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SIXTEEN
One year later
Chase gently clasped Anna’s two chubby hands. She took one step, then another. Her velvet dress and matching bow brought out the color in her cheeks, but her feet were bare. She gripped the carpet with her toes. On the floor, next to the Christmas tree, Faith clapped and held out her hands. The diamond engagement ring next to her wedding band sparkled. “Come to mommy, sweet girl. Come on.”
Anna laughed and smiled. She wobbled, but her grip on Chase’s fingers helped the fourteen-month-old regain her balance. Once he knew she was steady on her feet, Chase eased his fingers from hers. He quickly took out his phone and started recording. Scamper opened one eye from his bed in the corner of the room, assessed the situation, and went back to sleep. A baby’s first steps weren’t very interesting. The steak he’d gulped down earlier, however, had been worth getting up for.
“Anna, come on. You can do it.” Faith waved the baby forward. Her dark hair was swept away from her face and her eyes shone with excitement. “Come to mommy.”
Mommy. Daddy. How much their lives had changed in a year. Faith and Chase had gotten married just a few weeks after the attack last Christmas. They’d immediately petitioned to adopt Anna. The formal paperwork had been signed last week. Anna was officially their daughter and would always be.
Hillary’s photograph was on their mantel alongside other family shots. She deserved the place of honor. She’d fought with her very last breath to protect her child. When Anna was older, they would tell her the truth about her birth mother. Sadly, they would also have to tell her about Tom. But Chase had firsthand experience in what it was like to have a parent who made terrible decisions. He would make sure Anna knew that her biological father’s choices had nothing to do with her.
She was a child of God. She was loved.
Anna’s sweet brow crinkled as she concentrated on Faith. For a moment, Chase was certain Anna would sit down, as she had so many times before. But then her little foot slid forward. His breath hitched.
Faith waved her hands. “That’s it, little one. Come on.”
Anna lifted her other foot and took a step. Then another. She tumbled into her mother’s waiting hands and Faith showered her face with kisses. “You did it! Chase, did you see that? She did it.”
“I absolutely saw it.” He waved his phone in the air. “Got it on video too.” He dropped down next to his girls. Anna giggled and crawled into his lap. Chase’s heart constricted when she laid her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her sweet head. “I think someone needs a nap.”
“It’s about that time.” Faith smiled. “We wanted to give you a present first.”
She reached under the tree and pulled out a small package. Chase took it from her, confused. “But it’s only Christmas Eve. Why don’t you save it for tomorrow?”
“The whole family will be here in a few hours to celebrate the holiday with us. I wanted to give you this present while it was just the three of us.” Faith leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. Then her smile widened. “Open it.”
Chase lifted the lid from the box. Nestled among a cloud of cotton was a pregnancy test. A positive pregnancy test. His heart skittered as his gaze lifted to meet his wife’s. “Is this..? Are you…?”
He couldn’t form a full sentence. Tears filled Faith’s eyes and her hands went to her waist. “We’re having a baby.”
“That’s the best Christmas present I’ve ever received.” Chase’s throat closed, and he had to blink back his own tears of happiness. He pulled Faith close and kissed her. Then he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Anna was still nestled against his chest. His family. His life.
“Thank you, Faith.” His mouth brushed against her hair. “For everything. You’ve made me a very happy man.”
She snuggled into his embrace with a contented sigh. “I love you, Chase.”
“I love you too.”
