Twins Under His Tree

by Karen Rose Smith

  “Take them with you.”

  Suddenly Lily heard a cry from the baby monitor. “That’s Grace,” she said. “I’ll find out what’s wrong.” On her way out of the kitchen, she glanced back at Angie. “I feel pulled in so many directions. I can’t think about going to Houston. At least not tonight.”

  “Tomorrow will come soon enough,” her housemate suggested.

  Lily knew she was right.

  On the way home from the office on Wednesday, Lily took a detour. After arriving at the outskirts of Sagebrush, she turned down a road where she hadn’t driven for over a year…almost sixteen months. Mid-December darkness had already fallen and she glimpsed farms along the road with Christmas decorations and lights twinkling from eaves, gables and shrubs in front yards.

  Eventually Lily reached an illuminated lane where a security guard was housed in a cupola before a high fence. She presented ID to him and a key. After a few taps into his computer, he okayed her, opened the gate and let her drive inside.

  She passed row upon row of storage compartments, some looking more like closets, some the size of a garage. The area was well lit and there were no other cars around. It didn’t take her long to find the row, and then the storage compartment that she was looking for. She didn’t think as she parked in front of it. She tried not to feel. If she let herself feel now, what would happen after she went inside?

  She did check her watch and knew she couldn’t spend a whole lot of time here. Not today anyway. Sophie and Grace were waiting for her.

  After she unlocked the combination, she inserted the key into the padlock. Two levels of security. Now both were just barriers, locking her out of memories that she’d stored because they were too painful to see, listen to or handle.

  The roll-up door stuck and she wondered if she’d have to call the security guard to help her heave it up. But then it gave way and rolled open, revealing the remnants of her marriage. At least the physical ones.

  Stepping into the past, she looked around and her eyes burned. It was the cold, the staleness of the compartment, the boxes upon boxes that almost sixteen months ago she couldn’t bear to donate or toss away. Moving to the Victorian had accomplished more than giving her an economical place to live, friends to support her, room for her twins to grow. Moving there so quickly after Troy had died had removed her from a good dose of the pain of losing him. She’d been nearly numb when she’d packed up her belongings and his. She’d sent a lot of Troy’s things home to his mother, knowing she’d treasure them. But the rest was here in front of her, making her eyes go misty with the remembrance of what was inside the boxes.

  She could sit here and go through them one by one. They were labeled and she knew what she’d find. But she hadn’t come here to open a box with souvenirs from her Caribbean honeymoon with Troy or CDs they’d once listened to together. She’d come here to find something that would tell her whether she could meld the past with the present…if she could really move on. Besides cartons, she had to step over and around Troy’s saws and metal boxes that held sets of chisels or a Dremel tool. Finally, after she’d moved a circular saw housed on its own table, she found what she was looking for in the corner.

  She had asked Troy to make this for her. It was a multi-tiered plant stand fashioned in oak. Almost finished, it simply needed a last smoothing with fine sandpaper, polishing and then a coat of acrylic.

  At least three feet high, the plant stand was bulky as she pushed it from its protected place to the front of the storage compartment and ran her hands over it, imagining Troy doing the same. Now tears really pressed against her eyelids. Giving in, she let them come and didn’t even try to brush them away.

  When she heard a sound, she realized an airplane was buzzing overhead. At the edge of the compartment, she lifted her gaze to the sky. The moon was bright, almost full, and brought back the memory of standing at the fire pit on Mitch’s patio singing “Silent Night.” Her nose was numb. Her fingers were stiff. Her feet were cold in her high-heeled pumps. But the cold didn’t matter now as she stood still, just letting every feeling in her life wash over her.

  Her gaze lifted to the moon and she suddenly saw something to the east of it—a shooting star. It glowed, streaked, then vanished.

  Like Troy?

  Turning away from the sky, she ran her hands over the solid wood again. She heard the question in her head as if someone were standing in the compartment speaking to her. Do you love Mitch?

  Searching for the answer here, in the midst of her past life, she knew she did.

  Why? that little voice asked again. Because I asked him to look out for you?

  Reverently she slid her hands over the oak grain, straight and crooked, with imperfections and beauty despite that. She and Troy and Mitch had imperfections and beauty, too. No, she didn’t love Mitch because Troy had asked him to watch over her. She loved Mitch because of who he was, and who she was when she was with him. She loved him because he was passionate and intense, and tender and caring. She loved him differently than she’d loved Troy. Whether or not that was because of Sophie and Grace, she didn’t know. All of a sudden she just knew her love for Mitch was right.

  Yes, it had come along at a time when she was still grieving. And maybe she’d miss Troy for the rest of her life. Loss wouldn’t go away merely because she wanted it to. But Troy had so often told her, There are no coincidences. On and off, over the past nine months, she’d tested what she’d felt for Mitch. And every time, the desire, the aching to be with him, the dreams that appeared when she let herself think about the future couldn’t be denied.

  With one hand on the plant stand, she looked down at her other hand, where her wedding ring gleamed in the white moonlight. She slipped it off her finger and set it on the top shelf of the stand.

  It was then that she felt warmth seeping into her body, as if someone had given her a giant hug. The sensation only lasted a matter of moments. Then once again she felt her cold nose, her stiff fingers, her numbing feet. She picked up the ring and slipped it into a zippered pocket in her purse. Then she pushed the plant stand out of the storage compartment, determined to fit it into her car.

  She had to get home to Sophie and Grace and make an airline reservation to Houston.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The nurse ran the IV and Mitch watched the drip. This surgery was really going to happen.

  Although Matt had stopped in a little while before, the one person Mitch wanted to talk to was Lily. But she was back in Sagebrush.

  When the nurse left Mitch’s cubicle, he flexed both hands, staring at his right one. Someday in the future, if not able to perform surgery, he might have fuller use of his fingers. Would he feel whole if he did?

  He doubted it. Because he realized now he didn’t need the use of his fingers to feel whole. He needed Lily. That need had been supremely evident the night of the reunion when they’d made love. Somehow, on that night, attraction and chemistry had transformed into something else entirely.

  It had transformed into love.

  He hadn’t had the courage to admit it or the courage to feel it until he’d awakened the following morning holding her. Yet at that same moment he’d had doubts about Lily’s ability to love again…doubts about her ability to freely make any kind of commitment to him. If he pushed her, he’d lose her.

  He’d almost lost her when his ego had slid between them in June and his pride had convinced him to put time and distance between them. He’d almost lost her again when he’d prodded her about her wedding ring on Sunday morning.

  Would she cut and run? Would she decide loving Troy for the rest of her life was enough? Were her feelings not deep enough to allow a future to develop between them?

  He wanted her here to talk about all of it—his past mistakes, his future possibilities, her independence, their passionate hunger that went deeper than pheromones. He hadn’t asked her to come, because she had Sophie and Grace to consider first. He hadn’t asked her to come, because he knew if he pu
shed too hard she’d slip away entirely.

  Turning away from the IV stand, he closed his eyes and tried to blank his mind.

  Lily rushed down the hospital corridor hoping she wasn’t too late. She had to see Mitch before he went into surgery. She had to.

  The past three days had felt like a global marathon.

  When she’d returned from the storage unit, Ellie had helped her carry in the plant stand. She’d also noticed the absent wedding ring. When Lily had explained what she wanted to do, Ellie had offered to take care of Sophie and Grace while she went to Houston. Angie had been at home, too, and when Lily couldn’t find available seating on a flight, she’d called her brother-in-law, billionaire Logan Barnes. He’d booked Lily first-class seats. Both Angie and Ellie convinced her the twins would be well taken care of. Lily didn’t have to worry about anything…except what Mitch was going to say and do.

  Now as Lily headed for the information desk in the surgical wing, she was afraid. She loved Mitch Cortega with all her heart. But what if he’d lost patience with her? What if she was too late? What if he rejected her and she’d made a fool of herself?

  She kept going anyway, almost at a jog. If she made a fool of herself, so be it.

  When she reached the desk and inquired about Mitch’s whereabouts, the woman asked, “Are you family?”

  Lily said blithely, “I’m his fiancée.”

  Narrowing her eyes, the clerk asked if Lily knew his date of birth.

  “I do. It’s January twenty-first.”

  A tad less warily, the gatekeeper of this surgical unit next asked for his home address and telephone number.

  Resigned to this delay, Lily rattled them off.

  Finally the clerk pointed her in the direction she should go, advising, “Follow the yellow floor line.”

  Doing so, Lily almost ran toward the surgical waiting area, found cubicle number six and peeked around the curtain.

  There Mitch was, lying on a gurney, an IV line attached to the hand that wouldn’t be undergoing surgery.

  She wondered if he’d already been given medication to relax, if he’d even be aware that she was here.

  Crossing to the bed, she stood beside it and asked softly, “Mitch?”

  His eyes opened. They were clear, alert and totally flabbergasted. “Lily? What are you doing here? My surgery was delayed an hour and they haven’t given me anything yet. So I know you can’t be a hallucination.” He sat up and looked ready to climb out of the bed.

  She laid a hand on his shoulder, stood as close as she could without jumping into bed with him, then plunged in. “I had to see you in person. I had to tell you before you went into surgery.”

  “What? Did something happen to Sophie or Grace?” The lines on his forehead cutting deep, his expression showed his extreme worry.

  “They’re fine. Ellie and Angie are taking good care of them.”

  Now he just looked totally perplexed.

  She took his hand, stroked the scars on his arm and gazed deeply into his eyes. “I love you, Mitch. I couldn’t let you go into surgery not knowing that. You’ve been so patient and I don’t know if that patience has run out or not. But I do love you. I want to be with you. I want a future with you.”

  He didn’t look as ecstatic as she thought he might, as she’d hoped he might. Instead, he looked troubled. “What happened, Lily?”

  He didn’t believe her! In fact, he seemed to consider her appearance as impulsive, that she might change her mind tomorrow. She stayed close to him, her hand still on his arm. Somehow she’d make him understand. “I went to the storage compartment where I kept everything I didn’t move into the Victorian. Troy’s tools are there, and the plant stand he made for me before he was deployed.”

  Mitch began to say something but she didn’t give him the chance. She rushed on. “The stand isn’t finished and I’d like to finish it. And then I want to put it in your sunroom where it can hold plants or flowers and remind me of the love Troy gave me. It’s part of my past, Mitch. Troy is part of my past. And I’ll always hold his memory dear in my heart. I don’t think it was a coincidence he chose you to look after me. He used to say, ‘There are no coincidences,’ and I believe he was right. When I was standing there looking at the moon and spotting a shooting star—I’d never seen one before in my life—I remembered standing by the fire pit with you and singing ‘Silent Night.’ My whole being just understood I should finally admit what I’ve been feeling. I do love you, Mitch Cortega. I’m ready to commit to you for the rest of my life. If you aren’t ready, that’s okay. We’ll figure things out as we go. Together.”

  She could see that what she was saying and feeling and meaning took a few moments for Mitch to absorb. But then he opened his arms to her. “Come here.”

  She didn’t hesitate. If someone came in to take him to surgery, they could just take her along, too!

  On his lap, with his arms around her the best he could manage it, he kissed her with such soul-stirring passion she thought she’d melt right into him.

  But then he broke the kiss and lifted his head. “When we made love Saturday night, I was forced to admit to myself I was doing a hell of a lot more than watching over you. I hadn’t tried the word love on what I felt. But on Sunday, I did. I guess I was embarrassed after the bad dream. I woke up thinking I had to do something. If you weren’t ready, then I had to prepare myself for whatever life dealt. The best way to do that was to see if I could have my hand repaired.”

  “I was hurt you didn’t talk about it with me,” she admitted, knowing she had to be honest with him about everything.

  “I’m sorry. I guess I thought I’d given you too many pieces of myself and this was one I had to take control of.”

  Stroking his face, she said, “I want all of you, Mitch. Not just the strong parts or the perfect parts. I’ll support you no matter what happens, whether we return to our practice or whether you want to go back to trauma surgery. And I have no intention of moving to Oklahoma. I’m staying in Sagebrush with you.”

  Taking Lily’s hand, Mitch smiled. “This isn’t the place I’d imagined we’d be talking about this. I want to give you romance and flowers and music to remember the day by, not the clanging of hospital trays. But it seems like I’ve waited for you for so long, and I don’t want to wait a second longer. Will you marry me?”

  “When?” She’d be ready today if that’s what he wanted.

  “Soon. As soon as we can fly back to Sagebrush and arrange it. I don’t want to wait a minute more than I have to to be your husband. And,” he hesitated, then continued, “a stepfather to Sophie and Grace.”

  “You’re not going to be a stepfather. You’re going to be their dad. Troy would want that. I know he would.”

  Mitch kissed her again, just as the nurse swung back the curtain.

  They were oblivious, lost in passion and promises they yearned to share.

  Epilogue

  “This is as unconventional as it gets,” Mitch murmured to Lily, folding his arm around her in her cream wool cape. As long as she was in his arms, the world was good and he slept peacefully during the deep night hours. Marriage would gift them with the future they both wanted and needed.

  Twinkle lights were strung around the border of Mitch’s patio. The fire pit was lit, giving off warmth. The minister from Lily’s church had agreed to perform the service. He’d told her early evening was fine. Afterward, he could return to his congregation for Christmas Eve midnight service.

  Fortunately, the weather had cooperated and even Mitch had to admit his patio looked wedding-ready. The stars were crystal clear and the slice of moon glowed with silver-white light. An arbor, also decorated in evergreens and twinkle lights, housed the minister as Lily and Mitch stood before him, ready to say their vows.

  Lily cast a glance at Ellie, who was holding Grace, and at Angie, who was carrying Sophie. The twins were bundled up in their pink snowsuits and mittens, their noses barely peeking out from their hoods. Gina had dresse
d Daniel similarly in blue, and Logan held his son so he could see what was going on, too, as Eva stood with Hannah ready to help with the kids. Shep and Raina had brought along Joey, Roy and Manuel. Tessa and her husband, Vince, held their children’s hands, while Francesca and Grady as well as Emily and Jared stood by with their children. Within driving distance, Tony and Jimmy had brought their wives, children and Christmas along with them. Beside them, Lily and Mitch’s colleagues watched from along one stone wall where the twinkle lights flickered high above them.

  Lily had wanted them all here to witness this joyous celebration. She loved Mitch so much she wanted everyone who could to share their joy. They’d only be outside for about ten minutes and then they’d go inside for their reception, which would be homey and all theirs.

  In a low voice beside Mitch, Matt said, “You two couldn’t wait until spring, could you?”

  Mitch shook his head. “Not a chance. You and I both know each day is a precious gift, and I want to spend them all with Lily.”

  Lily cuddled closer to Mitch, not at all cold, just wanting to feel him near. He was wearing a black, Western-cut leather jacket. His hand and wrist were still bandaged. After Christmas they would fly back to Houston for an exam by the doctor and decide whether Mitch was ready for physical therapy. The surgery had gone well, but it might take time for him to have use of those fingers again.

  Reverend Allbright made some opening remarks and then said, “I understand the two of you have vows to make to each other.”

  “We do,” they said in unison.

  “Whoever wants to go first,” the kindly older man invited.

  Lily took Mitch’s hands, one bandaged and one not, in both of hers. “I know how important vows and promises are to you. I promise to love you from morning till night and every minute in between. I vow to be your partner, lover and friend and I will always respect your opinion in raising our girls. Each and every day, I will try to bring happiness into your life and will be proud to call you my husband.”