by tj dell
Sandy lifted the lid to find a small photo album. The first few pages were photos of Cole with an awful week old looking beard holding a tiny pink bundle. There were also a few of Mrs. Pennington with the pink bundle and then there were a few of the pink bundle being brought home to his apartment. She was the prettiest pink bundle Sandy ever saw.
“Is there a point to this?” Sandy couldn’t take the torture of turning those pages one more minute.
“I am wondering if you notice anything missing from those photos. I love my granddaughter, but I will admit that I was against the adoption at first. A little girl should have a mother.”
“Adoption?”
“Yes, didn’t you know? Hannah is adopted.”
“No. I didn’t know. Cole mentioned that he had custody. I thought he was divorced.” Sandy was stunned.
“Not my son. Until he started yammering on about you I didn’t think he’d ever get married. Did you know Cole was an EMT before he got his degree?”
Sandy nodded.
“It was a big accident. Cole was the first emergency personnel on site. There was a young couple—they died on impact. The woman was 32 weeks pregnant. He delivered Hannah in the middle of that pile up—he saved her life. He took leave from work and slept at the hospital until she was out of danger. She was there for two months, and he only left the hospital long enough to take the necessary courses to become qualified as a foster parent. That usually takes several months… Cole finished the course in six weeks. The court didn’t approve the adoption until his third try. Even then he was subjected to a lot of ‘surprise visits’ from social services.”
Sandy’s cookie lay forgotten on the table. Cole had adopted Hannah. He wasn’t ever married. A long time ago Sandy had been considering adoption—Todd said it wouldn’t be the same. Men needed children of their own flesh and blood. No one could love a child more than Cole loved Hannah—and she was adopted.
“I don’t know what is standing between the two of you, but I know you need to work it out.” Mrs. Pennington scooped the photo album under her arm and strolled out the door. Sandy hardly noticed. She was too busy thinking that maybe her friends were right. Maybe Todd had been the one that was wrong.
***
“Sandy?!” Cole was surprised to find her on the other side of the door. She looked beautiful. How had he gone so many days without seeing her? Without touching her? At that thought he almost kissed her. He almost dragged her upstairs and made love to her on the twin sized bed in his childhood bedroom. But just in time he remembered the physical pain of leaving her, and he knew he couldn’t subject himself to that again.
“I brought the dog.” Sandy was gripping the end of the leash tightly as if she could gain courage from the puppy. It had been hard for her to wait until Christmas Eve night. But she couldn’t face that big party she knew was going on at his house tonight. When she was reasonably sure Hannah would be in bed Sandy and Jingle Bells headed over to the Pennington house.
“I thought I asked Amanda…”
“I know, but I’m the boss and she pretty much has to do what I say. Can we talk?”
Cole took the leash from her and waved her into the living room. Beneath the tree she could already see a dog crate set up with a red and green dog bed inside. Sandy was carrying two wrapped gifts and she laid them next to the dog’s crate before sitting down on the couch. A red and green plaque was fastened to the crate just above the door. ‘Jingle Bells’ was painted in a pretty sweeping font. “What happened to ‘Butch or King’?”
Cole gave her half a smile and shrugged. “They didn’t sound Christmassy.” He sat next to her on the couch. “Was there something else?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Okay.” Cole nodded.
“What I mean is that I wasn’t totally honest with you about why I wasn’t interested in a relationship.”
“Wasn’t? Past tense?” Cole felt little bubbles of happiness breaking through the crust of crankiness he’d been growing the last few days.
“That’s what you got out of that? I just told you I’ve lied to you—well it was more a lie of omission but…”
“I know that Sandy.”
“You do?!”
“It was pretty obvious there was something you weren’t telling me. Whatever it is I am sure I don’t care—as long as you are willing to give us a real chance.”
“I didn’t buy that house for one person, you were right. I was engaged.” Cole forced himself to stay quiet. He hated hearing that Sandy had planned on marrying another man, but she wouldn’t even consider being his girlfriend. “We were going to have a baby. I’d already painted the nursery—I wanted to name him Michael.”
Cole forgot all about other men and wrapped his arms around Sandy trying to absorb some of the pain he saw in her face. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“It’s okay. I had a miscarriage. We wanted to try again, but the doctor said it would be a bad idea. I can’t have kids Cole. I can’t give you any little girls to carry around in your pocket.” Cole swore. Sandy cringed. “It’s okay. If that is a deal breaker I will understand. I’ll just go.”
“Oh no you don’t.” Cole’s arm became steel holding her in place. “I’m sorry I cursed honey—I was mad at myself. I liked the idea of having a family with you, but I didn’t ever mean to put pressure on you. He left you, didn’t he? Because of the baby?” Sandy nodded. “Lucky for me, then.” He kissed her softly. And then he kissed her less softly.
“You really don’t mind? I’m not—I’m not even a good candidate for fertility treatments.” Sandy was warning him. Cole understood loud and clear.
“No, honey. If you want more kids then we will adopt and if you don’t want more kids then just think of all the money we’ll save for traveling in our old age.”
“Old age?” Sandy giggled. “You sound so sure. How do you know after only a couple of weeks?”
“Baby, I didn’t need a couple of weeks. I knew that first day when I saw you again. It was just like the first time I held Hannie. I knew you were my family—the two weeks were all about convincing you.”
“Do you want to open your present?” Sandy pushed the larger package at him.
“Shouldn’t I wait until tomorrow?” Cole was already pealing back the green wrapping paper as he spoke. “It’s a blanket.” Cole wrinkled up his forehead as he looked down at the steel gray comforter.
“Actually it is a whole bedding set. It was supposed to symbolic. Because you said you didn’t like the flowers.”
Cole looked up at her and grinned. The blanket fell to the floor when he kissed her. “Are you asking me to move in with you?” Sandy only smiled and nodded. “Did you keep the receipt?”
Sandy dropped her smile. “What?”
Cole chuckled at her. “I changed my mind about those flowers. Every time I close my eyes I see you on those blankets looking so beautiful—I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at a flower again without getting turned on.”
He was joking, but Sandy didn’t laugh. She kissed him. Not a slow gentle kiss—a crawl into his lap like a starving woman kiss. Jingle Bells must have thought it was game because he went crazy. Growling and howling and begging to be allowed to play too.
They couldn’t quiet him down before Hannah came barreling down the hallway. “Santa came! Santa came!” She squealed when she turned the corner and Jingle Bells ran into her arms.”
“He sure did kiddo. He just left after dropping off Sandy and Jingle Bells.”
“He brought you too, Miss Sandy?” Hannah asked as she scratched her pet behind his ear.
“Umm, I guess so.” Sandy looked at Cole.
“Course he did.” Cole broke in. “Didn’t you say you wanted a mommy for Christmas, Hannah?” The little girl squealed and threw herself onto the couch. Jingle jumped up after her and there wasn’t much room left. Cole laughed loudly and tried to wrap his big arms around Sandy, Hannah, and the squirming puppy. “Look at us! We are a great family
!”
“We sure are.” Sandy answered between her own giggles.
Epilogue
Five years and three weeks later…
“Are they here yet?” Hannah came running in from the school bus stop. Her grandmother was sitting in the living room with Jingle’s head resting in her lap.
“Not yet, Hannah—any minute now.”
“Oh good. I made them cards at school!” Hanna pulled two heart shaped cards out of her back pack
Just then the front door opened and Hannah spun around to see her parents standing in the doorway holding a fluffy blue something. “Daddy, Mommy! Is that him?”
Sandy and Cole came and sat on the couch so Hannah could get a good look at her new little brother. They’d only just gotten off the long flight from China where they’d been for the previous two weeks completing the adoption process
“It sure is, sweetie.” Sandy unwrapped the baby a little more. “Meet your little brother: Valentine Cole Pennington.”
“Valentine?” I thought we picked Jeremy.
“Well that didn’t sound very Valentine’s Day-ish.” Cole said as he stood back and looked at his family. What a lucky man I am, he thought to himself.