Her last chance
Page 16
“Of course not, Kar. I don’t think I could’ve even if I had the chance to. She’s more like a sister to me,” he said, walking closer to Karen. He put his arms around her waist and leaned in to whisper softly, “Now you, on the other hand, I can’t keep my hands off of.”
Karen took a deep breath and stepped out of his embrace just as the loudspeaker sounded.
“Flight 211 from New York has arrived safely, with a time of one hour and ten minutes.”
“That’s them,” Karen said. She was red-faced from what Tommy had said. “I…”
“Karen,” Katherine said softly as she walked toward her from the tunnel. “I’m so, so sorry! You were so right, and I—how can I not even know what I want?”
“You’ve got to be freaking kidding me,” Tommy said.
“Ignore him.” Karen laughed. “I’m sorry, too! I missed you so much, and I’m so glad that you finally got your head out of your ass!”
“Nice one, Karen.” Kat laughed. Warren chuckled, too, as he put his arm around her.
They looked so happy, so incredible together.
“We have some news to tell you,” Kat said as she looked from her sister and Tommy to Warren.
“Well, I guessed that much. We, Tommy and I, thought you were going to say you were getting married! Congrats!” Karen said happily as they walked through the airport to the baggage claim.
“No, even better.” Warren smiled.
“What could be better than that?” Tommy asked, surprising everyone. “I thought that’s what you were going to do when you got to New York?”
“No, we are getting married, but that’s not what Kat’s talking about.”
Karen and Tommy exchanged glances, looking confused.
Karen sighed, “What?”
“We’re pregnant!” Katherine squealed. Her face broke out in an irresistible grin. Karen’s eyes widened and Tommy smiled.
“Oh, congratulations!” Tommy said, shaking Warren’s hand and hugging Katherine. “This is wonderful news! Bill’s going to flip!”
“You’re going to be a mommy?” Karen cried. “Oh my God, you’re going to be a mommy!”
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it? A mommy! I never thought I would. We only just found out, and of course we couldn’t be any happier,” Katherine said as she grabbed hold of Warren’s hand. He smiled at her lovingly.
Karen felt a stabbing at her chest. Her sister was really happy, and she was happy, too, but jealous at the same time.
An hour later, they were all celebrating at Morton’s Steak House in downtown. Tommy, Karen, Gail, Bill, and Warren and Kat had more laughs that night than Kat thought she had ever had in her whole life.
It was funny how you think your life is over one minute, and the next it feels like it’s just beginning. That’s how was for Kat with Warren—a whirlwind of new experiences, falling in love, becoming a mother, and now getting married to her soul mate, her Warren. Somehow it felt surreal, and on the other hand it felt like it had happened before.
***
God looked down at the family and friends celebrating life and love. He turned to the newest angel to come home. Sarah’s eyes were wet, as He had suspected.
“We did it,” she said, looking to God. “We did it!”
God smiled and put His arm around her shoulders. His warmth spread throughout her body. She felt happy and complete for the first time in her whole life. She had finally done something for someone, unselfishly and unconditionally; she felt whole.
“I’m proud of you, Sarah. I’m proud of Katherine. She did a good job with her last chance. She did us proud.”
“Yes, she did, and to think they’re going to have a baby,” Sarah cried. “I’m so happy that she could give Warren that. He’s going to be a wonderful father.”
“And she will be a great mother.”
“What about the other couple sitting with her? What do you think will happen with them?” Sarah asked as she glanced down at Tommy and Karen. They were sitting next to each other laughing over a shared basket of onion rings.
“Ah, funny you should say that. It’s here in the book,” God said as He pointed to a large book on a golden pedestal. The cover was titled “The Book of Life” in golden letters. He opened it and thumbed through the pages until He stumbled on a picture of the two younger people at the table.
“Right here they are,” God said. “Thomas Jones and Karen Daniels.” He shook his head. “They’re going to be a harder sell, but they are definitely what you down below call ‘soul mates.’”
“Really?” Sarah sighed. “I would like to help.”
“Good. We’ve just got to give them a little push.”
“I’ll be happy to,” Sarah said, smiling. She took one last look at Warren and Katherine and grinned.
God followed her gaze and then cleared His throat. “Let’s leave them to their planning, shall we?” God took her arm and led her to a golden staircase. “It’s your job to get the two of them to realize that they love each other. Do you think you can do that?” God looked down at Karen and Tommy and then back to Sarah.
“I know I can,” she said as she descended the staircase into the living. “I know I can.”
EPILOGUE
As the wedding party walked into the large reception hall, Bill Daniels began taking pictures of his eldest daughter. She smiled and posed for him several times as her husband held onto her hand, gliding her from here to there. Gail and Bill danced on more than one occasion, and when it was time for the speeches, Bill stood up and raised his glass.
“To my beautiful daughter, and my new son-in-law—he’s a doctor, by the way,” Bill said as he moved his shoulders up and down. People laughed as he continued. “As I was saying, these two kids were meant for each other, and that’s why we’re here today. We’re not only celebrating them, but we are celebrating the fact that we only have one kid left at home. Isn’t that right, Karen!” Bill cheered.
People all around started laughing, and Karen rolled her eyes, held up her champagne flute, and nodded a toast. As she threw the drink back, Bill laughed heartily.
“Anyway, six down, one to go, mazel tov!”
People at the wedding looked curiously as some shouted back and cheered; most just drank the contents down and started talking again.
***
As Warren slipped off Kat’s garter, catcalls were heard from all around. All the single men and some of the little kids that had been running around moments before all waited for him to toss it—the tradition being, of course, that whomever caught the garter and the bridal bouquet would be in for a fate worse than death, as Tommy Jones had put it minutes before. However graceful his words were, he’d still offered to remove the garter from Kat’s leg. Even for Tommy, that was going a little too far.
Katherine smiled at the group as she recovered from Warren’s hand being so far up on her thigh. Warren twirled the garter on his finger and Katherine lowered her bouquet as they turned their backs and waited for the cue from the DJ. Then they both tossed them out. She tossed hers over her head and Warren used the garter like a slingshot, propelling it into the crowd. As hands groped and people looked, the two that caught them couldn’t have been more taken by surprise.
Tommy caught the garter atop his head, and the flowers landed right on Karen’s lap—she wasn’t even trying to catch them.
As their eyes met, nothing was heard, and then out of nowhere the familiar voice of Bill Daniels called out, “Oh, hell no!”