Lakeside Family

by Lisa Jordan

  “Birthday cake?” She gave Josie a sleepy grin.

  Dad tweaked Hannah’s nose. “I’ll let the nurse know.” He gave Josie’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.

  Nick sat beside Hannah and reached for her hand, careful not to dislodge her IV. “Hannah, I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

  “It’s okay, Daddy. You didn’t know.” Her eyes struggled to stay open.

  “Actually the allergy attack was a good thing. Daddy saved your life.” She shared what Dr. Kym had said about the infection and then told Hannah about proceeding with the bone marrow transplant.

  Not caring about hospital rules, Josie stretched out beside Hannah. She needed to be close. “Sweetie, there’s something else, too.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing that you don’t already know about. Everything’s fine.” She reached for Nick’s hand. “In fact, everything’s great.”

  Nick shuffled to his feet. He wrapped an arm around Josie and one over the top of Hannah’s pillow. “Honey, I asked your mom to marry me. I figured it was about time we started being a normal family.”

  Hannah’s eyes darted between the two of them. “And?”

  Josie rested her head against Nick. “I said yes.”

  Hannah’s smile spread across her face, rivaling the length of the Shelby River. She shifted to her elbows, struggling to sit up. “Yay! It’s about time. When’s the wedding?”

  Nick pressed a gentle hand against her shoulder, forcing her to rest against her pillow. “We haven’t gotten that far yet.”

  “Mom?” Hannah’s gaze shifted to the window. She picked at her nails. “I need you to do something for me.”

  Josie twined her fingers within Hannah’s to stop the anxious action. “Anything.”

  “When will I have my transplant?”

  “You will go to the children’s hospital on Thursday.” Josie adjusted the blanket around Hannah. “Then they will start you on chemo again and radiation to prepare your body for your dad’s stem cells. While that’s happening, your dad will have his stem cells harvested. That way, as soon as you’re ready, they can transplant them into your body.”

  “Can you get married before I go?” Hannah scraped her thumbnail across her other nails.

  This time, Nick reached for her fingers. “What’s the rush, sweetheart?”

  “If…if I don’t make it…I don’t want either of you to be alone. This way, you’ll have each other.”

  Tears flooded Josie’s eyes, blurring her vision. Her fingers trembled as she opened the yellow box of hospital-issued tissues. She pulled one out, wiped her eyes and pulled Hannah gently to her. “Sweetie, I will never be alone. Daddy is with me. And I have Jesus. And I promise the doctors will do everything to kick this leukemia. This time next year, you will be laughing and playing with your friends.”

  “And maybe a baby brother or sister?”

  Nick laughed, a hearty sound that bounced off the walls. “Let’s not rush it, okay?”

  The smile slid from Hannah’s face, downturning her lips as she eyed both parents. “Will you do it?”

  Josie didn’t want to extinguish the wishful light in her daughter’s eyes, but she clenched her own hope for Hannah’s full recovery. Not that she didn’t want to marry Nick, but she had to trust God to provide a future for her daughter. “Sweetie, let’s focus on you getting better. That’s what’s important right now.”

  “But you said anything. And this is important. To me. You know…just in case.”

  Josie turned to Nick and sent him a pleading look. Instead, he grinned at her and tugged on her arm. “Let’s talk in the hall. Hannah, we’ll be right back.”

  Nick pulled her across the hall where they could still see into Hannah’s room.

  “Nick, I’m sorry.” Josie pressed her forehead against his chest.

  His lips grazed the top of her head. “About what?”

  “Hannah. Pushing us to get married.”

  Nick cupped her face, his eyes growing serious. “Sweetheart, I’ve spent a lot of time on my knees since the night I saw Hannah for the first time. I’m clinging to hope that God will answer my prayers and give me a lifetime with my daughter. But, she is very sick. If she wants to see us married, then I’m all for it. I wanted to marry you the night I walked into the coffee shop, remember?”

  “Yes, and I called you an idiot, remember?”

  “I’m your idiot.” He grinned.

  “Yes, but to get married in less than a week? We’ve changed so much over the years. I’m not that shy, insecure seventeen-year-old girl anymore.”

  He cupped her face. “No, you’re an amazing woman who juggles her own business, parents the world’s most amazing kid and makes a marinara sauce that will make a grown man weep. What more do I need to know? I love you. That will never change.”

  Josie looked away and traced the knitted weave of his dark green sweater. “I just don’t want you to feel rushed. Or regret this later.”

  He tipped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “I’m not your mother, remember. No regrets.”

  “We have a crazy road ahead of us. This is not going to be easy.”

  Lines webbed the corners of his eyes. “June bug, my entire life hasn’t been easy. Why should it start now?”

  She peered around Nick to see Hannah watching them. With Nick’s arms around her, she knew he had the strength needed to weather whatever storms they had to navigate. He proved his worth over and over. Now it was her turn to step out in faith to just trust. She sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. No turning back. “Okay, then. Let’s get married.”

  *

  Ivory pillar candles of different lengths sat on rectangular mirrors around the hospital chapel and reflected flickering candlelight across the rows of chairs filled with Josie and Nick’s family and closest friends. Delicate sounds of Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” floated over their heads from the hidden sound system.

  Grace, Lindsey and Agnes managed to pull a wedding together in three days. Josie couldn’t have planned a more perfect wedding if she had spent months preparing. It didn’t matter that she was getting married on a Wednesday evening. She hadn’t been traditional yet, so why start now? Tomorrow morning Nick would follow the ambulance to Mercy Children’s Hospital while she rode with Hannah. They would begin a journey together as they prayed for Hannah’s recovery.

  But first, she had to get married.

  The ceremony had been limited to close family and friends, but a reception for the community followed at Cuppa Josie’s. Afterward, Josie and Nick would spend their honeymoon at the Holiday Inn near the hospital.

  A shiver of anticipation coursed through her. Stop it. She needed to focus.

  Dressed in lilac-colored sleeveless dresses, Agnes and Lindsey moved down the aisle. They stopped at the altar and turned to face the guests. Hannah followed behind Agnes, scattering rose petals behind her. Her amethyst-colored dress with its embroidered hem fell below her knees, hiding the thinness of her legs. Her wig had been curled in loose waves that brushed her shoulders.

  “Are you sure about this?” Dad, debonair in his black suit, covered Josie’s hand tucked in the crook of his arm.

  “Absolutely.” The best decision she had made so far this year. No, finding Nick topped that. If she hadn’t gone to his campus, none of this would be happening now.

  The music tempo changed, signaling Josie’s turn to walk down the aisle. She touched a hand to her stomach and drew in a shallow breath. The ivory satin of Nonna’s wedding gown whispered against her skin as she and Dad moved slowly down the aisle.

  Her gaze sought out Nick. His eyes darkened as a slow smile spread across his face. Her breathing hitched with expectation.

  Beside him, Ross stood as his best man and Emmett leaned on his cane next to Ross, both men looking handsome in their dark suits.

  Reaching the altar, Dad lifted her veil long enough to brush a kiss across her jaw. His eyes shimmered as he whispered, “I love yo
u.”

  She blinked back her own tears. “I love you, too, Dad.”

  Josie handed her bridal bouquet of tulips tied with ivory ribbon to Lindsey and took Nick’s hand.

  His minty breath warming her neck, he whispered, “You take my breath away.”

  She gripped his hand and squeezed, not trusting her voice to reply.

  Pastor Nate cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved…”

  Josie tried to pay attention, but her focus strayed to Nick’s thumb caressing her hand. Not to mention he smelled like summer rain and the promise of hope.

  Pastor Nate read First Corinthians chapter thirteen as they lit their unity candle together. Then he spoke of everyday love—the kind that is tested daily when the storms of life may come crashing in—and ended by reading the thirteenth verse from Romans fifteen that Josie and Nick had chosen together. May the God of hope fill you with all joy as you trust in Him.

  Trust hadn’t come easily to Josie, but now that she realized her need for control and submitted it to the Lord, joy filled her spirit. Released from the guilt of her past and basking in God’s grace, Josie’s heart swelled with an intense happiness and an even deeper sense of peace.

  With Nick by her side and walking in the love of the Lord, how could they go wrong? Any doubts she may have had disappeared the second she saw him at the front of the church. He was here. Forever.

  At Pastor Nate’s instruction, Josie and Nick faced each other. As Nick recited his vows, his voice cloaked her soul, blanketing any insecurity with his promises of love. He slid the wedding band they had chosen together onto her finger. A symbol of his love and faithfulness to her.

  Her voice wobbled as she promised to love, honor and cherish him until parted by death. A tear slid down her cheek. With his own eyes bright and chin wobbling, he reached over and brushed it away with the back of his hand.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Nick, you may kiss your bride.”

  He closed the distance between them and lifted the antique lace veil her nonna had worn when she pledged her love to Nonno. His hands cupped her shoulders as he pulled her closer. His lips brushed hers in a chaste kiss, then claimed her mouth once more. This time his gentleness hinted a deeper desire, a promise of a lifetime of passion. She wrapped her arms around his neck, never wanting to let go.

  Nick pulled back, his eyes still bright. “I love you, Mrs. Brennan.” His husky voice sent a shiver coursing through her.

  She brushed her palm across his cheek. “I love you, too. From the moment I gave you my heart, I knew another man couldn’t cherish it the way you do. The way you treasure our daughter and care for your family…you’re an honorable man, Nick Brennan. A true hero.”

  Epilogue

  Josie’s flip-flops slapped against the wooden planks as she crossed the footbridge over the marsh that led to the private beach. Ocean breezes feathered the leafy palm branches and rustled the sea grasses growing out of the dunes.

  Adjusting ten-month-old Noah on her left hip, Josie stopped to kick off her flip-flops and hooked them over her fingers. A seagull landed on the sand next to the beach blanket she had spread out a while ago. Noah squealed, scaring away the bird.

  Josie knelt on the blanket and sat her son under the striped umbrella, adjusting his hat and sunglasses. He gave her a drooling toothy grin and pumped his chubby arms. He leaned forward, sprawled on the blanket and grabbed a handful of sand, bringing it to his mouth.

  “Oh, Noah, if you eat the sand, then Sissy won’t have enough for her sand castle.” She dug through the beach bag for the baby wipes and cleaned off his face and hands.

  He let out a yelp and twisted in her arms.

  Nick strolled over from the sand castle engineering and scooped Noah in his arms. “Hey, buddy, giving your mom a hard time?”

  “He wouldn’t be a Brennan male if he didn’t, would he?”

  “Hey, we all have our callings in life.” Nick stretched out next to Josie and settled Noah on his chest. “Besides, you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Josie handed Noah a plastic sea horse teether, which he shoved in his mouth. “Of course not.”

  She rolled onto her stomach and rested her chin on her hands to watch Hannah and Ross with their sand castle creation. Her gaze swept the shore and the peaceful waves that lapped at the sand.

  The past two years had been some of the toughest of her life, but with God, Nick and prayers from family and friends, they weathered the storms. Nonna always said, “God may not calm the storm. Sometimes He calms the child.” He became the anchor she needed when they counted down Hannah’s days after the transplant—from day zero to day one hundred when she was released from the hospital. With her leukemia in remission, Hannah was making a full recovery.

  She peered over her shoulder to find Noah sleeping on his daddy’s chest. Nick kept a protective hand on the little guy’s back. His other arm supported his head. He nodded toward Hannah and Ross. “So you think she’s pleased with her birthday present?”

  “You’ve always given her extravagant gifts.” Josie smiled to let him know she was teasing.

  Nick raised an eyebrow. “I think this was something we all needed.”

  “You’re so right.” Josie shifted to a sitting position and patted Noah’s back. “I’m not looking forward to flying home with Mr. Crankypants sleeping on your chest.”

  “Hey, if you were teething, you wouldn’t want to fly, either. At least we have nine more days before we leave. He’ll be fine. And you know I’ve got your back. I’ve been thinking—perhaps Noah needs a playmate.”

  “Well, Lindsey and Stephen’s next one is due next month.” She grinned and touched her stomach. She suspected Nick was going to get his wish sooner than he expected.

  He nudged her with his foot. “You’re a funny lady, Josephina Brennan.”

  She released the clip from her hair and let it spill over her shoulders. She grinned and batted her lashes. “How about in seven months?”

  Nick sat up quickly, shifting Noah to the cradle in his arm. “Are you serious?”

  “I know how much you love being spoiled on Father’s Day. Just giving you another reason to celebrate. Of course I’m serious.”

  Nick’s goofy grin dislodged a giggle from her throat. Her heart swelled with joy. She’d come a long way from that panic that had cinched her chest when she’d learned she was pregnant with Hannah. She adored her family, especially since Nick was such a hands-on father. Teaching part-time at a local university and working at Hannah’s Hope didn’t keep him from spending time with Hannah and Noah.

  “As long as they take after you, June bug, I’m totally fine with it.” He brushed his lips across hers.

  “And if they take after you?”

  “Heaven help us all.” Nick wrapped an arm around Josie and tugged her back until she sat against his chest. His head rested on top of her head.

  She sighed as a breeze blew across her face and danced with her hair. Closing her eyes, she lifted her face to be kissed by the sun’s rays.

  When Josie learned she wasn’t a match for Hannah, she had been forced to find Nick. He turned out to be the miracle she had been praying for, proving God says no for the right reasons. His provision overflowed her heart with joy. By learning to trust in Him, she’d found her happily ever after with the one man she had never wanted to see again. But he was the only one who could cherish her heart and bring them together as a family.

  *

  If you enjoyed Lisa Jordan’s book, be sure to check out the other books this month from Love Inspired!

  *

  Keep reading for an excerpt of The Promise of Home by Kathryn Springer!

  Dear Reader,

  A mother’s worst fear is something happening to her child, whether in the womb or during their developing years. Whether it’s a birth defect, cancer or other life-threatening illness, or an accident, her child’s life is at risk. The thought of something happening to one of my boys unleashes a coil of fear
that grips my heart. Thankfully, neither one of my boys has had a traumatic illness or life-risking accident. But thousands of mothers deal with this on a daily basis.

  When I introduced Josie in my first novel, Lakeside Reunion, I realized her story needed to be told. Josie struggled with that level of trust—if she released Hannah completely into God’s hands, she was fearful about His will for her daughter’s life. The thought of losing Hannah numbed her from the inside out. Josie would have done anything to save Hannah, even if it meant reconnecting with Nick. Nick blamed himself for his mother’s death and brother’s disability. When he learned he had a daughter, and she had leukemia, he vowed to be there for her and Josie. He wouldn’t abandon his family. Both Josie and Nick learned God offers us infinite hope. When they trusted in Him, they were filled with joy and peace.

  Trust is one of those words that is easy to say, but so much harder to put into action. God cradles each one of us in the palm of His hand. Nothing happens without His knowledge. If you have a child with special needs or one sick with cancer, my heart fills with compassion for you. You may have days of darkness when hope seems like a stranger. I encourage you to put your trust in God and allow His peace to sustain you. You are not alone.

  According to the National Marrow Donor Program website (www.marrow.org), 10,000 patients need a marrow transplant, but only half receive one. Please consider joining the Be The Match Registry at www.marrow.org. You could be someone’s only hope for a healthy life.

  I love to hear from readers! Email me at lisa@lisajordanbooks.com and visit my website, www.lisajordanbooks.com, to learn more about my writing and what’s coming up for the residents of Shelby Lake.

  Lisa Jordan

  Questions for Discussion

  Josie will do whatever it takes to save Hannah’s life, even find the one man who broke her heart. Share a situation where you had to do the last thing you wanted in order to help someone you loved.

  Josie longs for the day when she and Hannah can build sand castles together on the beach. What glimpse of hope do you have for the future—what is something you’d like to do someday?