Suddenly all business, Sandra pulled at her sweater to straighten it and stood. Crossing back to her bag, she pulled the ancient Kodak Hawkeye free and screwed in a flashbulb. Checking the exposure, she smiled when she set it, then passed the camera to the waiting nurse. “Press here when I tell you.”
She crossed the room and gave her children, all of her children, a critical glance. “We have one more thing to do. Stand here, AJ. Marlea, you’re here. Dench, sit here with Rissa and the baby, and I’m here.” Satisfied, she turned three-quarters front, her best position. “This is for Faith’s Dream Keeper. Okay,” she nodded to the nurse. “Everybody say, ‘dream.’ ”
The flash caught them smiling, sharing a dream for posterity.
EPILOGUE
One year later…
“This is so not the typical ‘date with my husband,’ but I have to tell you that I like it,” Rissa murmured when the Air Jamaica plane flew low over the northwestern coast of the island. “Isn’t it funny how quickly life changes? The first time I was here with you, I became a wife. The next time, I became Faith’s mother. What do you think will happen this time?” She smiled.
“You mean besides needing to find a place to change a stinky little girl?” Dench held the baby away from his body and wrinkled his nose when Faith cackled merrily.
“Watch a pro at work.” Rissa shifted her tote to the other side of her seat and took the baby. “What do you want to bet that I can finish before we land?”
“Can’t be done.”
“Bet me, or I’ll give her back to you.” Rissa touched her nose to the baby’s and they laughed together. “Watch Mommy take Daddy’s money,” she whispered, and the baby cackled again.
“Whew, I’ll take that bet!” Dench dug into his shirt pocket and found a twenty. He held it out and Rissa’s fingers snapped it from his hand. Working one-handed, she flipped the baby in her lap, unsnapped the romper, and managed to simultaneously wrangle the diaper, wipes, and powder. The baby gurgled and Rissa convinced the flight attendant that the plastic wrapped bundle was not toxic.
“See? We’re still in the air.” She handed the baby back to her father and rested her head on his shoulder when the plane dipped on the air current as it circled Sangster International airport.
“Guess you win.” He looked down as Faith curled against his chest and closed her eyes. Warm, soft and trusting, she smelled like baby powder and he was grateful. “Lucky me.”
Rissa pushed her hand into his and smiled as the plane landed. “Lucky us.”
Walking into the Immigration Hall, Dench couldn’t help feeling pride in his wife: tall, slender, strong, and beautiful. “You’re making life look easy these days, buying Yvette out, handling the larger caseload, and finding time for this little getaway.”
“And don’t forget Faith.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He was thoughtful as they approached the passport control station, then looked at her again. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Dench?” Rissa raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “You picked a fine time to ask me that. I’m pregnant now. There will be no turning back. And I expect a Super Bowl win this year—it’ll help me secure that raise for you because we’ll be putting two children through college when the time comes.”
“Dude, I’ll do my best. Doing that Fox pregame show is going to take up a lot of time…”
“And don’t forget the fundraising work you promised AJ and Marlea that you and the team will be doing for Project ABLE.” She bumped him with her hip. “So we’ll commute, because I’m not going for that ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ stuff.”
“It’ll have to work, dude, because I need you like the ocean needs the shore, and I’m not going far without you.”
“Sweet talker.” She bumped him again and laughed when he bumped her back.
The handsome bronze-skinned man at the counter smiled when the couple reached him. Eyes on Rissa, he considered flirting with the pretty woman, even though he saw the rings on her finger. Then he looked at Dench and reconsidered. Even with the sleeping baby in his arms, this one looked like he could read minds—and wouldn’t hesitate to act on what he found. The immigration officer made his face blank and held out his hand for their passports and immigration forms.
“Clearance was quick,” Rissa whispered, her voice barely loud enough to be heard over the noise in the terminal, when she and Dench walked hand-in-hand away from the counter.
“Maybe he didn’t want to hold us too long, what with the baby and all.”
“Sierra Clarence calls that Baby Power.” She laughed lightly.
Exchanging some of the cash he carried for Jamaican dollars took only a few minutes. Dench handed her the wad of bills. She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Still trying to buy my affection?”
“Can I still get it for a penny?” He jammed a hand into his pocket and pulled out a single penny. Placing it in her palm, he kissed her.
“Sold,” she whispered, dropping the money into her tote.
“You not honeymoonin’ this time, are you?” The voice, strong in its island lilt, happy in its certainty, made them turn. “You have the little one with you, I see.” The easy question and answer came from a full-bodied woman in a floral dress. The island lilt of her voice and bright flash of her white teeth were an invitation to smile, even before she winked at them.
“The same woman?”
“Looks like, but…”
“ ’Course I’m the same and I remember you, but I see some things have changed with you,” the woman laughed, looking around Dench’s shoulder to see the baby’s face. “She’s pretty like her mother and her daddy.”
Starting from his feet, the woman let her eyes wander, looking hard at Dench. “Looks like the honeymoon worked.” Approval apparent, her eyes lingered on his, and she held his gaze until he looked away. Still watching, obviously admiring, she pushed a bunch of vividly deep red and yellow hibiscus blooms into Rissa’s hands. “For luck,” she said. “Though I already told you, you’ll never need it with this one.”
Laughing, their impromptu hostess fluttered her loose flowery skirt and danced a few steps. She bowed as Rissa took her picture. When Rissa showed her the digital frame, the woman’s laughter simmered lower. “You let me take one of you now.”
Handing over her camera, Rissa moved close to Dench and the baby. The woman nodded and looked into the viewfinder. Satisfied, she clicked the shot. “You put my picture away with vacation souvenirs. But this one is for you, Dream Keeper. This man, this baby, this is the dream you keep forever.”
“I will,” Rissa promised when the woman smiled directly into her eyes.
The woman melted into the crowd and Rissa looked into the green and gold flecked eyes she loved. Her hand smoothed the baby’s hat and then her husband’s shaved head.
“She called you the Dream Keeper.”
“She did, didn’t she?” Rissa’s hand slipped to Dench’s cheek and she loved the firm feel of his skin against her fingers. “I mean that, you know. You are my dream, and I’m keeping you forever because I love you like Jesus…”
“…loved the church,” he finished with his lips on hers.
“And that’s good enough for me.”
Letter to the Readers
Dear Readers,
At the end of Dream Runner, I got lots of questions about Rissa and Dench, most of them wanting to know more about their relationship, their marriage, and their future. Hopefully, in Dream Keeper, you’ve enjoyed learning more about them and sharing their growth.
Thank you for sharing the continuing lives of the Traylors and the Yarboroughs as they find and realize their dreams. While they don’t always have an easy time of it, they are always interesting. I am hoping that you enjoy them as much as I do, as I look forward to their individual and combined futures.
And I love hearing your thoughts and look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to contact me via email (the_fitwryter@yaho
o.com) or via US mail at: P.O. Box 56782 / Atlanta, GA 30343.
Thank you, again.
Gail McFarland
About the Author
Born with a passion for reading, Gail McFarland is the published author of more than 100 short romantic confessions and short stories and several novels including Dream Runner (Genesis Press 2008). A dedicated wellness-fitness advocate, Ms. McFarland is currently an active fitness instructor and consultant. She happily admits that while Dream Runner was the first of her novels to combine her love of sports and fitness with the passion of romance, Dream Keeper is her first sequel. Dream Keeper reintroduces the readers to Rissa and Dench Traylor, and updates the lives of AJ and Marlea Yarborough.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Ms. McFarland attended Glenville High School and Cleveland State University. She now makes her home in Atlanta, Georgia.
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