“We have a song for your anniversary,” Dalton announced. A year ago, he had conscripted Danica and their best friend Devon into making a trio with him. Though not as talented vocally as Dalton, they managed to hold their own and actually sounded quite good. Their greatest accomplishment to date had been singing the Canadian and American national anthems at a Winnipeg Jets NHL hockey home game.
“I can’t wait to hear it,” Emily said with a smile. “Did you write this one or is it a cover?”
“A cover…with a twist.” Dalton began to sway back and forth as if the music was playing in his head—and it very well might have been.
“When is everyone else coming, Daddy?” Danica asked, taking advantage of her brother’s little detour into the music of his mind.
Emily poured coffee into a mug then set it in front of Steve. He slid his hand around her back and grasped her hip, drawing her down onto his lap. She didn’t even bother to resist and looped an arm around his shoulders.
“Makayla is picking Kenton up from the airport around five. The twins will hopefully be back from Grand Forks with Ryan by then. Bennett will be here when he’s done at the office. Not sure about Sammi though,” Steve said as he looked at Emily.
“She’ll be here by five as well. I sent her to run a couple of errands for me.”
Evidently struck by some sort of musical inspiration, Dalton left the table and headed for his room. Danica muttered something about reading a book and left as well.
“I decided to put Ry in with Bennett for this visit,” Emily said as she leaned against Steve’s chest. “I’m not sure Bennett and Kenton have worked things out yet.”
She both felt and heard Steve’s sigh. “I wish I knew what happened with those two. I’ve broached it with both of them, but they just clam up.”
The silent feud between the two oldest children had been hard to deal with. It had happened just before Kenton left for his first professional hockey team. Emily didn’t want to think it had anything to do with that, but since neither boy—man—would talk about it, she didn’t know what to think. They’d had disagreements over the years—all the kids had—but they’d learned to work them out quickly and moved on.
“Guess we have to just keep praying that they will come around and work it out. I hate having the fracture within the family,” Emily said.
“I know, Angel, I feel the same way,” Steve replied, his hand stroking her hip.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Emily loved these moments they had together. Most of the time, Steve was busy with the construction business he’d built. C & M Builders had grown by leaps and bounds over the years and now the second generation of Callaghans and McFaddens were getting involved in the business. Bennett had taken a business management course and worked alongside Steve on the building and renovations they’d done over the years. All the boys had done work for the company both during and after high school, but not all of them were interested in making it their life’s work like Bennett was. Mitch seemed like he was interested in working as a site supervisor, but he was young still and needed more experience. Makayla had taken over the management of the office, and no one argued with her about anything that occurred within those four walls.
“Can you believe it’s been fifteen years?” Emily asked as she nuzzled Steve’s cheek, glad that he’d taken the day off to spend around the house as they waited for the arrival of all their children.
“Of course. And it’s going to be a lifetime more.” Steve pressed a kiss to her lips. “And if the next fifteen years are even half as good as the first, I will be a very happy man. Love you, my angel.”
“You two need to get a room!”
“Kenton!” Emily slid off Steve’s lap with a smile and headed for Kenton, arms wide. It felt like forever since she’d last seen him except on television. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight, only stepping back to give Steve a chance to welcome his son home.
“I thought you were coming in a bit later,” Steve said as he clapped Kenton on the back.
“We decided to surprise you,” Makayla said, a mischievous grin on her face.
“Well, you’d better let Danica know,” Emily told her. “She was asking when everyone was getting here, and we know that by everyone, she actually meant Kenton.”
Makayla laughed as she headed out of the kitchen. It wasn’t long before Steve and Kenton’s conversation was interrupted by Danica’s arrival.
“Kenton!” She flew at her older brother who easily caught her and lifted her up to give her a tight hug and kiss.
“Hey, baby doll. You’re growing up!” Kenton set the girl down, but she kept her arms around his waist.
When Danica had been born, Kenton had initially kept his distance. It wasn’t until Emily had finally sat down with him and baby Danica that he’d confessed to being afraid that now that Emily had a baby girl, she wouldn’t want him and the boys. Emily had known it was an irrational fear on his part since she already had two girls, but she understood it because of what Steve had told her about the boys’ mother. Once she’d assured him that she loved him no less because of Danica’s arrival, he had become the little girl’s greatest fan and the feeling was mutual. Even now, when he’d Skype with them, Danica always insisted on being able to talk with him. And though Winnipeg was their home, Danica’s favorite hockey team was whichever one Kenton was playing for.
“I want to show you something in my room,” Danica said and just like that, Kenton was gone as quickly as he’d appeared.
A short time later, Sammi showed up and then not long after, the twins arrived with Ryan. After spending time welcoming Ryan and Kenton home, everyone pitched in to help get dinner on the table. The first family dinner with everyone home in so very long.
Emily was putting rolls in a basket when she saw Bennett come in the side door. As he came up to her, she pulled him down to kiss his cheek. Her smaller-than-average boy had grown into a tall, strong man.
When Ryan spotted his older brother, he came right over to where they stood. Bennett embraced Ryan with a broad smile, and Emily felt her throat tighten at the sight of her boys together. With their dark hair and blue eyes, they looked so much like their father, but she knew in her heart that they were nothing like him in personality. Though Ryan had chosen to follow in James’s footsteps by going into the military, Emily knew her son’s career would not end like his father’s had.
“Bennett.”
Emily glanced over to see Kenton standing beside Ryan, uncertainty on his face. She frowned when Bennett stuck out his hand, the smile he’d had for Ryan nowhere to be seen. Kenton hesitated then shook it. The difference to how Bennett had greeted Ryan was jarring. Emily looked at him and saw that he had absolutely no expression on his face. Was Bennett the one holding up the reconciliation between the two? It reminded her of that first fight they had when Kenton had defended him against some bullies.
Before she could say anything more, Dalton arrived and came right over to greet his brothers. Dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and an oversize orange T-shirt with his dark brown hair spiked up, he certainly wasn’t one to blend in. Emily almost laughed as she watched Kenton and Ryan take in the young boy’s appearance. With his slight build, Dalton reminded her of Bennett when he was younger, but he had absolutely none of his older brother’s reserved personality.
As she glanced out over the room, Emily’s heart was full to overflowing and tears slipped down her cheeks.
“Mom?” Ryan was the first to notice and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
She patted his chest. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything is perfect, in fact. All my children are home and I couldn’t be happier.”
He tightened his arm around her as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. “I’m glad we’re all home too, Mom. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
The familiar chatter filled the room as people found their seats at the long wooden table Steve had ma
de especially for them. As the conversation flowed, Emily remained quiet and just enjoyed the moment, knowing that in a few days, at least two would be gone once again, but for now, she was grateful.
Chapter Sixteen
Steve stared in amazement at the room the children had rented and then decorated for their anniversary. He squeezed Emily’s hand and looked down at her, not surprised to see a similar expression of awe on her face. The knowledge that their kids had done all this work for them just took his breath away.
“I want you guys to stand here to greet people as they come in, okay?” Makayla instructed before scooting off to take care of something else.
Over the next half hour, they greeted business acquaintances, friends, and family. He watched in surprise as Emily greeted her parents with hugs and tears. They had clearly flown in just for the celebration. Not as much of a surprise but still very welcome were his ex-in-laws. They’d been a constant presence in the kids’ lives—all the kids, not just his boys—and for that he and Emily were eternally grateful.
Friends from their church greeted them with broad smiles when Steve expressed his surprise at how big the turnout was. It seemed that people had been instructed to keep their invitation to the event a surprise.
Finally, Makayla came and led them to a table at the front of the room. It had twelve places set, all facing the other tables. As he and Emily sat down, the children all found their places as well. Kenton was beside him while Bennet was beside Emily, but after that, they alternated families. Dalton and Danica each had a place on either end. It was once again, a perfect blending of their families.
After Makayla had welcomed everyone, Mitchell said grace and then they were served a delicious dinner. Following the meal, there was a short program which included a song sung by Dalton, Danica, and Devon or 3D as they liked to call themselves. Dalton’s ability to work the harmonies for Devon and Danica never ceased to amaze him. Steve was certain the boy had a big future ahead of him. Music was about the only thing he truly focused on. Everything else like homework or school projects, if Danica or Devon didn’t remind him, he usually forgot. Hopefully, he’d get to the point where his focus included things beyond just music.
There was a PowerPoint presentation that was a walk down memory lane then each of the kids shared something about their parents. Not one prone to tears, Steve nonetheless found himself tearing up at times. He and Emily laughed as Kenton revealed that he and Bennett had schemed to get them together using the bowling alley birthday party as their ploy. Only they’d gotten so caught up in the party and the bowling, they’d forgotten what they planned. They’d made a lot of memories over the years, and he was so proud of each and every one of their children.
When it was over, Makayla called him and Emily up to say a few words.
“You go first,” Emily said, nervousness showing on her face.
Giving her a smile, Steve slid his arm around her waist and leaned toward the microphone. “I don’t really have anything prepared since I had no idea so many were going to be here tonight. We are blessed beyond all measure to have each and every one of you in our lives. Thank you so much for coming to celebrate our first fifteen years together.
“I know most people celebrate at twenty-five or fifty, but honestly, I love to celebrate every single year with this woman. My angel. I told her today that if the next fifteen years are even half as good as the last fifteen have been, I’ll be a very happy man. Most of you know the story of how we met and how our families blended so I won’t repeat it here, but I will say that we have been incredibly blessed to have found each other. God brought us together in such a way that proved, even before we knew we wanted to be with each other, that our families would blend so well. Not saying there haven’t been bumps or that there won’t be in the future, but at the end of the day, we’re family and that’s what matters most. Yes, today marks fifteen years of marriage, but it also marks fifteen years as a family and that is worth celebrating too.”
Steve looked down at Emily with a smile. “Your turn, sweetheart.”
She cleared her throat and lifted her chin. “As Steve has already said, thank you so much for coming tonight to celebrate with us. Last night, for the first time in three years, I had all my children back together. I spent a lot of the evening retracing in my memory where it all began, to that spring when I watched Steve’s boys along with my own four children. Little did I know at that point, that they would one day become my boys as well. And just between you and me, I’m pretty sure I fell in love with the boys before I fell in love with Steve.”
The audience laughed at her confession. Emily waited for them to grow quiet again before she continued. “People asked me if I knew what I was doing taking on four more children when I agreed to marry Steve. Wouldn’t it be too much? Too much what? I would ask them. Too much love? Because that’s all I saw when I looked at those boys. It was like I held four beautiful flowers in my hand and then I was gifted with four more. All it meant to me was that I had an even bigger handful of beautiful blossoms, each different and unique from the other. And that isn’t just an analogy. On the day before our wedding, Steve took all of the children to the florist shop and had them each pick out a flower. The florist took those eight blossoms and created a beautiful bouquet for me to carry when our families were joined together.
“Then of course you know we added two more and my bouquet was truly complete. And there was not one flower that I loved more or less than any other. Each of the flowers has needed special care at times, but through all those times, the good and the bad, Steve has been at my side. A true partner on this journey with me.”
Emily glanced up at him, her eyes glistening. “I love this man more than I ever thought I could. Taking him and his boys into my heart didn’t spread my love thin, it multiplied what was there. I not only have a very clear memory of the first time Steve told me he loved me, but also when each of the children told me—not just Kenton, Mitchell, Gabe, and Tristan, but Bennett, Makayla, Ryan, Sammi, Dalton, and Danica. My life is full to overflowing with love, and I’m grateful that God saw fit to give me this man and each of these children. I hope fifteen years is just the beginning of the story we have to tell.”
Glasses began clinking all around the room and Steve grinned, noticing with a glance at the head table, that none of the kids sitting there were encouraging it. Dalton was pretending to gag while Danica was covering her eyes. Cupping Emily’s face in his hands, he bent down and pressed a lingering kiss on her lips. He felt her arms slip around his waist and hug him tight.
“I love you, my angel,” Steve whispered.
“Always and forever,” Emily replied then pressed another kiss to his lips as the applause and cheers grew.
* The End *
Note to the Reader
Thank you so much for taking the time to read A Handful of Flowers. I hope that you enjoyed getting to know Steve and Emily and their children! This book is the start of a new series The Callaghans & McFaddens that will follow the lives of Steve and Emily’s ten children. Makayla’s story (book 2 in the series) will be available in late summer. If you would like to be notified of its release, please sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/WFhYr.
Thanks again for spending a little part of your day reading my book!
Take care ~ Kimberly Rae
About Kimberly Rae Jordan
The author of several bestselling Christian Romances, Kimberly Rae Jordan loves telling stories that encourage and uplift readers even as they entertain. From a very young age, Kimberly has enjoyed using her imagination to create characters and stories. Being able to share those stories now with an ever-growing audience has been a joy for Kimberly.
As shown in her books and the lives of her characters, faith and family are also an integral part of Kimberly’s life. She lives in central Canada with her husband and four children. Along with writing, she enjoys reading, baking and trying out the odd craft she finds through Pinterest. But as creating storie
s remains her favorite thing to do, Kimberly looks forward to sharing many more of them with readers in the years ahead.
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For more information:
@KimberlyRJordan
AuthorKimberlyRaeJordan
www.kimberlyraejordan.com/booklinks.html
Books by Kimberly Rae Jordan
BlackThorpe Security
Guarding Her Heart
Signs of Love
A Matter of Trust
The McKinleys
This Time with Love
Forever My Love
When There is Love
Home to Collingsworth
Home Is Where the Heart Is
Home Away from Home
Love Makes a House a Home
The Long Road Home
Her Heart, His Home
Coming Home
Home for Christmas
Those Karlsson Boys
Waiting for Rachel
Worth the Wait
The Waiting Heart
Single Titles
Faith, Hope & Love
Marrying Kate
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Click here to view purchasing options for these titles.
THE BRIDESMAID’S HERO
A Snowgum Creek Novella
Narelle Atkins
Pastry chef Serena Blaxland isn’t staying in the small Australian town of Snowgum Creek. She’s there for her sister’s wedding, and to help out at the family B&B until her mother’s arm heals. Sparks fly when the handsome driver of their bridal car saves Serena from disrupting her sister’s perfect wedding day.
Harry Westmore’s dream of becoming an equine vet was put on hold when his father passed away. He’s working several jobs in his home town to pay his bills and prepare for his future career. He can’t stay away from the beautiful chef when he visits the B&B each day to look after her mother’s horses.
Serena’s home is in Canberra, where she has built a successful career. When Harry’s offered an opportunity too good to refuse, they must decide if their love and faith can overcome all obstacles.
Love Blossoms: 7 Spring-Fresh Christian Romances Page 11