“You stepped up and did the right thing, even knowing doing so would not be received well by so many of your family. You’ve told me you’re proud of me? Well, I’m proud of you. I’m proud of you both. And I just know you’re both going to make wonderful husbands—and awesome fathers.”
Unshed tears glistened in their eyes as they looked down at her.
“You humble me, Jenny. Thank you.” Dale kissed her, his love flavoring the moment.
“Thank you, baby. I just realized, staring down at you, that I’m looking at the mother of all our babies. And I realized something else, too.”
His smile drew her, his heart held her. “And that was?”
“Our happy ever after began today.”
“It did. It truly did.” Jenny could think of nothing better than that.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“This tradition began shortly after Kelsey opened Lusty Appetites,” Chase Benedict said. “We were still in New York at the time.”
Jenny didn’t have to ask how he felt about leaving the Big Apple. She’d heard from Carrie how the twins had languished in that city until they finally made the decision to come back to Lusty and follow their dreams.
“We tend to like to have traditions in this family,” Carrie said. There were only a couple of months left until Carrie gave birth. She’d already scaled back working here at Lusty Appetites. Jenny knew Carrie’s husbands would prefer to wrap her up in cotton and pamper her. But they knew Carrie enjoyed working, and because she did, her men bore the burden of biting their tongues while keeping a very close eye on her.
Of course, they weren’t alone in that endeavor. The town was so full of family that there was never a lack of someone able to be close by the expectant mother, just in case.
Then Chase frowned at his two cousins. It was such an exaggerated gesture that Parker and Dale snickered.
“Don’t laugh. This is serious business. Remember, traditions!” Chase looked at Brian, who nodded, and then they assumed their versions of a threatening stance. Arms akimbo, a stern look on their faces—or in Brian Benedict’s case as stern a look as he could muster—they focused on Jenny’s men.
“Sons, you best be treating this little lady right, or you’ll be hearing from us.” Chase intoned those words with a mock gravitas that nearly broke her up.
Jenny watched as Parker struggled to look serious. “Yes, sir, Mr. Benedict, sir. Does that mean if we treat her right, we won’t be hearing from you?”
“Because we have to tell you, sir, if that’s the case, it’s going to make working together very difficult,” Dale said. “Unless of course, we all learn sign language.”
Carrie and Jenny both giggled, and all semblance of dignity was lost when the men joined in with their own laughter.
Jenny thought that cousin-speak was generally hilarious.
“Seriously, we’re glad you’re staying. And very glad you had the good sense to fall in love with this angel.”
Jenny felt her cheeks heat at the compliment.
“We’re happy to be here. And falling in love with our Jenny was the smartest thing we’ve ever done, along with being the best.” Parker slid his left arm around her, pulling her in closer to his side.
Jenny took the opportunity to rest her head on his shoulder for a moment.
“Amen.” Dale moved in closer, too, and laced his fingers with hers. The heat of their two bodies warmed her.
When they say things like that, it just makes me melt.
This party had gotten underway a half an hour before. Jenny had attended a few of these events in the past but had never imagined that one day she’d be one of the guests of honor.
Carrie, Chase, and Brian moved to the side, making way for the large group of Benedicts they’d spotted just out on the sidewalk and heading this way. Jenny tilted her head as she noticed an older man with them.
She didn’t get a chance to ask who it was because the moment he entered the restaurant, he approached them, and she had her answer.
“Uncle George!” Parker and Dale both looked delighted with George Benedict’s arrival.
The older man’s wide grin made him instantly look younger. He gave man hugs to both her guys, who were clearly very happy to see him.
Jenny knew that Parker and Dale hadn’t expected their parents to come, though they had called and invited them. Her heart ached for her men. Maybe she had a different view on families because she’d always felt so fortunate to have been adopted and to be loved so completely.
She just couldn’t understand how people let petty differences come in the way of being family. Maybe in time, they’ll come around. Jenny thought that might happen when the three of them started having children.
“Uncle George, this is Jenny Collins. Sweetheart, our uncle, George Benedict—who is dad to Jackson and the guys.”
Jenny gave the older man her best smile. “I’m so pleased to meet you, Mr. Benedict.”
“Uncle George to you.” He grinned then simply hugged her. After a moment he stood back, his hands on her shoulders. “Welcome to the family, Jenny. These two nephews of mine ever give you a hard time, you just let me know. I’ll straighten them out quick enough.”
Because it was becoming a familiar theme, Jenny laughed. Parker and Dale assumed the serious expressions they hadn’t managed with their newest cousins.
“You can be sure we’ll treat her right, sir.”
George grinned. He stood to the side while Jackson, Cord, and Ari stepped up to greet them. Hugs and back slaps and congratulations abounded. Jenny hugged Ari, and then she stepped back and really looked at her best friend. Her eyes widened. She and Ari were as close as sisters and could read each other as if they really were.
“Really?” Jenny asked. Joy for her friend filled her.
“So much for your inscrutable face, Tinker Bell,” Jackson said. He smiled and nodded toward Jenny. “Best say it out loud.”
“But this is Jenny’s party,” she said to her husband. She turned to Jenny. “You’re the one who’s supposed to be in the spotlight.”
Jenny shook her head. “Baloney, girlfriend. There’s no such thing as too much good news. So, spill it, Mrs. Benedict.”
Ari nodded, but instead of addressing her, she turned to George—her father-in-law.
George had been listening to the two of them, clearly at sea. So, Ari stepped closer to him. “Dad?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
Jenny liked the way the man’s face softened when he looked at Ari. She knew they’d all had a rocky beginning. But lately, with all the senior Benedict had been going through, Ari had mentioned that he’d been working on his relationship with his children and their spouses. Ari believed in second chances and had been doing her part to make that happen.
“We were going to tell you when we got home tonight because I didn’t want to steal Jenny’s thunder. But she guessed it, and she insists so…we’re going to have a baby. You’ll have a new grandchild sometime next March.”
“Really? That’s wonderful news!” He immediately enfolded his daughter-in-law in his arms, and then he hugged his sons. George Benedict didn’t seem the least bit ashamed of his wet eyes as he wiped a tear away. “Congratulations. You’ll make terrific parents!”
Jenny was ecstatic for Ari and her husbands. She knew they’d been working on this personal expansion plan of theirs for some time.
Carrie and Ari were hugging as the rest of the newly arrived Benedicts—Jesse, Barry, Shar and baby Patrick, along with Trace, Lucas, and Laci offered their congratulations first to Jenny and the guys and then to Ari, Jackson, and Cord. They all moved off, en masse, to sit and chat and eat.
News was spreading of Ari’s pregnancy. Chloe Jessop, who’d been among the first to arrive that evening, rushed up to her.
“When are you due?” Cloe asked her.
Something about the look on Chloe’s face drew Jenny’s attention—and everyone else’s, too.
“In March. I was afraid t
o believe, but…”
Chloe hugged her then whispered something in her ear.
Ari stepped back. “You are? My goodness, this is going to be awesome! Another woman to share the experience with!”
Chloe’s face turned red, and Ari slapped her hand over her mouth. Everyone laughed. Apparently, Ari hadn’t been the only one determined not to steal thunder tonight. As if.
“It looks like Lusty is due for another baby boom,” Alan Wilson said. He, Duncan, and Holly had come into the restaurant. He grinned at them. “There was one a few years ago, just after the younger Doctors Jessop came back to Lusty.”
“I’d heard that, too.” Jenny accepted Alan’s and Duncan’s hugs and then turned to Holly. She knew the woman not only because their men worked together. Holly was the town’s librarian, and Jenny, even though she had an e-reader, loved to haunt the bookstacks.
Then she looked at the pretty brunette’s face. Holly looks almost guilty…and then Jenny gasped. “You, too?”
“Me, too. Listening to Ari and Chloe, it sounds as if we’re all due around the same time.”
“Grandma Kate told us that births in Lusty tend to come in waves,” Duncan said. “Someone ought to warn Dr. David not to take any vacation time at the beginning of the new year.”
Holly led her husbands over to where Chloe and Ari were chatting. Jenny grinned when the three women enjoyed a group hug.
Jenny turned her attention back to newly arrived guests. She, Parker, and Dale greeted the next guests warmly. She was pleased to see that April Bixby had accepted her invitation. The fact she’d arrived with Marcus Jessop and Jeremy Bishop was just a bonus.
“Since we’re all new—sort of—we thought we’d come together.” April gave Jenny a hug then hugged Parker and Dale.
Her men greeted Marcus and Jeremy like very good friends. She knew they were both grateful for Marcus’s fast action a few weeks back.
“My folks were telling us about this newly formed tradition,” Marcus said. Then he smiled. “Back in the day, we had the odd party at the Community Center or sometimes at the Big House or the New House.” He looked around the restaurant and at the bookstore that was attached, accessed through the arch at the very back of the restaurant. “This feels good.” Then he met Jenny’s gaze. “Welcome to the family.” He shot a glance at the guys. “And, hey, you guys too, because you had the good sense to relocate from up north.”
Jeremy chuckled. “Be nice, Marc.”
“That is me being nice. I really am welcoming them.”
“I can’t welcome you to the family,” Jeremy said, “but I can say congratulations. I wish you only the best.”
“Thanks, Jeremy. If you can, go see your sister for a moment.”
If he thought the request strange, he didn’t mention it. He just nodded and turned his attention to Ari.
April shook her head at Marcus and smiled at Jeremy. Then she turned her attention to the three of them. “Congratulations to you all. I heard that you’re going to turn Mrs. Featherstone’s mansion into a museum. That’s a great idea.”
“We’re calling it the Ambrose-Featherstone Mansion,” Jenny said. “Mrs. Novak will be the manager, and my dad’s heading up the restoration-slash-remodel project.”
“Mrs. Featherstone treated her staff like family. I know she’d be pleased.”
“Thank you.”
Those three moved off, and Jenny definitely got a vibe that they were more than just nodding acquaintances. Maybe I have a talent for spotting people who belong together. Of course, only time would tell if those three were going to become an item, or not.
The next guests to arrive wouldn’t be announcing an impending birth because they’d just experienced one.
Jenny didn’t stand on ceremony. She walked right over to the new mother. “Maggie! Thank you for coming.” She gave the woman a hug then turned to look inside the carrier Maggie’s husband Rick wore. At just a few weeks old, Katherine Abigail was the sweetest, prettiest little baby Jenny had ever seen. Her fingers itched to hold the little girl.
“You’re welcome. This is Katie’s first major event.” Maggie grinned. “If this goes well, we may make an outing a regular occurrence.”
Before Jenny could comment on that, Maggie’s husband Kevin chuckled. “Baby, we promised we’d behave and let people see her.”
“You need to have more faith, love.” Rick’s expression, as he looked at his wife, was pure love.
“I trust you all completely—and I know you absolutely.” Maggie grinned. Then she looked at Jenny. “Katie’s daddies are very protective of her. And very involved in every aspect of her care.”
“We are that,” Trevor said. “But we’re not going to be unreasonable. After all, we’ve agreed she doesn’t have to wait until she’s thirty to date. She can begin when she’s twenty-five.”
Despite those words, and amid the chuckles of everyone who’d heard Trey’s assertion, Rick removed the baby from the carrier as if it was something he’d been doing all his life. Then he handed his infant daughter to Jenny.
She’d never held such a tiny baby. Jenny carefully enfolded the newborn in her arms, snuggling her close. Someday. She looked up and met the sweet gazes of her fiancés and knew they were thinking that same word. Someday, they’d have children together. Everything inside her softened, and she knew that was a thought her body agreed with.
“She’s beautiful. You must all be so happy.”
“Over the moon,” Rick said. “I never knew…” The man blushed. “I just never knew that I could love like this.”
Parker and Dale looked over her shoulder at the newest member of the Benedict family. Then they stepped back, clearly in deference to the new fathers. Jenny carefully handed the sweet bundle…well, she was going to hand Katie back to Rick, but Kevin swooped in and took her.
Maggie shook her head, but she was smiling. The five of them moved off, heading toward Maggie’s mother-in-law, Abigail, and Abigail’s sister-in-law, Bernice.
Parker ran his hand down her back. When she turned, she saw her parents coming into the restaurant.
Camille and Jason hugged her and her men. Since the first time her mom and dad had met Parker and Dale, they’d shown only love and acceptance. Her folks had stood behind her on every major decision she’d ever made. Even when she left that high-powered job in Houston, trading in her business power suit for a waitress’s apron, they’d been nothing but supportive.
“You look so happy,” Camille said. “All three of you. We were shamelessly watching you with Maggie and her husbands and their new baby. The look on all your faces…I guess we don’t have to drop hints about grandbabies.”
Parker laughed. “No, ma’am. We plan on having children, when the time’s right for us.”
“We’d also like to adopt a child,” Dale said.
Jenny nodded. “I was so blessed that you chose me. The chance you gave me was a miracle—one we’d all like to pay forward.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” a new voice said. “And such a tribute to your parents.”
Jenny grinned. She hadn’t seen Grandma Kate come in, but there she stood, just behind her folks.
Since her parents greeted the nonagenarian, she guessed they’d already met. That fact didn’t surprise her one bit.
Kate put her attention on Jenny’s parents. “Did the boys tell you that they’re going to build a house out by their cousins’ ranches? They’re going into business with them. The Benedict Consortium is already making a name for itself in rodeo circles as a provider of good rodeo stock. I suspect they’ll become equally famous for their cattle operation, soon.”
The surprise that Kate had for them, mentioned the night her guys had welcomed their horses home, was one that still amazed her when she thought about it. Apparently, Sarah Carmichael Benedict had set aside a special legacy for the children of Lusty who, through honest choice, came back to live where the family began.
The guys would be ranching, and sh
e’d be doing work she loved, too. They were happy to live simply—and to use a tiny bit of Jenny’s inheritance to build a house on the land they’d been given.
“They told us on the phone they’d decided to build,” Jason said. “We’re both so pleased that Jenny came here, to this place. To see how many people care about her.” He took a moment to look around. “To know she has such a community supporting her. Well, what more could a parent wish for his child?”
“We’re family here,” Kate said. “And family is more than just blood. It’s spirit and heart. It’s generosity and selflessness and love.” Kate looked at Camille and Jason. “That blanket of love extends to the two of you, as well.” She stepped a bit closer. “You don’t need to ever worry about the missing details in Jenny’s adoption record. That file has been permanently closed.”
Camille’s eyes misted. Jenny walked over to her mother and hugged her.
Then Kate grinned. “Do you like babies?”
Camille laughed. “Who doesn’t?”
“You must come and meet my new great-granddaughter, Maggie’s new baby, Katherine Abigail Benedict. I’m just tickled pink they named her after me.”
Jenny’s parents flanked her as Grandma Kate led them toward a table and a chance to visit. She could hear Grandma Kate’s voice as she delivered some news. “And I understand there’s about to be a bit of a baby boom here in Lusty, come the spring. I just love new grandchildren!”
“A baby boom, huh?” Parker grinned. He eased Jenny into his arms. Dale moved in close, so she felt cocooned.
“Apparently. I wonder who all else is going to have a new addition?” Dale asked.
“You mean besides Ari and Holly and Chloe?” Jenny sighed. “I don’t know, but I’m willing to bet there are more and that Grandma Kate is aware of every single one of them.”
“Just before we filmed that video that changed our lives, Parker and I were at a crossroads. We were looking for work, on the surface. But we wanted more than just jobs.”
“Jobs were available, and they were interchangeable. What we were hungry for was family—when we didn’t even know what family truly was.”
Love Under Two Montanans Page 21
