by Judy Duarte
Her fingers slid into his hair, and she leaned into him, opening her mouth and allowing the kiss to deepen. She tasted of sugar and spice, of magic and dreams, and he lost himself in her embrace, relishing every heated touch, every ragged breath.
When they finally came up for air, Mac cupped Jilly’s face in his hands. “Now that I’ve said the words, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to hold them back. I love you, honey. And I promise to do everything I can to make the rest of your life happy.”
Her eyes glistened with joy and an intensity he’d never seen in them before. “There’s bound to be some rough spots along the way, but overcoming them together is what life and love are all about.”
“Hey!” Tommy’s voice sounded behind them, and they both turned to greet him.
Mac had no idea how the kids were going to react to him being a permanent part of their lives, but he was willing to do whatever it took to help them see that they were all better off this way, even if domestic drama was an everyday occurrence.
“What’s taking you guys so long?” the boy asked. “Meggie and I are ready to go to the park.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Mac asked. “I’ll grab my jacket and the keys.”
An hour later, Mac and Jillian strolled hand in hand through the grounds of Mulberry Park, appreciating the work volunteers from Parkside Community Church had put into decorating for Christmas Under the Stars. Tiny blinking lights twinkled in the trees, and a mouthwatering spread of homemade goodies filled tables covered with red cloths. Off to the side, industrial size thermoses filled with coffee, decaf, hot cocoa, and hot water provided drinks to warm the crowd.
Christmas music, as well as the sound of laughter and happy voices, filled the air. Talk about Christmas cheer. Mac had never understood it all before, but he did now.
Jillian’s fingers threaded through his as though she’d never let him go. With her free hand, she motioned for Tommy and Megan, who’d been playing with several other children on the swings and slides.
Mac watched as the kids approached, and he marveled at their smiling faces and at how right it was for them to be together, here and now and always. They’d be his kids, too, he realized, and the thought pleased him.
There was still a lot up in the air, but for the time being, he would let his apartment go and stay in Ray’s house, getting it ready to sell. The commute to work would be a breeze, and even if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t matter. He’d be coming home to Jillian, one way or another.
“Is it time for everything to start?” Tommy asked.
“I hope so.” Megan’s excitement lit her face. “I want to hear them read the Christmas story.”
“Look.” Jillian pointed to a man handing out candles for people to hold. “I’m sure they’ll be starting soon, so let’s sit on the blanket we brought.”
Mac gave Jillian’s hand a gentle squeeze. “That’s probably a good idea.”
As they gathered together on an old patchwork quilt, Mac couldn’t help noting the intricate design. Someone had carefully taken scraps of cloth and stitched them all together into something useful, something beautiful. And he couldn’t help thinking that’s how families were supposed to work. Individuals bound together by love and a creator.
His first family might not have been what every kid deserved, but look at him now.
What a gift he’d been given.
His thoughts drifted to the day he’d met Jesse, the day Mac had listened to some fatherly advice and opted to make a change in his life.
If he closed his eyes, he could still hear the homeless man’s prophetic words.
Doing the right thing, Jesse had said, is a reward in and of itself.
Maybe you’re right, Mac had responded. But it’s not that easy.
I know. Sometimes it’s the hardest route to take. But I’ll tell you this, Mac. If you choose to do right over wrong, every chance you get, you’ll get that family you always wanted and reap the kind of life you deserve.
Jesse had been right. Mac had finally found everything he’d ever wanted in Jillian. And his future had never looked brighter.
They would, however, still have to deal with the Bobbie Sue/Princess Leia dilemma when they got home, but he suspected that was just one of those rough spots Jillian had talked about.
One way or another, he knew they’d work it out.
After all, Mac had promised Megan that he would “fix things” with Charlie and the broken angel, and with Jillian’s help, he’d managed to do just that. So if Princess Leia proved to be the dog Charlie had lost, then Mac would fix that, too—somehow. Perhaps he’d talk Charlie into giving up the dog. Or into entering some kind of shared canine custody agreement.
The microphone roared an annoying squawk, and the senior pastor of Parkside Community Church welcomed those who’d gathered on the lawn to the fifteenth annual Christmas Under the Stars. Then he introduced a teenage girl who would read a passage from the second chapter of Luke.
Mac had never considered himself a religious man and didn’t even own a Bible, but he listened intently to the story of a child born in a manger and wrapped in swaddling cloth.
As the young girl continued to read, he surveyed the others who sat in the park, strangers now, but people in a community that would soon be his. He couldn’t imagine where his life might have led if a stranger hadn’t taken him under his wing when he’d been an unhappy, aimless teenager with a broken heart and shattered dreams.
“An angel of the Lord appeared to them,” the girl read, “and the glory of the Lord shone around them…”
A light caught the corner of Mac’s eye, and he turned to see a figure in the distance, a man with a silver-threaded beard and a glowing face.
Jesse?
“Excuse me a minute,” Mac whispered to Jillian.
She questioned him with her eyes, and he nodded toward the man dressed in a trench coat who stood at the fringe of the park. Then he got to his feet and made his way toward the guy.
As Mac drew nearer, the man turned to walk away.
“Hey, wait!” Mac called.
The man stopped long enough to smile and raise his hand in a little wave. Then he continued on his way, disappearing into the night.
Mac decided not to chase after him, but he still fought a wave of disappointment as he made his way back to the blanket where he’d left Jillian and the kids. He hadn’t gone far when he heard a pathetic little whimper.
Several feet to the right, a small, dark-haired puppy, its hair matted, looked up at him with the saddest eyes he’d ever seen.
“Where’d you come from, little guy?” Mac scanned the immediate area, but didn’t see anyone with the scrawny little thing.
So he stooped and picked it up. “Come on, little guy. You look like you need a family. And I’ve got just the one for you.”
Then he carried his find back to Jillian and the kids.
Together, they were going to make this world a better place—doing the right thing, one day at a time.
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2008 by Kensington Publishing Corp.
“A Mulberry Park Christmas” copyright © 2008 by Judy Duarte
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ISBN: 1-4201-0757-7
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