by Lacey Baker
“I’ve got these beans,” Carol said. “Adam, you get those sweet potatoes from Taylor. That pan is hot and heavy. And Taylor, you carry those rolls in.”
Carol was gone before Taylor could say she was perfectly capable of carrying the pan into the dining room.
“I don’t care what you’re thinking, I’m grabbing this pan like my mother-in-law instructed me to do. And if you know what’s best for you, you’ll grab those rolls.” He slid the pan from where it sat in front of her on the island, but before picking it up he leaned in to drop a kiss on her lips.
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Dale.”
If she’d been feeling any type of way about her mother’s comment, that feeling dissipated at the sound of those words. “Merry Christmas to you, Mr. Dale.”
She would never tire of hearing him call her his wife.
They headed out to the dining room, and Taylor stopped just a few steps from the massive glossed, cherry wood table that one of Adam’s bowling teammates made for them as a wedding present. It sat ten people on each side and two at the heads, perfectly. Tonight, on their first Christmas Eve as a married couple and in this new house, both of Adam’s brothers, Jenny, Josephine and her father, Wendy and her family, Ray, Brooke and their parents sat waiting for dinner to start.
Taylor’s dream had come true. Tears filled her eyes as she stared out to her family and friends and vowed that this was only the first in what would be many more family holidays in this house.
“Come on, Momma, so Pop can say the grace. I’m ready to eat that mac ‘n cheese.” Brooke was wearing her hair straight today. She’d been begging Taylor to let her have it down instead of in ponytails for weeks because she was getting older.
Taylor had been reluctant but she knew growing up was inevitable, besides, Brooke was still so very cute with the snowman earrings and matching headband that Josephine had given her for Christmas.
“I’m coming,” Taylor said, but the moment she took a step she paused.
The streak of pain came quickly, taking her breath away in the process. She stood still for another second thinking that it would go away, but instead it strengthened. Her entire body tensed and she dropped the pan she’d been holding to grab her stomach.
Groaning, Taylor bent over. “Oh no!”
“’Oh no’ is right, you dropped all the rolls. Hope there’s more in the kitchen,” Will Dale grumbled.
Taylor moaned, a long guttural sound that did absolutely nothing to stop the pain now seizing her body.
“The baby’s coming!” Adam yelled.
“The baby’s coming?” Brooke jumped out of her chair following Adam to stand beside Taylor.
“She’s not due until New Year’s Eve,” Jenny said, panic lacing her tone.
Gloria and Carol were both out of their seats.
“Babies go by their own clock,” Gloria said.
“Yes they do,” Carol added. “Taylor was three days late.”
Gloria shook her head. “Adam was late too. Now I guess their baby’s gonna show them how to get here early.”
“The baby’s coming!” Brooke yelled.
Taylor nodded at the chaos that had begun. Adam had one of her arms and was guiding her to the door. Brooke was on the other side of her.
“I’ll call your doctor and tell him you’re on the way to the hospital,” Josephine yelled out from wherever she was now.
Taylor closed her eyes with each pain.
“I’ll get the truck,” she heard Ray yell.
“I’ll go get the bag you packed,” Wendy said.
Taylor just kept moving. She tried to recall those breathing exercises they taught her in Lamaze class, but gave up when the pain rendered them futile.
“Here, she needs a coat on, it’s cold out there.”
Taylor’s eyes popped open at her mother’s words.
“Brooke get your coat on too. And Will you come on. We’re going to the hospital.”
Ray ran back inside. “Forgot my keys.”
“Ohmygoodness the baby’s coming!” Brooke yelled again.
“This baby’s gonna be born right here in the middle of my new house if we don’t hurry,” Taylor wailed.
Two hours and twenty-three minutes later, Aiden Dale lay sleeping in his mother’s arms. Adam sat on the side of the bed, his arm draped around Taylor, his gaze set on his son. Brooke sat on the other side of the bed leaning over to touch her baby brother’s hand.
“I can’t believe you have two children now, Adam,” Jenny said from where she stood at the end of the bed.
“Building a family,” Ray said with a nod. “That’s what he’s doing. He’s building himself a strong, beautiful family.”
Adam smiled at Ray and the new grandparents who were standing behind Ray beaming.
“I think you’re right,” Adam told them.
“Christmas is tomorrow,” a very tired Taylor said. “We have to get Aiden’s stocking hung up with ours.”
“Right,” Brooke said with a curt nod. “So Santa can find him because home is where you hang your stocking, right, Momma?”
Taylor smiled at Brooke. She lifted a hand and rubbed it over her hair. “No, sweetie, home is where your family is. And my family, my beautiful loving family is right here.”
The End
Gingerbread Cake With Lemon Butter Sauce
A Hallmark Original Recipe
In A Gingerbread Romance, Taylor just wants the gingerbread to be sturdy enough to build a life-size house. But Adam insists on making sure it doesn’t only look good, but tastes good. His commitment to quality ingredients and preparation inspired this recipe. You can’t build a house out of it, of course; its only purpose is to be absolutely delicious.
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
Gingerbread Cake
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup unsulfured mild molasses
¾ cup hot water
Lemon Butter Sauce
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
whipped cream as needed
DIRECTIONS
To prepare gingerbread cake: preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan; set aside.
Combine butter and brown sugar in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, nutmeg and salt; stir to blend. In a separate bowl, combine molasses and water; stir to blend.
Alternately add about 1/3 dry and wet ingredients to mixing bowl and mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl; pour batter into pan.
Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
To prepare sauce: combine all ingredients in saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens.
Slice cake into wedges; top each with warm lemon sauce and whipped cream.
Thanks so much for reading A Gingerbread Romance. We hope you enjoyed it!
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About The Author
Lacey Baker, a Maryland native, lives with her husband, three children, grandson and an English Bulldog in what most would call suburban America--a townhouse development where everybody knows each other and each other’s kids. Family cook-outs, reunion vacations, and growing up in church have all inspired Lacey to work towards her dreams and to write about the endurance of family and the quest to find everlasting love.
To date she has written in several genres including small town romance, YA paranormal (as Artist Arthur), a cozy mystery series titled Rumors, and adult paranormal (as A.C. Arthur).
Turn the page for a sneak peek of
Chapter One
Angie hurried Pepe out the door of their modest third-floor apartment and into the chilly stairwell. He wore his coat, hat, and mittens, and had his Batman backpack slung over his shoulders. But, lunch. Where’s lunch?
She halted midstride, calling out, “Hang on! We forgot your lunchbox.”
Pepe turned his big, dark eyes in her direction. He’d been racing ahead and had already made it to the second-floor landing. “But, Mo-om, I’ll miss the bus.”
He was right, and she knew it. She didn’t have time to drive him in to school today. She rapidly descended the steps after him, taking care with her footing in her new cranberry-colored pumps. They matched her bag as well as her necklace and earrings. When combined with her jolly Santa Claus pin, the fun accessories added a pop of color to her otherwise drab work outfit.
“Okay,” Angie said, relenting. This was what her son always wanted—to purchase lunch with the cool kids in his first-grade class. “You can buy today.”
Pepe fist-pumped in the air. “Ye-es!”
“But eat your lunch before the ice cream,” Angie warned, knowing the tempting dessert was what he was secretly after.
She followed him down the stairs, marveling at how much taller he’d grown since September. He’d been the new kid in his class but appeared to be settling in. He’d never had trouble making new friends.
Pepe reached the building’s front door as Angie stepped up behind him, shoving it open. A sharp blast of wind greeted them, and icy droplets prickled her face. She cinched the belt on her coat and tugged her hat down over her ears, shivering in the cold.
Pepe held out his hands, catching the tiny flakes in his mittens. “Woo-hoo! It’s snowing!”
“Yeah. How cool is that?” Angie’s gaze swept the street where she spied the school bus approaching, its windshield wipers swishing.
As she and Pepe scurried that way, Angie’s mother parked her gold-colored sedan at the curb abutting their apartment building. Elena climbed from the passenger seat, and her short, layered, dark hair was instantly speckled with little white dots. Beneath her puffy blue coat, Elena’s nurse’s scrubs were adorned with cartoon storks carrying pink and blue baby bundles in their pointy beaks.
“Grandma!” Pepe waved his arms, as Angie escorted him toward the now-waiting school bus. “It’s snowing!”
Elena grinned. “Yes, yes! I know.”
Angie hugged Pepe’s shoulders, giving him a quick kiss on the head. “Have a great day at school. If it closes early, don’t worry. Grandma and Lita will be here,” she said, mentioning Pepe’s great-grandmother. When Angie was small, she’d been unable to call her maternal grandmother by her preferred name, Abuelita, Spanish for little grandmother. “Lita” was all toddler Angie could manage, and so the endearment had stuck. Pepe now called Alma “Lita,” as well, even though she was technically his bisabuela.
The bus driver opened the door, and Pepe surprised Angie with a question. “Can Bobby come over?”
“What?”
“Home from school? We can play in the snow.”
Angie knew Bobby was Pepe’s new special first-grade buddy, but things like that needed to be arranged ahead of time. Besides, today was impossible. “I’d have to talk to his mom,” Angie said apologetically. “Maybe tomorrow, all right?”
Pepe puffed out his bottom lip as Angie greeted the bus driver, “Hi, Mr. Jackson!”
“Morning, Ms. Lopez! Looks like a snowy one.”
“Indeed.”
Pepe climbed the school bus steps with a dour look, but moments later he was smiling again. He took a seat beside another boy, waving at Angie through the school bus window.
Kids.
Angie whirled on her heel, checking her watch. She’d need to get going in order to pick up the Christmas wreath she wanted for the shop. She caught up with her mom, who was removing a couple of reusable shopping totes from the trunk of her car.
“What’s all this?” Angie asked Elena, rushing over to help her.
Elena handed Angie one of the heavy bags, and Angie spied sketch pads and paintbrushes inside it. “More art supplies for Lita.”
“How nice of you. She’s running low,” Angie answered, surmising Elena must have stopped at the craft store yesterday evening on her way into the hospital.
Elena worked the night shift as a labor and delivery nurse, and Angie worked days as an accountant at a jewelry shop. Elena slept while Pepe was in school and also kept an ear out for Lita, who was still largely self-sufficient and could get herself around reasonably well by using a combination of her wheelchair and a walker.
Angie nodded at Elena as they climbed the apartment stairs, carting their armloads of supplies. “Today she’s doing birds.”
Elena smiled. Lita loved painting birds nearly as much as she adored painting butterflies. All were colorful creations and masterfully done for a woman who’d only begun painting much later in life.
Angie unlocked their apartment door, letting her mother inside. “How was your night?”
“Long, but good.” Elena heaved a breath. “We had a last-minute C-section. That’s why I’m running late.” When Angie’s brows rose in concern, Elena added, “The mom’s very tired, but fine.”
“And the baby?”
“A perfectly healthy little boy.” Elena shut the door and winked. “And his perfectly healthy sister.”
“Twins? What fun!” Angie grinned and eyed the clock on the stove. “Uh-oh. Gotta dash.” She reached for the canvas bag on the kitchen table that contained her lunch and a few other personal items she carried in to work.
Angie saw Lita seated in her wheelchair at a card table in the nearby living room. The stylish older woman’s chestnut-colored hair was pulled back in a bun, and she’d tucked a bright pink orchid into it. Lita’s fashionable costume jewelry and her beautiful floral scarf complemented her lilac-and-turquoise outfit. The woman leaned forward, busily outlining something on the sketchpad in front of her. Lita raised her eyes to view a cardinal perched on the birdfeeder outside the living room window, its spectacular crimson plumage visible through the pelting snow.
“Bye, Lita,” Angie called. “Have a great day!”
The older woman looked up and smiled softly, giving Angie a parting wave with her pencil.
“Leaving already?” Elena asked. “What’s the big rush?”
“I’ve got to make a quick stop on the way in. Sam’s big sale is today,” Angie replied, referencing her boss.
“I thought that was last Friday. Black Friday?”
“That was one of them.” Angie tucked her purse into her canvas tote and slung the bag over her shoulder. “The first part of Sam’s one-two punch.”
“His what?”
“It’s a two-part sale. Beginning with Black Friday
and ending on Cyber Monday.”
“But it’s a jewelry store,” Elena complained. “Not a tech shop.”
“Folks can print out discount coupons online.”
Elena frowned at this. “That means you’ll be working late, I suppose?”
Angie gave her mom a peck on the cheek. “Hope not!”
“You already worked extra last week,” Elena said. “You went in on Saturday too. To train the new girl.”
“She’s a woman, Ma. Close to your age.”
“What does that mean?”
Angie wryly twisted her lips. “Mature.”
“Good. Maybe she’ll be able to talk some sense into him.”
“Who?”
“Sam!” When Angie stared at her, Elena continued, “Help him see that there’s a world beyond work. People have lives…commitments…”
Elena initially had been pleased by her daughter’s employment at Singleton’s Jewelers. But before long, she’d started questioning aloud whether the job was the right fit. Sam Singleton worked extremely hard. Those who worked for him were expected to work hard, as well. Which would have been fine, in Elena’s opinion, if that didn’t sometimes entail extra hours. Extra hours without extra pay, since Angie was in a salaried position. Then, there were the additional hours Angie put in processing her accounting reports at home.
Angie honestly didn’t mind her demanding schedule. She slept better at night when her tasks were wrapped up for the day and not lingering overhead to be tackled tomorrow.
She sighed and buttoned her coat. “I’ll try to be home by seven, okay? We can all have a nice dinner together then.”
When Angie turned to go, her mother said, “I don’t know why you continue to work for that man. We don’t need the money that badly. I can take on extra shifts until you find something else.”
Angie knew that Elena was just being proud—and protective. The truth was, they did need the money. She and her mom were both saving up to purchase a house: some place really nice for Pepe to grow up in.