Tears filled Tessa’s eyes and ran down her cheeks. She opened her mouth but could not find her voice past the sob that wanted to escape. So she nodded. Somehow she ended up in Blake’s arms, crying against his shoulder.
When her tears were spent and she had dried her face with the blanket, he asked, “Do I get to hear the word, Tessa, or am I to take that female display of emotion as a yes?”
She smacked his arm then looked into his smiling face and wanted to laugh for joy. Instead she said, “Yes, Blake, I will marry you. The sooner the better. When can we tell the boys? And your folks? And my mom? And Kasi? And Sarah and Amanda?”
He laughed. “Whoa, you can make an announcement to the world later. I want to tell the boys now though. What do you say we wake them up? Do they know I’m Derek’s father?”
“No, I haven’t told them.” She pulled him from the swing. “That’s the decision I made earlier. I think it’s time they knew. Let’s tell them together.”
They decided to invade the boys’ bedroom and talk there. Tessa woke Rob and Seth while Blake woke Derek.
“What’s going on, Mom?” Rob sat up and stared at Blake. “What’re you doing here?”
Blake slipped his arm around Tessa’s waist while the boys sat staring at them. “Your mother and I have an announcement to make.”
The words had no sooner left his lips than the three boys shot from bed and grabbed them in a group hug.
“I told you they’d get married,” Rob boasted to the other two.
“Are you, Mom? Are you and Blake getting married?” Derek looked up at her. “Can I call Blake Dad now? Can I, Blake?”
Blake sat on the edge of one of the beds as if his legs wouldn’t hold him any longer. He looked from Derek to Tessa and then at each of the boys, ending back with Derek. “Your mother and I have something more to tell you.”
“But you are getting married, aren’t you?” Rob asked.
“Yes, we are,” Blake assured them. “As soon as possible. I think we’ve wasted enough time, enough years.”
Tessa didn’t say anything then, but she thought as the boys cheered their approval, Someday you will understand, Blake, that years of preparation are never wasted years. Only our foolish resistance to God’s love kept us from finding our happiness eleven years ago.
“Boys, listen to us now.” When she had their attention, she said, “You know Blake and I were friends a long time ago. What you don’t know is that Blake is Derek’s father.” She turned to her youngest son. “Derek, I’m sorry to drop this on you so suddenly, but I didn’t know how else to say it. Do you understand Blake is your biological father?”
“Sure, Mom.” Derek shrugged. “Rob already told me Blake and me do some of the same stuff. Our hair and eyes are the same color, too. We talked it over.” He indicated his brothers. “And we figured he probably was, but we don’t care. We like him anyway.”
Derek’s comment hit Tessa like a punch to the stomach. “What do you mean? Did you expect to not like your fathers?”
“Well, sure, Mom.” Rob spoke for them all. “We figured they were all a bunch of losers, since they didn’t stick with you. I don’t know what happened between you and Blake, but he came back as soon as he knew where you were, and that’s all that matters.”
He looked at Blake. “You do know, though, when you marry Mom, Seth and me will be your sons, too. Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Tessa saw the vulnerability in Rob’s eyes as he waited for the answer. Seth never looked away from Blake.
“No man in his right mind would turn down an offer like that, Rob.” He looked from one boy to the other. “Rob, Seth, I want you to know I already consider you my sons. I’d like for you to think about adoption. We don’t have to go that route if you don’t want to, but I would be honored if you would take my name and become my legal sons. Don’t answer now. Take some time to think about it, okay?”
Both boys nodded, and Tessa watched uncertainty fade from their eyes as a new light of respect for Blake took over. She brushed at her moist cheeks and smiled at her future husband, who sat holding Derek. Their ten-year-old son’s legs stretched to the floor, but he and his father had ten years of catching up to do. They needed this time together.
Later, the boys climbed back into bed, and Tessa followed Blake outside. With the breeze bringing a promise of winter, they made plans for an early November wedding.
“That way our families can be together for the holidays.” Blake pulled her close and kissed her hair. “I’m so glad you decided to take a trip along Route 66. If not for the old road, we might never have connected again.”
Tessa looked up at him as love and thanksgiving flooded her heart. “God used the Mother Road to bring us together.”
“I think you’re right, Tessa,” Blake murmured. “I think you’re right.”
He lowered his head for a kiss.
Epilogue
T essa stood at the back of the church with Blake’s dad. He patted her hand, held close in the bend of his arm, and leaned toward her to whisper as the “Wedding March” began, “My son is a lucky man, Tessa. I couldn’t ask better for him.”
“Thank you, Dad.” Tessa was not yet used to that name on her lips, but she already loved the man who had asked her to call him Dad. Not long after she and Blake announced their engagement, George Donovan had announced his decision to follow Christ. Tessa rejoiced with Blake and Janice. After today, she would have another set of parents. At their request, she would learn to call them Mom and Dad.
Together George and Tessa followed the flower girl. Five-year-old Zandra Baynes made precise steps as she dropped rose petals down the wide center aisle. Tessa smiled at how she took her job so seriously.
In the front row, Tessa’s mother stood watching her daughter. She clutched Clark Albright’s hand as a wide smile brightened her face. She winked at Tessa as she neared. Yesterday she had told Tessa that she just might walk up the aisle herself one day. From the smile on Mr. Albright’s face when he looked down at her mother, Tessa guessed a wedding might well be in their future.
Tessa lifted her gaze to the front, where Blake stood with Pastor Lieber. Rob, serving as best man, stood next to Blake. Seth and Derek, as groomsmen, came next. Across from them were Tessa’s best friends. Kasi was her matron of honor. Next to her stood Sarah and Amanda as bridesmaids. She was so thankful her friends had both been able to travel to her wedding. The day would have lost something special if either of them had been absent.
Tessa’s gaze shifted back to Blake. Her heart picked up speed as it always did when he smiled at her. George stopped and turned, letting her hand slide from his elbow to his hand, where he held it as he faced her.
In the silence after the processional, he said, “Tessa, I cannot tell you how privileged I felt when you asked me to walk up the aisle with you today. It is my honor, not to give you away, but to accept you into the Donovan family as my daughter by handing you to my son. May God bless you and Blake as you begin your life together.”
He leaned forward and kissed Tessa’s forehead before offering her hand to Blake. As Blake’s fingers closed around Tessa’s hand, tears threatened to escape. With her emotions so near the surface, she squeezed his hand and looked into his brown eyes so filled with love for her. She didn’t deserve this. She had never expected to have a wedding, let alone love. God had lifted her from the world’s gutter and placed her with the best He had. The best husband. The best in-laws. The best sons. The best mother. And the best friends. A tear escaped.
“Tessa Rajena Stevens, do you take this man, Gerald Blake Donovan, to be your lawfully wedded husband?” The minister’s voice caught her attention.
She saw Blake through a sheen of tears and smiled. “Yes, I do.”
“Gerald Blake Donovan, do you take this woman, Tessa Rajena Stevens, to be your lawfully wedded wife?” The minister waited.
Blake cupped her face with his hand and caught the lone tear on his thumb. His smile held so mu
ch love, so much promise, as he answered, “Yes, I do.”
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Tessa had faced her past, and this was her reward.
“You may kiss your bride, Blake.”
And he did.
Author Note
TUNA CHIP CASSEROLE
2½ cups crushed potato chips (any flavor), divided
1 to 2 cans tuna, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 can peas, drained, or 1 (1 lb.) bag frozen peas
Preheat oven to 350°. Spread 2 cups crushed chips in ungreased casserole dish. Spread tuna over chips. Mix cream of mushroom soup with milk and spread over tuna. Add peas and stir until casserole is mixed thoroughly. Sprinkle with remaining crushed chips (or French-fried onions if desired). Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until top is browned and bubbling.
This is a favorite at our house for using leftover potato chips. The chips don’t need to be fresh and it’s okay if they’re already crushed, because that’s the way they end up anyway. It never lasts long.
REDEEMING SARAH’S PRESENT
Dedication
To my readers, especially to those of you who, like Sarah, have experienced the heartbreak and loss of giving a child up for adoption. I admire you for your sacrifice to provide not only life but also a better life for your child. Without two such wonderful young women, I would not be a mother. Also, to those adopted children, like Trey, who have wondered, “Why?” may you understand that adoption is not meant to be a rejection but a loving acceptance—not just once, but twice.
Chapter 1
S arah Maddox clutched the single-page letter to her chest as if it were treasure beyond price. Ignoring the work waiting on her desk, she again read the scrawl she could scarcely believe had come from her son’s hand. How could it be his, when the memory she’d carried for the last eighteen years was of a tiny, red-skinned infant, barely able to keep his eyes open? Even the yearly pictures his mother sent hadn’t erased the memory of his birth or the one time she’d been allowed to hold her baby. To count his fingers and toes and kiss his soft cheek before telling him good-bye.
Dear Miss Maddox,
My mom asked me to write to you. My parents told me about the agreement they made to allow you to meet me on or near my eighteenth birthday. We talked it over and decided the best thing would be for us to come to Chicago where you live. We could meet in a public place such as a shopping mall. There’s one just off old Route 66 near Ogden. I’m not good with directions, but we’ve shopped there before and know the area. I printed a map off Google for you.
Since my birthday is March 17, and that’s on Thursday, we thought it might be best to meet on Saturday, March 19, right after lunch at about one o’clock. If that won’t work for you, please let my mom know. I look forward to meeting you.
Sincerely, Trey Miller
She grabbed a tissue and blotted the tears blurring her eyes. For eighteen years she’d looked forward to this day. For the last several months she’d counted the time until she could meet her son. Now the wait was almost over. Today was March 17. Trey would celebrate his birthday with his parents today. Saturday would be her turn. Just two more days.
The intercom on her desk buzzed before Tricia’s voice spoke. “Sarah, I have a call for you from Dr. Jenson.”
“Oh wonderful.” Sarah jumped up from her desk. “Can you hold on just a minute?”
“Sure.”
Sarah stuck Trey’s letter in her lap drawer and slammed it shut. She hurried to the door, grabbing her purse as she went. In the outer office, she paused beside Tricia’s desk, mouthing the words. “Tell him I’m out.”
Tricia’s chuckle followed her across the room. As she closed the outer door, she heard her assistant speak into the phone. “I’m sorry, Dr. Jenson. Miss Maddox is not in her office.”
Sarah clutched her purse as she stood in the hall trying to decide where she could hide. When Dr. Harold Jenson asked her to the hospital staff ’s Christmas banquet last year, she hadn’t known he was divorced, and she was flattered. He was good-looking, with a successful practice, and drove a flashy sports car. Nurses often gave Sarah envious looks when Harold sought out her company in the hospital cafeteria or at hospital-related functions. Sarah liked Harold and enjoyed the attention, but lately he’d been pushing for a commitment she didn’t feel like making. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be involved in his problems with his ex-wife and their young daughter.
At the moment, she wanted to bask alone in the knowledge she would soon meet her son. She decided a few minutes in the cafeteria with a cup of coffee to start the day would be a good excuse for leaving her office and hurried down the hall to the elevators.
Sarah went through the line in the cafeteria, glancing over the dining room. She took her coffee to a small empty table. Two seconds later, her heart sank, as over the rim of her cup she watched Harold stride toward her, an indulgent smile on his face.
“I thought I’d catch you here.” He pulled out the chair facing her and sat as if she’d invited him. “I called your office. When your secretary said you were out, I figured you hadn’t had your morning caffeine yet.”
Sarah smiled. “You figured right. So why aren’t you treating the little ones today?”
“All in good time. Even pediatricians get a few minutes to chase beautiful women.”
Sarah shook her head. “I don’t see you chasing women.” She inclined her head toward a couple of nurses who walked past, giving Harold a quick appraisal. “There go two right now, and I didn’t notice you looking.”
Harold chuckled, his gaze meeting hers. “I saw a couple of nurses, but I’m looking at the only beautiful woman in the hospital.”
Sarah felt the color rise to her cheeks while she stared at her coffee. “I wish you wouldn’t say things like that.”
“Why not?” He reached across the table and took her hand. “I’ve told you how I feel, Sarah. I’d like for us to be more than friends. A lot more.”
“I know.” She slipped her hand from his and nestled it in her lap. “But right now isn’t a good time for me. I’ve got a lot on my mind. I’m still fairly new at my job, and it’s very demanding.”
“Personnel director.” Harold’s blue eyes smiled at her. “Sure, that’s a big responsibility, and I’m proud of you. I have no doubt you will do great. You already are. But there’s more, isn’t there?”
“There’s also my son.” Sarah watched his expression cloud. He didn’t approve of her upcoming meeting with Trey.
“That’s Saturday, isn’t it?”
“Yes, in the afternoon.”
“What about his father?”
Sarah frowned. “His parents will be with him, both of them.”
“I mean his birth father. Will he be there?”
Air rushed into her lungs at the thought. “No, of course not. Why would he?”
Harold’s voice softened. “He has as much right as you do, Sarah. Why wouldn’t he be there?”
The thought of Kevin Nichols showing up after eighteen years, shoving his way into her son’s life after what he’d done, filled Sarah with dread and a touch of anger.
“He won’t be there. He didn’t care when Trey was born, so why would he care now? I’m the one who was left with the decisions and had the baby. I’m the one who chose the adoptive parents and made arrangements to keep in touch with my son while Kevin finished out his senior year playing football and dating cheerleaders.”
Harold sighed and leaned back, keeping his intense gaze locked with hers. “People change, Sarah. That’s something you might want to consider. How old was this boy when you got pregnant?”
Heat filled Sarah’s face at Harold’s bluntness. She thought back to the teenage boy Kevin had been. To the love she thought they’d shared. The plans they’d made. Until they went too far and she’d been caught.
“He was barely seventeen when I told him about the baby.”
�
��Just a child.” Harold shook his head.
Sarah nodded, remembering. “We both were. He offered to pay for an abortion. When I refused, he walked away.” She looked up at Harold. “He offered to kill his own son. I hated him for years. I was scared; he was terrified. I haven’t seen him since before Trey was born.”
“That’s probably for the best.” Harold smiled at Sarah. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to dredge up old memories. How about I make it up to you? I don’t have Katie this weekend, so let’s go out Saturday night after you meet your son. You can tell me about it then.”
“I don’t know, Harold.” Sarah forced a smile. “I may not be good company. If you want to call or come by the house, that would be fine.”
“Hey, I’ll take what crumbs I can get.” Harold looked at his watch and stood. “My break is over. Keep smiling, and I’ll see you Saturday if not before.”
Sarah watched him walk away. She took a sip of her now-tepid coffee and frowned. She needed to get back to work, too. Saturday would be here before she knew it, and that would be soon enough to go down memory lane.
Sarah had no trouble finding the shopping center Saturday afternoon. In fact, she arrived fifteen minutes early. Her hands trembled as she reached for her purse. She pulled Trey’s invitation out and read it through one more time before tucking it back and finding her hairbrush.
The car mirror reflected her long, straight hair as she pulled the brush through. According to his pictures, Trey’s hair had been blond like hers when he was little, but had gradually darkened, until now it was as dark as Kevin’s. With a sharp intake of air, Sarah pushed Kevin’s image from her mind and replaced her hairbrush. She unsnapped her seat belt and opened the door. Today was her time to spend with Trey. Kevin had no place in either of their lives. Not even in her memories.
She walked quickly across the parking lot and paused just inside the mall entrance to smooth her hands down the sides of her new black slacks. She pressed one hand against her fluttering stomach and looked around. Shoppers filled the large open area, as they hurried from place to place, ignoring her while she gathered enough courage to take another step. When several people brushed past to go out the door, she stepped out of the way and kept walking, although she was tempted to turn and follow them outside.
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