looked at Vaughn. You ready for this? I asked, using only my eyebrows and the tilt of my head. Her almost imperceptible nod was all I needed. “So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this party started, shall we?”

  The closer we got to the doors of the sanctuary, the louder the music became. Our grooms had entered a few minutes before, with Jase promising to send my dad out to join Vaughn and me.

  George remained where he was. “Vaughn, I’d consider it an honor if you’d let me give you away tonight.”

  She walked closer to him and took his hands in hers. “In every dream I ever had, from as far back as I can remember, it’s always been you giving me away at the altar. Always.”

  He pulled her close enough to plant a kiss on her forehead before whispering to her, “I love you so much, Vaughn. I’ve always wished you were mine. I’m sorry I haven’t told you that until now, but it’s true. I know you’re an adult now, and soon our professional relationship will be over, but I don’t want to lose you. You’re such a huge part of my life.” The older man smiled at Vaughn, who in so many ways still looked like a child in her off-white flowy dress, maroon cardigan, and knee-high black boots… all topped off by a winter white crocheted hat with a maroon flower on the side.

  She shook her head, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye. “You’ll never lose me.”

  “Well, baby girl,” my dad said, walking to where I stood, eavesdropping on Vaughn while waiting for directions on where to go and what to do. “Even though I know this has been brewing, probably since even before you were my daughter, it seems so sudden. And so final.”

  “Oh, Daddy, I love him. I always have and I always will. And we have a family now, but I agree. It does seem like when it rains changes in life, it pours for me, doesn’t it?”

  He laughed. “Sure does, sweet girl. It sure does, but I’ve come to expect that from you. You never were average, and you never did anything small.”

  I looked over at Vaughn. “You about ready?”

  “Yep.” She nodded, grabbing George’s arm. “Let’s go snag us some men.”

  Chapter 50

  Jase

  WE’D SETTLED THE KIDS in the front pews with our parents and had just taken our places when the doors to the sanctuary opened. Casey and I stood together at the front of the candlelit sanctuary, side by side, awaiting our brides. Looking over at my best friend, he was the picture of peace and tranquility. I knew Casey was more than ready to be Vaughn’s husband, and I completely understood, though our circumstances couldn’t have been more dissimilar.

  He had known Vaughn for only four months, yet had fallen in love with her almost instantly, against his own better judgment. I, on the other hand, had known my soon-to-be wife for almost fifteen years. Our love didn’t go from zero to sixty in two point two seconds like his had. Ours blossomed and grew, then morphed into a feeling so strong it was indefinable. But right now, awaiting the arrival of the two most important people in the world to us—the women we loved, the mothers of our children—we were just two incredibly lucky men ready to start our families.

  The lone guitarist’s soft Christmas music, which had been the soundtrack for the pre-wedding ceremony, faded as the sanctuary doors opened. I immediately recognized the opening strains of Train’s ‘Marry Me.’ My heart leaped into my throat and I heard Casey gasp as Vaughn, escorted by my father, and Becky, escorted by her father, walked toward us down the aisle. Even Christian was moved as he tried to discreetly wipe tears from his eyes, looking back and forth between Casey and me and the women now standing before us.

  “Who gives these women into marriage?”

  “Her mother and I do,” Bennett answered as he kissed Becky’s cheek, before walking toward me and placing her hand in mine. He gave me a firm pat on the back, then went to sit by his wife and parents, who also had Whiskey and Ruby Grace wedged between them.

  Christian looked at George and Vaughn. “I do,” George said. She hug
ged him tight around his neck, and he kissed her forehead before handing her off to Casey and sitting next to my mother.

  Christian led us through the Cliff’s Notes version of the traditional wedding vows, each of us having our own turn. When he announced we could both kiss our brides, neither of us held back, leading to cheers and catcalls from the adults in the room and ewws from most of the kids.

  Our first official family pictures were taken on the day of our weddings. As we stood around talking afterward, over coffee and cookies that had been set up in the back of the church, my mother called out and silenced the room.

  “I’d like to propose a toast. First, to my son and his wife, Jase and Becky Pearson. May your next decade and a half together be just as full of love and laughter as the last, only this time, may it be a little more public?” The crowd toasted, shouting, “Here, Here!” and laughing at my mother’s jab.

  “And to my son and his beautiful wife, Casey and Vaughn Clark.” Kyle faced his son and new daughter-in-law. “Anyone can see you were made to be together. May we toast to health, happiness, and a future full of dreams coming true.” Again, the crowd raised their glasses in celebration.

  “But what I want to know is how?” Marian spoke again, asking the question we all wanted the answer to. “How was it possible to pull all of this together in such a short amount of time? Who could poss—”

  She stopped. My mother being at a loss for words was one for the record books. She looked at George, who’d been mingling both with the children and the adults, but had stopped to watch her speak. “You did this, didn’t you?” The room fell silent as she walked toward where he was standing. “You arranged all of this. My father died three months ago, and since then, you’ve been a man on a mission. This is what you’ve been doing, isn’t it?”