The Manning Brides Collection: Marriage of Inconvenience\Stand-In Wife\Bride on the Loose\Same Time, Next Year by Debbie Macomber

Author:Debbie Macomber
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, General, Women, Collections & Anthologies
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 2018-03-12T05:17:08+00:00

Epilogue

The brightly decorated Christmas tree stood in the corner of Rich and Jamie’s spacious new living room, in front of a large bay window that overlooked Puget Sound.

Jamie sat with her swollen ankles elevated while Rich brought her in a cup of tea from the kitchen. He’d insisted on doing the dishes and Jamie hadn’t argued. She was tired and crabby and impatient for their baby to be born.

“We really should take down the tree,” she said. Christmas had passed several days before.

“Take down the tree?” Rich objected. “We can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“Junior wants to see it.”

“Rich,” Jamie muttered, her hands resting on her protruding stomach. “I’ve got news for you. Junior has decided he’d rather not be born. He’s hooked his foot over my ribs and says he’d rather stay right where he is.”

“You’re only three days past your due date.”

“It feels like three months.” She’d given up any hope of seeing her feet back in October.

“Can I get you anything else?” Rich asked. “A pillow? Your knitting? A book?”

“Stop being so solicitous,” she snapped.

“My, my, we are a bit testy this evening.”

“Don’t be cute, either. I’m not in the mood for cute.”

“How about adoring?”

“Maybe…but you’re going to have to convince me.”

“Perhaps I should try for the besotted look.” He crossed his eyes and dangled his tongue out of the side of his mouth, imitating the impression she’d done of him earlier that year.

Despite her low spirits, Jamie laughed and held her arms out to him. “I love you, even if you do look like a goose.”

Rich sat on the ottoman facing her. “I love you, too. I must, otherwise I wouldn’t be this worried.” The humor left his eyes as he leaned forward and placed his hand on her stomach. “Come out, come out, whoever you are.”

“Are you really worried?” He tended to hide his anxiety behind a teasing facade, and Jamie had been so consumed by her own apprehensions that she hadn’t taken the time to address Rich’s.

“I’m anxious.” His hands gripped hers and he raised her knuckles to his mouth and gently kissed her fingers.

“So am I! I want this baby to be born.”

“I can hardly believe how much I love him already,” Rich whispered, his eyes serious. “At first, the baby was something we talked about. When I learned you were pregnant I was so excited I could’ve walked on water. Then a few weeks later, we were living together. This summer we sold your condo and moved here. That was only the beginning of all the changes in our lives.”

“I know.”

“Then Junior started getting sassy, constantly moving around, letting us know he was there.”

“He—or she,” Jamie said with a grin.

“I’ll never forget the first time I felt him—or her—move.”

“I won’t, either,” Jamie said.

Rich smiled that lopsided grin of his that never failed to disarm her. “Everything’s changed, hasn’t it?” Once again his blue eyes brightened. “This child is part of you and me—the very best part of us both. Every time I think about him, I get all soft inside.

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