“Then she’d have asked what was wrong with the girls, and you’d have had to say nothing. And then she might not have come back at all,” Chad said.
“She hasn’t come back at all,” Mitch reminded him.
“She will,” Chad said, sounding a little more certain. “So, did Lainey do okay spending the night?”
“Yeah, the girls are all still sleeping. Thanks for letting her stay over. I thought it’d be good for her to be here when Kate comes back, but I also thought she’d have gotten here by now.”
“No worries. Nathan was already spending the night with Kaden, and Lainey was feeling a little left out, so this worked out fine. And give Kate time. She’ll get there,” Chad said. “Jess and I are on our way over. We’ll wait with you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Mitch said.
“Yeah, we do, because we’re part of why she left, and we want to make sure she knows we’ve had a change of heart,” Chad said. He continued, but with his mouth obviously away from the mouthpiece, “Isn’t that the way you put it, Jess?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“See,” Chad said, “that’s the way it is.”
Mitch was thrilled that they’d finally seen the “new” Kate and had forgiven her; he only hoped she’d come back so they could tell her. “Okay, I’ll see you when you get here.” He disconnected and then saw L. E. and Annette Tingle walk out onto their front porch.
“Kate make it back?” L.E. called.
Mitch shook his head. “Not yet.” He could see Annette’s look of worry even from across the street, then she turned and darted back into her house with her husband following. Mitch had talked to the pair last night about what was going on and asked them to pray for Kate to make it back and to be healthy again. He knew they’d prayed and were probably still praying right now. Mitch had prayed all night, but he wouldn’t stop.
God, please, give me another chance with Kate.
The morning sunlight pushed between the rows of cherry trees lining Maple Street and reflected off the hood of a car heading his way. Mitch squinted as the vehicle neared and he stood up when he realized that his prayers had been answered.
By the time she parked the car in his driveway, he was there, opening her door...and waiting to pull her into his arms.
* * *
Kate had been upset that she hadn’t been able to drive through the night, but when she’d hit Atlanta, she simply hadn’t been able to hold her eyes open and had stopped at a rest area to sleep for a while in the car. But she was here, finally. And in Mitch’s arms...finally.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here,” she said. “Are they okay? What happened? What’s wrong with the girls?”
He held her so tightly that she felt his throat pulse with his swallow, and then he kissed her hair, and Kate prayed that everything was okay with Dee, Emmie and Lainey.
“Mitch, please, tell me.”
“Kate, they’re fine. I’m sorry you were worried. All of the girls are fine.”
His words shocked her, and she leaned back to look at him, then saw that he was crying. “Mitch? I thought...”
“I’m sorry to get you here this way, but if I told you that Chad and I needed to talk to you, well, you might not have come back. But I didn’t lie, and neither did Chad. Dee, Emmie and Lainey all need you. And so do I.”
He slid a hand down his face to wipe away the tears, then smiled and brushed a soft kiss across her forehead. “I was a fool for thinking I could live without you. I can’t, and I don’t ever want to again.”
“But, Mitch, wait,” she said, hating what she had to tell him, but he deserved to know. “Please, don’t say anything else. You wouldn’t want to be with me now. I’ve got...a lot going on...and I can’t put you through—”
He shook his head. “No, you wait,” he said, giving her another of those smiles that sent a shiver down her spine. “I know. I know what you’re going through, and what you’re about to go through. I know about the appointment at the Winship Institute.”
She blinked. How did he know? “I didn’t go,” she said. “And I’ve decided—” she swallowed “—I’ve decided I’m not going through it again because...”
“Because why, Kate?”
“Because I’ve done everything I wanted to do, and I don’t want to go through that again alone.” She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“That’s what I’m saying, Kate. You won’t be alone. I’ll be with you.”
Her mind reeled. “You said you couldn’t handle that again. I know I didn’t misunderstand. That’s what you said, and I can’t ask you to.”
“You’re not asking,” he said. “And I’m not, either. I’m telling you that I’m going through it with you. I’ll take you to the treatments. I’ll take care of you on the rough days. And I’ll celebrate with you on the good days. And when it’s over, and the cancer is gone, we’ll have the biggest party this town has ever seen.”
Kate couldn’t believe what he was saying. He knew what those treatments were like. She’d be sick, constantly. She’d get even thinner because she wouldn’t be able to eat. She’d lose her hair again. “I can’t let you do that.” She shook her head so much that she felt light-headed. “I won’t.”
“But you see, that’s part of the deal,” he said, his voice so smooth and steady, as though he had no uncertainty in his offer at all. And Kate couldn’t fathom why. He’d been through this before with Jana. He should turn and run the other way knowing what he would potentially go through again. But he didn’t. Instead, he pulled her closer, his arms caressing her trembling frame as he said the words that Kate had longed to hear. “I love you, Kate, and there’s nothing you can do to change that. And I’ll love you completely, through sickness and in health, if you’ll say yes.”
Kate’s mouth fell open, and she stood wide-eyed as he eased away from her and then lowered one knee to the ground. “Mitch, what—what are you doing?”
He withdrew a small box from his pocket. “I bought this yesterday, and then I prayed all through the night that God would give me the chance to give it to you...if you’ll say yes.”
“It’s going to get rough,” she whispered, her words pushing through the thickness in her throat.
“I know,” he said, still holding the box toward Kate.
“I’m going to look terrible. Awful,” she continued.
“Not to me.”
Kate wasn’t so sure, but his eyes said he believed it. And they also said so much more. He loved her. Mitch truly loved her.
“Kate, do you love me?”
Her heart soared. “Yes.”
His smile stretched wide. “Then marry me.”
“Hey, how long are you going to make him kneel there before you give him an answer?” Chad asked.
Kate turned to see him standing with Jessica beside his car, parked at the street. And another car was pulling in behind him, and yet another behind that. Bo and Maura climbed out of the second car, and Matt, Hannah and Autumn got out of the third. And then she saw L. E. and Annette Tingle had walked across the street, Mrs. Tingle’s arms holding a large dish, and everyone seemed also to be waiting on her answer to Mitch’s question.
She turned back to the guy still looking up at her with hope—and love—in his eyes.
“Say yes, Kate.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
He put the ring on her finger so quickly she hardly felt it glide on, then before Kate had a chance to speak, he’d stood and scooped her into his arms. “You’ve just made me the happiest man,” he said.
“I hope you’ll still say that next month, when we finish radiation and head into chemo,” she said.
He laughed. “In sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live, and I’m going to pray for God to make that a very, very long time. We’ve got a lot of living to do.”
Her tears were instant, and her hopes were enormous. “I’m going to pray for the same thing.”
“Everyone,” he sai
d, “I’d like to introduce you to my fiancée!”
Kate was shocked at the excited cheers and laughter from the group. Undeniable happiness, even from Chad, who shouldn’t be happy at all that she was marrying Mitch and staying in Claremont. But he sure looked happy. Then he and Jessica walked over, and Mitch finally placed Kate back on the ground.
“Listen, several people here want to talk to you, and it isn’t only about wishing us well,” he said with a wink. “So while I go in to check on the sleeping princesses, I’ll give them a chance to talk...and to congratulate you, because this is an amazing day.” He turned and punched Chad in the arm. “I’m getting married.”
Chad laughed. “So I hear.” Then he and Jessica looked at each other and then at Kate.
“We were wrong,” Jessica said, “to say you couldn’t have some place in Lainey’s life. That isn’t at all what true forgiveness is, and we’re sorry.”
“We want you in Lainey’s life,” Chad added. “At this point, we think it’d only confuse her to try to explain that you’re her biological mom, but we’d like you to still be a part of her life. She’s mentioned Miss Kate a few times over the past couple of days, so I believe you’ve already made an impression.”
“She has?” Kate asked, happiness filling her soul.
They both nodded.
“And eventually, when we think she’s old enough to understand, we’ll tell her, but until then, we’d like for her to know Miss Kate,” Chad said.
“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you so much.”
And then she found herself being hugged by Chad and Jessica, something she’d never imagined happening, and it felt so good to be accepted. Forgiven.
Then Bo, Maura, Matt, Hannah and Autumn walked up behind Chad and Jessica. “Can we talk to her for a second, Chad?” Bo asked.
“Sure.” Chad gave Kate a smile, wrapped an arm around his wife and then started toward Mitch’s porch.
“We wanted to tell you,” Bo started, but Maura shook her head and cleared her throat.
“No, Bo,” she said. “This is all my fault, so let me do it.”
He smiled at her. “Okay.”
“I’ve done a terrible job at following what Brother Henry preaches, and what the Bible says about forgiving and not judging, and all of that. Last night, when Annette called the prayer line and asked all of us to pray for your safety, I was miserable.”
Mrs. Tingle, hearing her name, stepped forward and lifted the gigantic dish in her arms. “I wanted everyone to pray, and those prayers worked,” she said happily. “Which is a good thing, since I made a huge breakfast casserole. I need all of these folks to help eat it!”
Her comment, delivered as she and L.E. walked past the group and toward the house, broke the tension for a moment, but Maura wasn’t done speaking yet.
“When I heard Annette’s message on the prayer line, I started praying to God right then and there to forgive me and to give me a chance to tell you how sorry I am for treating you badly.”
“You didn’t—” Kate interrupted, but Maura wouldn’t have any part of it.
“Yes, I did. Maybe not directly, but indirectly for sure, because I told Mitch he shouldn’t give you another chance, and I was wrong. So now I’m asking if you’ll forgive me.”
“Of course I do,” Kate said.
“And there’s something else,” Maura continued. “In our eyes, Mitch is our son. He’s family. And I want you to know that in becoming a part of Mitch’s family, well, you’ll become a part of our family, too, if you want.” Her voice caught on the last few words, and she waved a hand in front of her face as though the emotions were getting the best of her.
Bo and Hannah both stepped beside her and wrapped arms around her, and Bo said, “We’ve lost a daughter. We’ll never have Jana back, not until we see her again in heaven. But we feel blessed that God is giving us the opportunity to have another daughter—” he looked to Hannah “—and a sister in our lives, if you’ll have us.”
Kate’s happiness bubbled over, her tears spilling down her cheeks as she stepped toward the group. “You don’t know how much that would mean to me,” she whispered, “to be a part of a real family.”
“Kay-Kay!”
Kate turned to see Emmie toddling onto the porch with Dee and Lainey close behind, all of them still in pajamas. Emmie clutched her bulldog in one hand and her nighty-night blanket in the other, Dee had her Snow White and Lainey held a stuffed teddy bear.
“Miss Kate!” Dee said, with equal excitement.
“Hey, Miss Kate!” Lainey said.
The trio grinned at her, with Dee and Lainey hurrying down the steps to give her hugs and Emmie standing on the porch with her arms wide and waiting.
Kate hugged Dee and Lainey, laughing through the tears that she simply couldn’t control. And then Mitch picked up Emmie and brought her to join in on the group hug.
“Daddy said you went away ’cause you were sad,” Dee said. “Are you still sad?”
“No,” Kate said, hugging them all as she spoke, “I’m not sad anymore. In fact, I’m very, very happy.”
“We’re glad you’re happy,” Lainey said, her pretty face lighting up with her smile. “It feels good to be happy.”
“Yes, it does.”
Chad stepped out onto the porch, looked at the group and nodded his approval. “Jess was right. This is the way it should be.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Mitch said.
“So, girls, y’all ready for breakfast?” Chad asked. “Mrs. Tingle has your plates ready.”
“Okay, Daddy,” Lainey said, turning to start up the stairs with Dee following. Then she stopped at the top and looked back toward the people still standing in the yard. “Miss Kate, are you going to have breakfast, too?”
Kate swallowed then nodded. “Yes, Lainey. Thank you for asking. I’ll be right there.”
Lainey smiled and ran through the doorway with Dee.
“Eat?” Emmie asked, as Mitch scooped her up.
“Yes, sweetie, you’ve got a plate, too.” He grinned at Kate. “You ready to go in?”
She tried to say yes, but instead a whimper escaped, and her tears turned into a steady flow. “I’m—sorry. I’m—just so happy.” She swiped at her wet cheeks. “You know, me being real emotional, that’s part of it, what we’ll go through over the next few months. I’ll cry a lot.”
“Well, if I do my job, I’m guessing you’ll laugh a lot, too,” he said.
And just like that, her smile pushed free. Mitch could make her laugh. In fact, he not only made her laugh, but he made her love...and he made her want very much to live.
Epilogue
As far back as anyone could remember, there had been weddings at Hydrangea Park, but there’d never been a wedding on a T-ball field...until today.
The entire town helped haul the bleachers from all of the surrounding fields to this one, so that even the outfield had a grandstand. And by the time the wedding started, every seat was filled and people even stood against the fence, all of Claremont eager and excited to see Mitch Gillespie find happiness again.
Kate wore a long dress, white satin with a lace overlay. It wasn’t a bridal gown, per se, but it was perfect for this casual—and quite beautiful—setting. Maribeth Walton, the owner of Consigning Women on the square, had helped Kate find the vintage gown.
Mitch wore a tan suit and a blue tie that brought out the brilliant blue of his eyes. Kate focused on those eyes as she walked toward the center of the field, where Brother Henry waited with her groom.
As they’d requested, the ceremony was short, with the preacher reading the passage of love from First Corinthians 13 and then having them repeat the standard vows.
Kate’s hair had come back pitch-black and curly after her chemo had ended, just like last time. It was still short, a little past her ears, but growing fairly quickly. Mitch said he actually liked it short, because it made it easier for him to kiss her neck. And he kissed her neck quite often, bec
ause he said he liked the way it made Kate laugh.
Mitch had kept her laughing over the past year. Through the radiation and then the chemo, he’d found a way to make her smile, even through the days when she felt so weak and tired that all she wanted to do was cry.
She loved him even more for that.
And then, when they learned that the treatments had worked and that the cancer was gone, they hadn’t stopped laughing, smiling...living.
Their time together revolved around each other and also around the girls. All of the girls. Dee, Emmie...and Lainey. Kate was thrilled to see them all huddled together and clapping as she and Mitch completed their vows.
“They’re beautiful,” she whispered.
“Yes, they are,” he said, cupping her face within his hands and rendering her speechless with his love. “And so are you, Mrs. Gillespie.”
Kate really liked the sound of that.
Brother Henry cleared his throat and announced, “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Mitch Gillespie.”
The crowd cheered so loudly that his next words were drowned out by the sound. So, as soon as they could hear each other again, Mitch turned and asked, “Preacher, can I kiss my bride?”
Brother Henry’s laugh echoed through the microphone pinned to his lapel. “By all means.”
Their kiss received another deafening round of applause, as well as some resounding “ewwwws” from the kids in the dugouts. And then the preacher gave his final announcement.
“As all of you know, the reception will be held at the big pavilion over by the picnic areas after the game. So I guess the next order of business is...” He shrugged, cleared his throat and yelled, “Play ball!”
The four-and five-year-olds who’d been waiting semi-patiently stormed the field, while the guests all laughed and the bride and groom moved to their “honorary seats,” satin-covered chairs in the dugout for Lainey and Dee’s team.
Kate had never been to a T-ball game before, and she hadn’t wanted to miss their first one just because it was the same day that she and Mitch had planned their wedding, so they’d moved the wedding here. And it couldn’t have been more perfect.
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