Girl of Mine (32 page)

Jill knew at that moment, Luke had finally found peace concerning Troy Kelley.

Epilogue

Jill sat on the couch, cuddled up close to Luke, her hands covering her bulging belly.

Luke had been home for three months now. His time in Iraq had lasted for a little over a year. He’d ended up being there for thirteen long months.

Now that he was safely home, they were moving forward with their lives and never looking back.

Jill was six months along with their first pregnancy and feeling well. She still remembered the moment she’d told Luke the exciting news.

He’d called on the SAT phone and she’d told him she was busy redecorating one of the bedrooms. She’d moved into his house after they married and she knew Luke was a little nervous about the changes she was making.

It might have to do with the fact that she made up outrageous stories about what she was doing, just to tease him a little. It had given them something light to speak of in the midst of worry and concern.

“Yeah, black is the new blue, didn’t you know? It looks amazing, I mean it’s a little dark and all, but don’t worry, I’ll add lots of lamps.”

“Black. You painted one of the bedrooms black?”

“Well, I wanted something different after painting your office purple.”

“Purple?”

“It’s a deep purple. Very relaxing.”

“Jill, are you messing with me?”

“Yes. There’s no purple and no black, I promise.” She laughed out loud, giving in quickly because she knew how happy he’d be when he heard the news and she wanted to get on with it already. “I’m painting the bedroom a very neutral soft gray.”

“Gray?”

“Yep. With burgundy accent colors. It looks amazing. It will work perfectly with either a boy or a girl.”

Silence.

“Luke, are you still there?” Normally the reception on the SAT phone was surprisingly clear. They couldn’t get cut off now, not when she was about to tell him about their baby. Curse her stupid idea to play around when they didn’t have much time to talk.

“I’m here. Did you say a boy . . . or a girl?”

“I sure did. What do you say? Is it a good idea to add another member to our family? That all right with you?”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m holding a receipt for a crib right now and trying to put the frustrating thing together. How’s that for serious?”

Yep, the reception was good. Clearly, she heard Luke gasp. His breathing turned shaky and she heard every single little wheeze, pant, and puff.

Jill burst into tears then, unable to keep up the casual pretense. She’d been scheming for days, trying to think of a clever way to tell him. It was
not
news meant for an email.

Her humor was always an epic fail, but then it was one of the things Luke loved about her, so
c’est la vie
.

“Oh my gosh, Jill. Really?”

“Yep. I saw the doctor two days ago. It’s official, Dad.” Her voice had turned squeaky on her, as it always did when she was filled with emotion.

“We’re having a baby?”

“Yes.” She wanted to joke around and say, “Well, I hope it’s a baby and not a puppy. That would be weird.” But it wasn’t the time for humor. It was a good thing too, because it would’ve been another fruitless attempt at wit. Silence is golden, and in her case, it was always,
always
the best choice.

Luke nudged her, bringing her back to the moment at hand. “Mom’s about to open her gift,” he said, winking at her.

“You guys bought me a gift? How sweet,” Madelaine, Luke’s mom, exclaimed.

Madelaine was always buying gifts for others. It made her happy to do so. But the thought of someone buying a gift for
her
absolutely thrilled her. Jill had never seen someone get so excited over a gift. She tore it open as if she were six years old. She made no attempt to preserve the wrapping paper whatsoever. She and Luke shared a conspiratorial smile.

This was payback time.

Madelaine held up the pink t-shirt that declared, “GRANDMA MADELAINE.” It also boasted a cute little teddy bear, bearing the name, “Claire.”

“Pink? Does that mean you’re having a girl? And you’re naming her Claire?”

“Yes, Mom,” Luke told her, grinning widely. “She’ll be Claire Madelaine.”

Just the fact that they’d given her a gift had left her giddy. The t-shirt left her smiling from ear to ear. The news of their baby’s name, however, left her speechless and teary. “Oh my goodness.”

“Guess what? We have one more gift for you.” Luke handed over another gift that had been concealed under the coffee table.

“Another gift? How do I rate?” Madelaine beamed as she wiped away tears, clearly touched.

She didn’t suspect a thing.

She tore open the gift just as she had the first one. When she held up the second pink t-shirt reading “GRANDMA MADELAINE,” a puzzled expression washed over her face. The teddy bear’s name was Chelsea on this one.

“Chelsea?” she muttered. “Oh, you’re not sure which name you’re going to go with yet?”

Luke chuckled. He couldn’t keep a straight face if his life depended on it. “No, Mom. We’re sure about both Claire Madelaine and Chelsea Juanita.”

Juanita was Jill’s mother’s middle name. They decided Chelsea Linda didn’t have a good ring to it.

Madelaine’s face flushed red and she could hardly speak. “What? Are you kidding me? T-two?”

“Twin girls,” Luke announced proudly.

Jill was pretty sure his chest puffed out too. Fatherhood looked good on him.

Darned good.

Catch some of my other books at
www.taylordeanbooks.com

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