AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Honor! Come see. Isn’t this the cutest thing?” Paige called out, waving her over.
Honor walked over and watched as Emma and Violet gave each other kisses and tightly held hands. They had made fast friends. It was a bittersweet moment for Honor. Although it made her feel happy to see Violet making friends with Emma, thoughts of her own child raced through her head. She couldn’t help but think of what might have been.
“They’re adorable together,” Honor said, her eyes straying toward Joshua. Standing so close to him was a bit of an assault on her senses. The spicy smell of his aftershave rose to her nostrils. He was looking at her with an intensity that made her want to look away from his gaze. The energy between them was palpable.
“I think it’s time we changed some diapers,” Grace said, tugging Paige by the arm and quickly leading her away. After Grace and Paige made a fast exit, she and Joshua were standing there together, just the two of them.
“This is some birthday party,” Joshua said, letting out a low whistle.
Jasper had transformed the eatery into a replica of a tropical island. There were palm trees, flower necklaces, grass skirts, tiki torches and pineapple centerpieces. Honor really had the feeling she had been transported to another world.
“Jasper really outdid himself,” Honor said. She was proud of her grandfather for stepping up to do something spectacular for Hazel. Ever since Honor could remember, Hazel had been there as a steady, guiding presence for the Prescott family. She deserved to be the center of attention tonight.
“It’s more like a Fourth of July celebration. Someone said there are actually fireworks later on.” Joshua’s eyes went wide.
Honor giggled. “Hazel is the grand dame of Love. Everything revolves around her,” Honor said with a shake of her head. “She deserves it though. I’ve never met a more gentle, supportive person in my life.”
“She’s gone out of her way for Theo and me ever since we came back to town. I’m still in awe over the fact that she allowed us to host the reception here. I know she must have called in a lot of favors for that one.”
“She always did favor you. It used to drive me crazy in Bible class. She let you get away with everything and anything!” Joshua had been a really cute little kid. He had managed to wrap Hazel completely around his finger.
Joshua threw back his head and laughed. “Spoken by the princess of Love. Everyone in this town always adored you. They all thought butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth.”
She scoffed at the notion. “There was always too much tomboy in me to be a princess.”
“That’s what made me fall in love with you,” he said in a low voice. “You knew how to ride Lola bareback in the morning and go for a manicure in the afternoon.”
Violet reached out and grabbed Honor’s necklace. Joshua gently admonished Violet and extricated her chubby little fingers from the gold chain.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized. “She loves shiny, sparkly things.”
“Joshua. Can I hold her?” she asked, wanting desperately to hold the precious little bundle in her arms.
A huge grin broke out on his face. “Of course you ca
n.” He transferred Violet into Honor’s arms. “You look like you know what you’re doing, that’s for sure.”
“I have two nieces and a nephew, with another one on the way. I’ve got skills,” she said, gently swaying from side to side. Violet was studying Honor’s face, her big blue eyes taking it all in. She raised her hands and place them on either side of Honor’s face. She leaned in and placed a kiss on Honor’s cheek.
Joshua chuckled. “She really likes you. She’s fairly stingy with her kisses.”
Honor thought her heart might crack into a million little pieces.
Violet was Joshua’s child. In many ways, it was the closest thing to the child she had lost. A baby she had never been able to hold, or rock to sleep, or soothe at bedtime. Tears pricked her eyes. She blinked them away. It was embarrassing for Joshua to witness her being so emotional about his daughter.
“Are you all right?” Joshua asked. His voice sounded tender, which made her want to sob.
“I’m fine,” she said, sniffing away tears. There was no way she could tell him the truth about their child. There was too much water under the bridge for her to resurrect it. “I just feel honored to be holding your daughter.” Surprise flashed in Joshua’s eyes.
All of a sudden a loud clinking noise rang out in the café. Jasper stood up on a bench and looked out over the crowd.
“Attention, everyone. Attention. I have a few words to say about the birthday girl.” The guests gathered around Jasper. Hazel made her way through the crowd until she was standing near her husband.
“I want to wish my lovely wife, Hazel, a happy and blessed birthday. Before Hazel came into my life, I was getting by just fine. I was content. But then something wonderful happened. I looked at her one day and realized that she held my heart in the palm of her hand. I wanted to be her guy. Forever. And thankfully, she let me put a ring on her finger.”
Everyone began to cheer loudly.
“Wishing you many more birthdays, Hazel,” Jasper said, dipping his head down to place a kiss on his wife’s lips.
