Special Delivery (A Valentine's Short Story) (2 page)

Amanda stared down at her thank-you notes,
thinking what a lucky girl she was. She’d unexpectedly met the man
of her dreams, and every day since had been like a fairy tale. The
days when he’d been home, that was. Amanda tried not to let this
depress her. She couldn’t be selfish, wanting more than she already
had—when she already had so much. Katie often told her how many
other women would gladly trade places just to have a husband as
wonderful as Luke and a promising future ahead like Amanda and her
family did. Of course, she knew this was true. Her heart brimmed
over, knowing it wouldn’t be long until Luke held her again. By
that time, he’d have a brand-new son or daughter to hold as well.
What a wonderful time that would be, the day when they could all be
together.

Luke sat on his berth, staring down at
Amanda’s photo. It was the small one he always kept in his wallet,
and one that had been taken at the start of her year teaching
preschool. She wore a string of pearls and a pretty blue sweater
that complemented her eyes. Her smile was warm and confident. From
the moment he first saw her, she took his breath away. She’d walked
into that coffee shop with keen determination and a brisk gait. And
when she’d set her eyes on his, Luke’s heart had skipped a beat. No
woman had ever had that effect on him, and he’d known plenty in a
casual way. Up until that point, he’d led a freewheeling life
without much to tie him down. But something about Amanda said being
anchored to one woman wouldn’t be that bad. In fact, it might be
incredible. All she had to do was say yes. Yes, to that first cup
of coffee. Yes, to their first dinner date. Yes, to his proposal
when he took her in his arms five months later and begged to her to
always be his.

Asking Amanda to be his bride was a decision
he’d never regretted. Now that they had a baby on the way, he was
even more wildly happy. Imagine that! He, Luke Holiday, was going
to be a dad! To…Little Bean
.
He chuckled at the memory of
Amanda swatting his arm in mock offense. “That’s horrible!” she’d
said. “How can you compare our child to food?” He was only being
factual, he’d told her. Besides, they’d settle on a real name for
their offspring soon enough. And they had. Lena, after Amanda’s
grandmother, if it was a girl, and David, after Luke’s father, if
it was a boy. Luke would give anything to be home when the baby was
born. As it was, he didn’t have much say in the matter. They’d
deployed seven months ago. It was to be a six-month tour initially,
but due to complications in the Middle East, their mission had been
extended.

He’d been doing reconnaissance flights for
satellite mapping but always had to stay alert when navigating
enemy airspace. One never knew when something could go wrong, and
when it did, things deteriorated quickly. Luke counted on his solid
training and experience to see him through, and thankfully, it
always had. There was something about a panicky situation that made
Luke react calmly. It was like his whole world went on autopilot
and he could function without emotion. This was a good thing.
Detachment was not only essential to his job, it could be a
lifesaver.

But that was in the air. On the home front,
there was no denying his emotions. Especially when he held Amanda
close. Just a whiff of her perfume made his heart pound faster. And
feeling her warm and womanly form pressed up against him totally
made his head spin. Even after five years together, he loved her
more than words could express. Luke was infinitely proud of her
too. Of her kindness…and her character…and her smart way of
talking. Not to mention the fact that she could still turn every
head in the room. Being pregnant had only made her more beautiful.
He’d seen that glow on her cheeks and the shine in her eyes every
time they’d Skyped. How Luke longed to see those things in person.
And today was Valentine’s Day, a day when he really wanted to be
there with the woman he adored.

Luke’s door popped open, and his commanding
officer walked in. Nobody ever locked their doors aboard ship.

Luke sprang to his feet in a salute.
“Morning, sir!”

“At ease, Lieutenant.” Commander March’s
stony complexion softened. He was in his fifties, with short, blond
hair and a grizzled face. “I hear you’re expecting some company at
home.”

“Company, sir?”

Commander March glanced down at the photo
Luke held in his hand.

“Yes, sir. That’s correct, sir. My wife’s
expecting a baby.”

“Soon?”

“Any day now, sir.”

“Then perhaps what I have to say will come as
good news.”

For the past forty-eight hours, Luke had
noticed the
Liberty
seemed to have changed course. But that
could mean anything. He never dreamed it might indicate they were
headed home. Luke’s heart leapt at the possibility. He tried to set
his jaw but knew his hopeful eyes betrayed him. “Sir?”

“Have a seat, young man. I’d like to have a
word or two with you about your future.”

“Has there been a change in direction,
sir?”

The commander shared an enigmatic smile. “You
could say that.”

Amanda glanced up at the clock from where she
positioned herself on hands and knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor.
She had no clue it was this dirty. Filthy, now that she was
inspecting it up close. Yuck! There was even grime along the toe
molding. No way on earth could she bring a vulnerable baby into
such a piggy house. She’d been scouring with an old scrub brush for
over an hour, and it still didn’t seem clean enough. Thank goodness
she’d noticed those first few flecks of dirt when one of her
thank-you envelopes had dropped to the linoleum! She paused in her
work to straighten her back with a groan. Ack. That pinched. Maybe
it was time to give this up and try something else.

Amanda’s gaze swept to the windows in the
adjoining living room. She’d never noticed how cloudy they were!
How in the world would her baby be exposed to cheery sunlight with
those panes all murky with gunk? Amanda’s cell rang on the kitchen
table, and she awkwardly stood to grab it. She was out of breath
from the effort of dragging herself to her feet with the aid of a
kitchen chair when she answered. “Hello?”

“Don’t tell me you’re still cleaning?” Katie
quipped from the other end of the line. “Amanda, I’ve seen your
place. It’s plenty tidy.”

Amanda dropped down in a chair to catch her
wind. “There’s a difference between tidy and sanitary.”

“I think you have that nesting thing going
on.”

“No, I’m just getting ready.”

Katie surprised her with a laugh, but it was
good-natured. “How are the contractions coming along?”

Amanda checked the stopwatch on the table.
“They seem to come and go, but I don’t think they’re getting any
closer together.”

“Good, that’s good. Just hold it steady,
then. And, for goodness sakes, Amanda, stop mopping your kitchen
floor!”

Amanda held the phone away from her and
stared at it, wondering if she’d accidentally hit video chat or
something. “I wasn’t mopping,” she said back into the
mouthpiece.

“Uh-huh.”

“Okay, okay. I might have been scrubbing a
little.”

“Amanda!”

“Well, don’t yell at me. I have to be
prepared.”

“You, woman, are infinitely prepared. You’re
the only pregnant woman I know who made herself two weeks’ worth of
individually packaged homemade meals and stuffed them in the
freezer.”

“With Luke away, I certainly can’t rely on
friends to fill in every gap.”

“Too true. You sure can’t count on me to
bring a casserole. I’m not much of a cook unless it moves from the
freezer to the microwave.”

“Exactly. That’s what I have planned!”

“I know!”

Amanda’s tone softened. “Katie?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for being there. I really mean
it.”

“You know I’m happy to. But Amanda?”

“Yes?”

“If you’re still so bent on cleaning, I have
a suggestion.”

Amanda waited.

“Come work on my place.”

“Ha-ha.”

“Hanging up now.”

“Okay.”

“Text me later.”

“Will do.”

Amanda set down her cell and shook her head.
She was glad she’d only put on stretch pants and a T-shirt this
morning, because already she was a sweaty mess. She’d take a
shower, then grab some lunch. After a short nap, she’d tackle the
baby book. But before all that, she thought she’d better check the
nursery, just to make sure there were no dust bunnies hanging
around.

Later that afternoon, Amanda adjusted herself
on the sofa by stuffing two large pillows behind her back. It had
been aching all day, especially after all that floor scrubbing.
Perhaps Katie was right. Maybe it was time to lay off the cleaning
for a while. She propped the baby book on her knees, folding it
open to its bookmarked page. She couldn’t even see the bottom of it
over her blooming stomach! But she could view enough at the top to
know she’d reached the right place marked
First Holidays.
Amanda thoughtfully lifted her pen, pondering what she might say.
This was her first message to the baby; it had to be special. Then
again, there wasn’t much space on the page, so she’d have to be
brief. She had Luke’s message to include as well. She stretched
forward to snatch Luke’s missive off the coffee table. She’d
printed it out, then diligently folded it over, promising herself
not to peek. But it
would
help to know how long it was.
She’d barely caught a glimpse when she’d snatched it off the
printer. The memory of Luke’s words haunted her as she turned her
head away.
No cheating!

She reluctantly set the paper down on the
sofa beside her. She’d promised Luke she wouldn’t look, so she
couldn’t. Besides, these needed to be her words and her thoughts
alone. Maybe she should just dive in and write from the heart.

Dear Baby,
she began, feeling her eyes
mist. Baby! She was about to have a baby! And not just any old kid;
this was Luke’s child. She sighed happily and focused once again on
the page. Before she went further, she added the date at the top:
February fourteenth.

Dear Baby, You can’t know how excited your
daddy and I are about having you come into this world to join us.
It seems we’ve been waiting on you forever, and now—finally—you’re
almost here. We thought you might arrive before today, but
apparently you had other plans. We’re ready for you, though! And
can’t wait to hug and hold you. All our love this Valentine’s Day
and always, Your Mom and Dad

Amanda studied her message a moment,
satisfied. It wasn’t the most eloquent prose, but it was heartfelt.
She decided to leave it just the way it was. But wait. What if she
should have signed just for herself, instead of for her and Luke?
Wasn’t the idea for them each to leave their own message? She
opened Luke’s paper now and peered inside it. It started with
Little Bean
.
Amanda cupped her hand to her mouth and giggled
out loud. “Oh, Luke.” Then she continued reading.

Your mom doesn’t like it when I call you
that, but the truth is, I probably will. At least until you grow
big enough to tell me to cut it out. But seriously, baby Lena or
David, it’s an honor and a privilege to record these thoughts...
Your mom and I both wanted you for a very long time, and good
things come to those who wait. I can’t think of any better
Valentine’s gift than knowing the three of us will be a family. I
can’t wait to have and hold you. I’ll be home as soon as I can.
Meanwhile, know that you’re very loved, now and forever. From, Dad
and Mom

Amanda caught her breath and choked back her
tears. She couldn’t believe how similar her and Luke’s messages
were. Then again, they’d been known to think alike before. Like
when they first decided it was time to have a baby two years into
their marriage. They hadn’t understood at the time it would take
another three years for Little Bean to finally come along. Oh no!
Now she was doing it! She started to laugh, but then emotion
overcame her. She wanted him here. She did.
My Luke
. She
wasn’t supposed to go through this alone.

Tears sprang from her eyes as she clutched
the open baby book to her chest. “Oh Luke, if only…” But she knew
he couldn’t hear her and was half the world away. Amanda leaned
forward and hung her head, shaking slightly with each new sob. She
would get through this. She would. And Katie would help her. But
all she wanted at the moment was her husband, lover and best
friend. All she wanted was Luke.

Forty miles away, commotion ensued at the
landing of the
USS Liberty
. Spouses embraced in the bitter
cold, and children hugged their parents’ legs in the darkness. Luke
climbed into the back of Logan’s SUV and buckled himself in beside
the car seat where Logan’s toddler daughter, Jocelyn, sat cooing.
He couldn’t believe he was going to have one of those of his own.
And any day now.
He addressed Logan’s wife, Tammy, who sat
behind the wheel. She had pretty, dark hair in bouncy short curls
and big brown eyes. Her mouth was offset by dimples. “Awfully nice
of you to give me a lift.”

“We’re happy to do it,” she said into the
rearview mirror, dimples deepening.

“Anything for a friend.” Logan reached back
and tugged at his daughter’s foot, and the baby gurgled.
“Especially a friend about to be in a family way.”

Logan knew what that was like. His daughter
had been born two years ago while he’d been at sea. He’d missed her
arrival by just two weeks. Now Logan was determined to help his
best buddy since flight school do better. They would get him home
in plenty of time. First babies always ran late.