But finally the waiting was over.
"I am so overwhelmed with the blessings from the Lord. He has granted me the desires of my heart in giving me your love," Kate said, looking up at her husband. "And the children. I had thought maybe two, if I was lucky but now I have four."
Jared grinned at her and lowered his head. "And maybe five," he murmured.
Kate smiled and prayed silently for one more blessing. "And maybe five," she agreed as she closed the last few inches between her and her husband.
Epilogue
Kate tried to contain the pain that swept through her body. Focus. Focus. As the pain subsided she finally blurted out the words that had been repeating through her head, "I want the epidural!"
Gentle fingers brushed aside the damp tendrils of hair that clung to her forehead. Jared leaned down, his blue eyes full of love and tenderness. "I’m sorry, sweetheart, the doctor said you’re too far now to have an epidural."
With a groan, Kate dropped her head back against the pillows. It felt like she’d been in labor for days...weeks...months...
Her abdomen tightened, heralding the arrival of yet another contraction. Mentally Kate gathered her thoughts and tried to focus.
Many contractions later, Kate finally heard the words she’d been waiting a whole lifetime to hear. "You have a son!"
"A son!" Jared leaned down and pressed his cheek to hers. Her perspiration and tears mingled with his. "Thank you, Katie." He kissed her gently, his eyes brimming with emotion. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, Jared. More than you’ll ever know." Kate lifted a weary hand and laid it on his cheek. He was her dream come true. Just like the children and now this baby. Her son.
"Here you go." The doctor laid the baby on her stomach and covered him with a blanket. "Healthy and all his parts are there."
Kate and Jared didn’t take the doctor’s word for it. Together they explored the little baby who was a physical manifestation of their love for one another. Counted fingers and toes. Touched the tiny nose and lips. Marveled at the blue of his eyes and his long dark lashes.
The baby began to wail, startling them. They looked in alarm at the doctor.
"Why don’t you try nursing him," he suggested.
With the baby settled contentedly at her breast, Kate looked at Jared, tears blurring her vision. "Thank you, Jared. For giving me my dreams. For your love and this precious baby."
Jared kissed her again, his hand cupping the head of his son. "So what are we going to name him? We never really decided."
"How about Steven Jared?" Kate suggested.
"You want to name him after Steve and me?" Jared’s voice was choked with emotion. "Are you sure?"
"Very sure."
They spent the next hour together, cocooned in their own little world. Little Stevie fell asleep in his father’s arms, but still Jared didn’t put him down.
"Did you phone Darlene?" Kate asked, her heart filled to near bursting with love for her husband and new baby son.
Jared shook his head. "I suppose I’d better do that. The kids will be anxious to see you and the baby. Will you be up for a visit this evening?"
Kate nodded. "I just need a few hours sleep."
Jared settled the baby next to Kate, then made the call from his cell phone. Kate listened with a smile as Jared answer what was surely a barrage of questions from the other end of the line.
When he finally hung up the phone he was laughing. "Boy, every single one of them wanted to hear the news from me. I thought I could just tell Darlene and she’d pass it on, but no way, they all had to hear it."
Kate tried to laugh but was suddenly too weary for more than just a smile. Jared must have seen her exhaustion because he moved to take the baby.
"Why don’t you go to sleep," he suggested. "I’ll stay right here with the baby and when it’s feeding time I’ll wake you up."
Eyes sliding shut, Kate didn’t even try to argue. The high she’d been on had suddenly plunged her into deep exhaustion, and her body called out for sleep.
*****
Jared watched as Kate slipped into sleep, her breathing deepened and her features relaxed. He was so proud of her. She’d handled the delivery far better than he would have had he been in her place. Guess that’s why women had the babies and not men.
"Oh my precious son." Jared turned his gaze to the child resting in his arms. Like Kate, Stevie was asleep, clearly exhausted from his laborious journey into the world.
Even Jared was feeling the tugs of exhaustion, but he didn’t give into them. While his body might crave sleep, his mind was whirling. Sometimes he was afraid he’d wake up and discover that it had all been a dream. He was happier than he’d ever been in his life. Even the feelings that came from the success of a difficult mission paled in comparison to the joy and elation he’d felt as he had watched his son arrive into the world.
Five kids and a wife. Who could have imagined? Certainly not him. Oh sure, he’d imagined having a family someday but not five kids and Kate hadn’t been the wife he’d planned on, but God had known better. He’d known that Katie would be the woman who would touch his heart and love him like no other woman could.
"Thank you, God, for blessing me beyond my wildest dreams. I’m still not sure I deserve it, but I humbly accept what You’ve given me and will do my best to not let You down." The dampness in his eyes didn't surprise Jared. Emotions had been so near the surface the past few hours.
Everything had taken on a new, deeper meaning when he and Katie had shared their love with each other. Jared hadn’t realized how shallow, how surface, their marriage had been up to that point. While they had shared a bed and a life and even some personal thoughts, they had come to know each other on a whole other level, a new deeper level.
He and Kate had cried together the day the kids had come and told them they were ready for adoption. With the adoption final now, they were a true family. And the kids had a grandmother, too. Darlene had moved into his old place, delighted to finally have people who needed her again.
Cradling his son close, Jared leaned his head against the back of the chair. He closed his eyes but still didn’t sleep. He just needed to relax for a few minutes before the kids arrived.
Jared opened his eyes a little while later when Stevie stirred. His blue eyes met his father’s as he waved a fist in the air.
"Hungry, sport?" Jared asked softly.
The baby let out a tentative wail. Jared hated to wake Kate but this was something he couldn’t help with. As it turned out, he didn’t have to. Kate’s eyes popped open at the sound of the baby’s cry.
"I think he’s hungry." Jared moved to the side of the bed and helped Katie sit up and get him settled. "You still tired?"
Kate nodded. "But not as bad as I was."
"Can you move forward a bit?" Jared asked. "I’ll sit behind you and brush your hair, if you’d like."
"I would."
Jared helped Kate move forward, well aware that she was tender from the birth. He slipped behind her and began to undo her braid. They’d discovered this was something he enjoyed doing for her and that Kate loved having done.
With slow steady strokes, Jared brushed the soft silkiness. After about fifteen minutes, he began to rebraid her hair.
"Thanks." Kate leaned back against his chest. Jared looked over her shoulder and saw that Stevie’s eyes were closed once again but he still nursed, even in sleep.
"Why don’t you just go to sleep again?" Jared raised the bed back of the bed a bit, then leaned against the pillows there. Kate settled herself with her head on his chest, Stevie still held to her breast.
As Jared wrapped his arms around her and Stevie, contentment swept through him. This was the life he was meant to live, the window that had opened when he thought God had shut the door. Climbing over that window sill had been painful but oh so worth the effort.
Suddenly he couldn’t wait for the kids to arrive. He wanted all of his family together. They may have b
een brought together in a different way than normal families, but Jared had no doubt that this family was the answer to Katie’s prayers and to his as well. A family brought together by circumstance but bound together by love.
*****
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Marrying Kate
Thank you and God Bless!
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Table of Contents
Copyright
Other Titles by Kimberly Rae Jordan
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
Marrying Kate Page 20