A Christmas Promise

by Thomas Kinkade

  James’s burst of laughter suddenly lightened the mood and Leigh had to smile. “We should all count our blessings, if you ask me.” He, stepped forward, presenting Julia in the baby carrier. She was still fast asleep with just a small bit of her face and the tip of her nose visible under all the blankets.

  Leigh watched Vera practically melt on the doorstep. “There she is! Oh . . . my word. What a little dumpling! Look at that face . . . ,” she cooed softly. She quickly stepped aside to usher them in. “Bring her in! Bring her right upstairs. Everything’s ready.”

  James carried Julia inside and then up the staircase to the room that adjoined Leigh’s bedroom, where they had stored the baby gifts after the shower. Leigh remembered the scene as a jumble of boxes and now stepped inside, gazing around with amazement. The walls had been painted a soft buttery yellow, the moldings and trim bright white. Tieback curtains with an animal print in pastel colors covered the windows, and a plush area rug cushioned each step. The crib, complete with flannel sheets, quilted bumpers, and a colorful mobile floating above, was set up near the door that connected to her bedroom, and there was also a changing table, a toy chest, and a rocker in a corner.

  “You can arrange it as you please, of course,” Vera said. “But I thought the crib would be best away from the windows. You don’t want her sleeping under a draft.”

  “This is beautiful, Vera. Thank you so much. James told me he put the crib and a few other things together, but I had no idea . . .”

  Vera nodded, looking pleased. “It wasn’t easy, believe me. I rushed right back from my daughter’s house the day after Christmas. Luckily, they kept you in the hospital a few days. I hope you like the color. The fellow in the hardware store told me parents don’t go for blue or pink anymore. Yellow is sort of—equal. And cheerful, too.”

  “It’s very cheerful. It’s like sunshine. You did a wonderful job, thank you.” Leigh reached out and squeezed Vera’s hand.

  “Somebody wants her mommy.” James had the baby cradled on his shoulder and now carried her over to Leigh. Julia seemed a little fretful, but settled down again quickly once Leigh held her in her arms.

  “Look at that, she knows you already.” Vera’s voice was hushed as she gazed down at the baby. “Does she need to eat?”

  Leigh shook her head. “Not for a few hours. I think she wants to sleep some more.”

  “Probably. They sleep all day at this stage.” Vera stood quietly a moment, gazing down at the baby, then looked up at Leigh. “I’m glad you’ve come home, Leigh. We missed you.”

  Leigh felt a lump in her throat. “Me, too, Vera.”

  “You put her down for her nap. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”

  “I guess I’ll go down, too,” James said. He leaned over and dropped a quick kiss on Julia’s forehead; then, with a small smile, he kissed Leigh’s cheek before he stepped away and left the room.

  Leigh cradled Julia to her shoulder and gently swayed from side to side. She hummed a quiet tune and gazed around the yellow nursery. She soon felt the baby’s body grow heavy and slack against her and knew she had fallen asleep. She laid Julia down in her new crib and covered her with a blanket. Then she sat in the nearby rocker and watched her sleep, her tiny pink fist curled up against her cheek.

  This is our home now, Leigh thought. Julia and I have finally come home.

  A short time later, she found James in the living room. He was sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper. A fire crackled in the hearth.

  He smiled and looked up as she entered. “Was she fussy?”

  Leigh walked over and sat down beside him, setting down the baby monitor on the lamp table. “Not at all. She fell right back asleep again.”

  “So far so good.” James put his arm around her shoulder and she settled back against him. She gazed at the Christmas tree, which was still up on the other side of the room.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked.

  Leigh shrugged. She didn’t want to answer, then forced herself to be truthful. “About the night we decorated the tree.”

  “And I kissed you?” he finished for her.

  She felt herself blush. “Yes . . . but more about putting the angel on top. I made a wish then. That was what I always used to do when I was a kid.”

  She had made a wish, out of habit and reminiscing for bygone days, but she had never dreamed it could come true.

  He turned his head to look at her fully. “What did you wish for?”

  “To be safe again. To have my baby be born healthy and to finally stop running and be able to start my life over.”

  James was very quiet. She tried to read his expression but couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “Do you feel it’s come true, Leigh? Do you believe you and Julia are safe here?”

  Leigh sighed. “I do feel safe with you, James—safe in this house and in this town. But I’ve given it some thought and I’ve decided that I have to get in touch with Martin. He is Julia’s natural father, and he has a right to know her. I’m just afraid of what might happen when I do.”

  James nodded. “I understand, and I admire you for making that decision. You do need to face your ex-husband and settle this once and for all. But you’re also right to be wary, so I’ve spoken to a lawyer in town on your behalf, asked him a few questions about the situation. I hope you don’t mind?”

  “Of course not. What did he say?”

  “Well, he’s not an expert in the area. But when I told him your story, he thought you had solid grounds for keeping custody. Your husband’s abuse was documented in your divorce, I think you said, and the way he’s chased you down these past months is basically stalking. Not to mention paying these private detectives to defame your character. The lawyer thought, all things considered, the situation might never go to court. Your husband should settle without fighting it. Didn’t you tell me that Martin was also having some legal problems with his business?”

  “Yes, it’s quite serious. There was more in the newspaper just yesterday.”

  “In that case, he might not want a big messy custody battle going on as well. I think the first thing to do, though, is find good representation for you, someone who really knows this area of the law. My friend in town gave me a few names. We can get some advice and take it from there.” James took Leigh’s hand in his own. “I know this will be very hard for you, but try to think of it as the last hurdle. We’ll get through it, and you’ll never have to worry again.”

  Leigh gazed into his eyes. It would be hard to finally face down Martin. But with James beside her, she felt her courage returning.

  “I can do it. If you help me.”

  “Every step of the way. With the good Lord’s help, too,” he added. He leaned over and lightly kissed her hair.

  Leigh rested her head against his shoulder. “And what’s going to happen after that, James?” she asked quietly. “After you help me deal with Martin, I mean. Will you return to the mission soon?”

  “Yes . . . the mission. That’s a bit complicated. . . .”

  Leigh lifted her head and turned to face him. “I just want you to know that I understand what your work means to you. I mean, I try to understand. And I don’t want you to feel that you’re forced now to make a choice between staying here with me and Julia and going back. I know how you feel about us. I believe everything you’ve said to me, James. But I want you to do what you need to do, whatever will make you happy. I don’t want you to stay here out of some sense of—of obligation or duty. I could never be happy that way.”

  James touched her cheek. “Obligation? I love you, Leigh, with all my heart. You’re a gift from above. The truth is, I’ve been unwilling to face the facts about my health for a long time. And those facts are that I’m still dealing with the aftermath of malaria, and it will be a long time before my body is sound enough to return to the kind of life I had in Nicaragua. That’s the bottom line. I’ve just been too scared to face it. Now that I have you and Julia, though, I don’t
feel so frightened anymore. I think, with God’s help, I can sort it all out. There are people in need all over the world. Right here in this country, in fact. I don’t have to travel halfway around the globe to continue my work, and I don’t have to abandon my calling entirely.”

  Leigh stared into his eyes, knowing there was one more truth to tell. “I don’t know if I could do the kind of work you do, James. I don’t know if I’m cut out for that kind of life. But I’d be willing to try, if you want me to.”

  James looked surprised and pleased. “All right, I may take you up on that offer someday. We’ll work it out, one way or the other—but together. You know, in Ben’s sermon on Christmas Day he said something that really stayed with me. He said that even in our darkest hour, we should always remember to keep our eyes fixed on the brightest star and walk forward in faith. And with God’s love to guide us, we’ll be led on, step by step, to the right place.”

  “That’s lovely, James. I’ll try to remember that,” she promised.

  “So will I. But if I forget, you remind me, all right?”

  He smiled then pulled her close. Leigh melted into his strong embrace, feeling loved and secure, happy and hopeful. Finally, at peace in her heart.

  “DO YOU THINK YOU’RE READY TO TELL HIM?” SAM SPOKE IN A HUSHED voice as he walked over to the kitchen table where Jessica was setting out sandwiches for lunch.

  Darrell was in the den, watching a Star Wars video. He had spent a good part of every day with them since Christmas, and just the night before, when they dropped him off at the center, Luke had pulled them aside to deliver big news: Darrell’s mother had decided to sign Darrell into foster care. Jessica and Sam had already agreed between themselves that they wanted to foster Darrell, so Luke suggested they talk to Darrell and then begin the process of applying to be his guardians.

  Now that everything was falling into place, Jessica felt a little nervous too—mainly because she was still unsure of how Darrell felt about her. She knew that it took time to build a trusting bond. She had fumbled things badly the first time around; she desperately want to get them right this time.

  She thought about Sam’s question. “I guess so. Luke said we ought to tell him and talk it over today, so it won’t be a total surprise when the social worker comes to speak with him tomorrow.”

  “He hasn’t asked me any questions outright, but I think he knows something’s going on.”

  “Because I’ve been so nice to him, you mean?” Jessica asked with a nervous laugh.

  Sam shook his head. “No, silly . . . well . . . maybe a little. I mean, I think Darrell thought you didn’t like him and all this attention has him wondering.”

  “I understand. I just hope that over time he’ll see that I’m sincere. It’s hard to put my feelings into words, Sam. I don’t know how to explain it to him. But I do know that, deep inside, something’s really changed. It’s like some switch in my heart just flipped over one day. I’m glad we’re going through with this. I want us to take Darrell in and to care for him as much as I wanted a baby.”

  Sam stared at her and blinked. “Well, that says it all, I guess.” He reached out and rested his hands on her shoulders. “I owe you an apology.”

  “For what?”

  “I was hard on you, Jessica. When you had the miscarriage, I acted like you were the one who needed comforting and everything was fine with me. I couldn’t admit that I was hurting, too, and that I was scared we might not have the family I wanted so badly.”

  “Oh, Sam—”

  “Let me finish, please. I think—originally—maybe I did get focused on Darrell as a way of avoiding our problems. But then I really got to know him and I got attached and I just expected you to feel the same way I did. I couldn’t see what was going on at the time. But I should have been more understanding about what you were going through and more considerate of your feelings, and I’m sorry for all of that.”

  Jessica put her arms around the man she loved so much. “It’s all right. We were both dealing with a lot.” She laughed softly. “Think of it this way. Now we’re ending up with two children instead of just one. That’s a good start, don’t you think?”

  “Plenty for me.” Sam held her close and she rested against him. “I think this is all going to work out.” His tone was soft with excitement. “I’m praying it will.”

  “Me, too,” she admitted. She heard footsteps approaching and opened her eyes to find Darrell standing in the doorway, watching them.

  “You guys kissing again?”

  “Kind of gross, huh?” Sam guessed.

  Darrell nodded emphatically. “Yuck.”

  “I guess that’s one way of describing it,” Jessica said with a grin. With one arm slung around Sam’s waist, she opened her other arm, beckoning the boy forward. “Come here, Darrell.”

  Darrell didn’t move. He looked confused, as if he didn’t understand, or couldn’t quite believe, that she was welcoming him into their embrace.

  Sam also held an arm out to the boy. “Come over here, buddy. We just want to give you a hug, too.”

  Darrell gave them both a tentative smile then walked over to where they stood, stopping a few steps short of his mark.

  “It’s okay,” Jessica coaxed him. She stepped closer to him and put her arm around his shoulder and stroked his hair. Sam slung his arm around Darrell from the opposite side, so that together, they formed a complete circle.

  “We’re happy to have you with us, Darrell. We really are,” she said.

  Darrell tolerated about twenty seconds of hugging before saying, “Uh—isn’t it time for lunch?” They broke apart and Darrell rolled his eyes at them, and Jessica wondered if once again she’d done the wrong thing. But as Darrell sat down at the table he gave them both a smile that left no room for doubt—it was pure happiness.

  The three of them dug into their sandwiches. Darrell combined two into a peanut-butter-and-jelly-and-ham-and-cheese hybrid, and seemed quite proud of himself when Jessica told him it was gross.

  Sam waited until the boy had finished eating, then said, “We’d like to talk to you about something, Darrell, something sort of serious.” Jessica felt her heartbeat pick up its pace. “I know Luke told you this morning that your mother has decided to let you live with a foster family, so you can be cared for while she’s trying to get well again.”

  Darrell nodded, his expression suddenly serious. “Yeah, he told me that.”

  “Well, Jessica and I would like you to come and live here with us. We’re not sure yet if that’s the way it’s going to work out. But we’re filling out all the papers and doing what we need to do. Would that be okay with you?”

  Darrell’s eyes widened in shock. “Live here with you? Me? Like, every day and night, too?”

  Jessica had to smile at his reaction. “Every day and night, too. You would have your own bedroom—that spare room at the top of the stairs. We’ll fix it up, just for you.”

  “Wow . . . awesome. . . .” He stared at Jessica, then back at Sam again, looking as if he still didn’t quite believe it. “Of course I want to live with you guys. What do you think—I’m crazy or something?”

  Sam’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “Well, we thought you might like the idea. But we had to ask, just to be sure.”

  “Thank you, Sam. Thank you for working this out for me. I’m going to be really good from now on. You’ll see.” Darrell glanced over at Jessica, as if she was the one who might doubt his words.

  Sam reached over and rested his hand on Darrell’s shoulder. “Jessica’s the one who really got the ball rolling, Darrell. I think you ought to thank her, too.”

  Jessica felt suddenly self-conscious, especially when Darrell looked at her curiously, as if he were trying to figure out if what Sam said was true.

  He seemed to think it over and reach a decision. “Uh, thanks, Jessica. I’m going to be really good. From now on, I promise.”

  “I know you will, Darrell. I know you’ll try your best. But don�
�t worry. We don’t expect perfection around here. Nobody’s perfect. Not even Sam,” she added with a teasing grin.

  She tilted her head to one side as she caught the boy’s eye. “I know our relationship got off to a bad start, Darrell. But I’m going to try my best now too. I think we can be really great friends. I’m sorry for the way I acted toward you. I think I just didn’t expect a little boy in my life,” she admitted.

  “That’s okay. . . . I was a little mean to you sometimes, too. Because Sam likes you so much, I guess. I guess I was just jealous or something.”

  Jessica had suspected as much but was surprised to see that Darrell could be so honest about his feelings. Maybe he was starting to trust her.

  “Let’s just start off again with a clean slate. And if you come to live with us, I’ll tell you one thing, you never have to be jealous. There’ll always be enough love to go around.”

  Sam glanced across the table with a loving look and she felt his silent approval.

  “Guess what, Darrell,” he said. “Jessica is going to have a baby in August. What do you think about that?”

  “I like babies. That’s cool.”

  Jessica grinned. “Yeah . . . I think it’s pretty cool, too. I think we’re going to have a pretty cool family.”

  Sam laughed at her and squeezed her hand. She felt his happiness, almost too much to contain. There were going to be a lot of changes for them in the new year, she reflected. But after all, that’s what life was all about, wasn’t it? No matter how carefully you scheduled and planned, you had to keep your mind and heart open to the unexpected ways God answered prayers. Maybe that’s what she had learned from all of this, Jessica thought as she gazed fondly at Darrell. And to think, she could have missed out on so much adventure and so much joy.

  IT WAS CLEAR AND SUNNY OUT, NOT A CLOUD IN SIGHT. THAT WAS ALL she really cared about, Emily realized. She tilted her head to glance out the bedroom window, checking the sky for what must have been the hundredth time since dawn. She hadn’t slept a wink, worrying about the weather, despite the fact that the forecasts had called for a dry, cold spell for days to come. But this was, after all, New England, what did forecasts know?