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Soon. He’d be fully recovered. Soon, they’d have the house to themselves again.
But for now, that Christmas day, he would wait. Because this joy was a delight as well. This family God had poured into his heart. This life of noise and chaos. This blessing beyond measure. It was all wonderful, and until his final breath, he would savor every bit of it.
“Hey, Dad!” Brayden called from the front door.
Kevin opened his eyes, finding that the room was empty. He looked at the son who had called him out of semi-sleep.
Brayden waved him out. “You’re not going to want to miss this.”
Kevin followed, grabbing a coat before he stepped onto the front deck. There he found Helen and most of the adult children, as well as a few of the grands.
“What are we doing?”
“Spying.” Helen looked up at him with sheer delight and then pointed toward the road. Their elevated vantage point provided a peek between evergreens on the road to the left of the end of the drive, and in that frame stood a couple.
“Helen.”
“Hush, you’ll ruin it.”
“I’m sure Connor wouldn’t—”
“He told Brayden.” Helen spun to cover Kevin’s lips with her fingertips and then just as quickly pivoted back to watch.
Just in time too. Taking both of Jade’s hands, Connor went down on one knee and looked up. There was a beat. Two. Three . . .
And then Jade was covering her mouth and nodding, and Connor was on his feet sweeping her up into his arms.
“I think she said yes!” Lily clapped her hands.
Audrey beamed at the girl she would soon claim as a niece. “Is that what the cards were about this morning?”
Sheer joy stretched Lily’s smile wide as she nodded, and then a sudden slip of tears trickled next to her nose. “He asked us if we would take him and Reid. If we could be a family.” She elbowed Kellen, who was standing next to her. “It was so sweet, right?”
“Mushy stuff.” Kellen rolled his eyes. But he didn’t quite suppress the grin playing at his lips.
Lily gave him a playful push. “Maybe you should pay attention. Someday you might need to know how to be sweet.”
“Not anytime soon.”
The group laughed, and Kevin looked back at the scene they’d been spying on. Connor now had Jade’s hand in his as they resumed their walk back to the house. Even from that distance, Kevin could see his son’s happiness.
And he was glad. So terribly, wonderfully glad.
What a Christmas this had been.
Chapter Nineteen
(in which there is an ending . . . and a new beginning)
Breakfastwasnearlyover,which meant this season was nearly done. The boys had already packed up their families’ things and loaded them in vehicles.
It was time to say goodbye for now. Jackson and Kenzie would see Brayden and Audrey to the airport. Matt, Tyler, and Connor would point their cars west and head over the pass toward their homes. Brandon and Megan would stay a few more days to help Tyler on a project, and then they would go north.
Only Jacob and Kate and their kids would be around nearby, as they’d moved back to Sugar Pine.
Kevin grappled with a mild sense of letdown, and he knew Helen was doing so as well. She had so looked forward to this gathering. And it had been wonderful.
But they had things to look forward to still. Just the two of them. After all, they were still due that second honeymoon. And beyond that, he had some new ideas brewing. Hand-hewn sturdy furniture, just like Tyler had implied. Jacob had already promised to get a website up and going for Kevin, and he was as excited about this idea as Tyler had been.
