With Courage and Commitment
Page 19
He’d already relived that experience a thousand times. With each reliving, his love for both his wife and daughter had grown more potent until it was a force that would never be broken. He vowed that with his life—his very soul.
In the hours since the birth, and after the crowd of witnesses had finally left them alone, he’d brushed Stephanie’s hair for her. She’d put on some lipstick and her nightgown. Given her recent ordeal, she looked better than she had any right to.
A tiny frown formed on her forehead. “Did Tommy ever tell you why he showed up at the hospital?”
“He was a nervous wreck about doing the triathlon in the senior division. I told him he only had to give it his best shot. Winning wasn’t important.”
She glanced out the window by her bed where the sky was beginning to lighten with the new day. “There’s still time for you to run in the race.”
“Not me. My place is here with you and our baby.”
Stephanie swallowed an unexpected sob. On the constant verge of tears from fatigue and an overload of emotion, tears flooded her eyes as they had so many times in the past few hours. “I feel so guilty I’ve made you give up so much, forcing you into—”
“Whoa! Wait a minute. I’ve haven’t given up anything.”
“You’ve given up the race. Given up being a bachelor.” At least for the moment. “I’ve tied you down to the pesky girl across the street when you never would have—”
“Ah, Twigs, sweetheart, don’t you know what you’ve given me?” He shifted from the chair to sit on the edge of her bed. Unable to resist, his finger strayed to the baby’s incredibly soft cheek and then to Stephanie’s. Their gazes held, and he felt his heart soften. He bent to brush a kiss to her lips.
“You’ve taught me that I’m capable of love. Not just a casual, how-are-you-doing love, not a relationship for a week or two, one I’ll get bored with, but something that’s going to last forever. A commitment that’s for a lifetime.”
The thrill of his words sent a river of joy through her, pressing even more tears to her eyes. “You love me?”
He blinked as though surprised by her comment. “Haven’t I mentioned that?”
“Not that I recall. But then, I’ve been pretty distracted lately.” And her hormones were so far into overdrive, she wanted to be sure she’d heard him correctly. “Tell me again.”
Reversing his position so he was right next to her, he lifted her with one arm and wrapped his other around both her and their baby.
“I love you Stephanie Sullivan, my wife, my bride, and I love our baby girl. I’ll love you both as long as the sun keeps coming up in the morning and I have any breath in me. If I have my way, I’ll love you for all eternity. You see, you’ve turned me into a real commitment kind of guy.”
Her chin trembled. It was true, what she’d seen in his eyes, what she’d prayed she’d heard from his heart.
“I love you, too, Danny Sullivan. Because you’re irreverent and brave, and because you make me laugh. I loved you when I was fourteen years old, and I’ve never stopped loving you. I never will, not for all of eternity.”
“I think I loved you back then, too, which is why I teased you so much. But face it—” He gave her quick wink. “I had to wait until you grew up before I could make my move.”
She laughed, then winced at the pain she’d caused herself. “I’m all grown up now.”
“Yeah, you are.” And with a kiss that was both sweet and tender, filled with promises, he showed her just how much he loved her and always would.
With every ounce of her being, she responded, letting him know she felt exactly the same way.
Epilogue
Three months later
Danny took a slice of white layer cake and slipped a bite into Stephanie’s mouth as she fed him a matching piece, still carefully holding Vickie in one arm as she had during the marriage ceremony. A crumb fell onto the baby’s frilly pink dress. He plucked it up, feeding her with his fingertips.
The wedding guests, who were circled around them for the cake-cutting, laughed and clapped.
“Danny!” Stephanie admonished him sternly, although the gold sparkles in her hazel eyes danced with happiness. “She’s too little for cake.”
“Hey, she’s an important part of the celebration. I don’t want her to miss out on anything.”
“I doubt, with you as her daddy, there’ll be a thing in the world she’ll have to do without.”
Danny’s heart filled with gratitude that he wouldn’t have to go to court to fight to keep Vickie as his daughter. Apparently Edgar’s mother had lost interest when she heard her son had sired a daughter rather than a male child to whom he could pass on his name. That was just fine with Danny. He could already tell from her cute little smile that she was going to be a Sullivan through and through.
Within the first few days after Vickie’s birth, Stephanie’s father had begun to insist that he wanted a formal wedding for his daughter. Though nervous about standing up in front of all his friends, Danny thought it was a good idea, too. His bride deserved the very best.
Councilwoman Anderson had volunteered her beautifully landscaped backyard for the event; Judge Helmet, who had arrived tardy for the first marriage ceremony, had performed the second with grand pomp and circumstance, his black robe fluttering in the warm summer breeze.
Waiting for Stephanie beneath a rose trellis in full bloom, Danny’s heart had nearly seized when he saw her walking down the aisle dressed all in white, Vickie in her arms instead of a bouquet of flowers. Nothing could have been more perfect.
Greg Wells served as his best man this time around, then took up his guitar to play a soft rendition of Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.
Danny’s mom had been in the front row with her new husband. Stephanie’s sister Karen and her children were part of the wedding party, although her husband was out of the country on deployment with the Marines.
All in all, a perfect wedding day, although no more memorable than their first, Danny decided with a grin. He’d make sure this wedding night was one to remember, too.
As the crowd began to disperse, Tommy came up to him to say goodbye, a cute little redhead on his arm and a bronze third-place team triathlon medal on a ribbon around his neck.
“Thanks for inviting us,” Tommy said, a blush creeping up his neck.
“You’re welcome, kid.” He extended his hand to the young man. “The Paseo Fire Department owes you big time. You’re one of us now.”
“I wish we could have taken first.”
“It doesn’t matter. You beat La Verde, and that’s what counts.” Fortunately Moose had pulled up lame halfway through the race, not finishing at all. Not that Danny would wish his nemesis an injury, of course.
“I watched Tommy race,” Rachel said shyly. “He was wonderful.”
The youngster’s blush flamed as bright as a brush-fire in a high wind.
Chuckling to himself, Danny turned to find Stephanie and Emma Jean huddled together in deep conversation and giggling.
“All right, ladies. Sounds to me like you two are up to no good.”
“Oh, it’s definitely good,” Stephanie insisted. “Emma Jean’s been reading her Tarot cards.”
“Oh, no,” Danny groaned. “You don’t believe that stuff, do you?”
Emma Jean tossed her head dramatically, making her earrings shimmer. “You know perfectly well that I have psychic powers.”
“Yeah, right.” He didn’t know how she’d managed to show up at the hospital in time for the wedding—or what he’d seen in her crystal ball—but he wasn’t going to credit any paranormal nonsense.
Stephanie tucked her free arm through his. “If she’s right this time, it’s Greg Wells who’ll be the next to hear wedding bells.”
Danny barked a laugh. “Greg? No way. That cowboy has no intention of getting himself roped into matrimony.”
Smiling smugly, Stephanie said, “N
either did you, hotshot. Neither did you.”
ISBN: 978-1-4603-6826-8
WITH COURAGE AND COMMITMENT
Copyright © 2002 by Charlotte Lobb.
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*Caught with a Cowboy
**Men of Station Six