She pressed her finger to his lips. “Shhhhh.”
He laughed. “Oh, yeah, I forgot my princess doesn’t arrive until after an early morning run or a cup of coffee, whichever comes first.”
Anna dropped a kiss on his smiling mouth and scooted out the door, glad for the silence.
Lorena was already in the final stages of pushing by the time Anna arrived, and her healthy baby boy entered the world with a boisterous howl. She held her baby for a few minutes and then tearfully handed him to Anna.
“Right now, the greatest expression of love I can offer my son, Auntie, is to give him to you. I know I’m not ready for such a huge responsibility. But, oh, it’s hard.” Lana and Tom folded Lorena in a hug and wept with their daughter.
Anna gathered the beautiful infant snug in her arms and began to sway back and forth. “You’re so loved, little one. There’s so much love in this room, you have no idea how blessed you are.” A giant tear coursed down Anna’s face as she felt an instant affection and love bloom within her heart for the sleeping child.
Matt entered the room and hurried over to Anna. He embraced them both in the circle of his arms. “Matt, meet your beautiful baby, chosen of God to be your son.” Large tears pooled in his eyes as he gingerly took the tiny infant into his arms and kissed the baby’s brow. “He’s so perfect, Anna, so incredibly perfect.”
They walked over to Lorena, who now sat peacefully watching the exchange between them. “Lorena, we’d like to call him Jesse if that’s okay with you. The name means gift.”
Lorena smiled through a curtain of tears and nodded readily. “Yes, I like that. I like that a lot.”
Matt looked up to see Lana and Tom wistfully looking on. Intuitively, he knew what the Spirit wanted him to do. He walked around the bed to where they stood and carefully transferred the baby into Lana’s waiting arms. “It’s time Jesse meets his grandma and grandpa.” Anna nodded in agreement and mouthed, “You’re the best.”
Lorena caught the exchange. “I’ve made a wise decision today, haven’t I?”
Matt leaned in and gave Lorena the biggest hug and whispered a few words. Lorena smiled and hugged him again.
Anna moved closer, placing her arm around Matt. He drew her to his side as she looked down at Lorena and reassured her, “Although we’ll legally adopt Jesse and love him as our treasured son, you’ll always be his birth mother. When you’re ready to let him know, we’ll stand beside you. We don’t want this to be a big secret. We’ll all join in raising him in an environment with so much love he’ll feel special and chosen rather than adopted. He’ll know, Lorena, that you gave the greatest gift of all. You gave him life, and you should be very proud of yourself.”
Lorena’s eyes lit up and a tired smile spread across her face.
Anna just had to know. “Hey, what did you say to Lorena when you hugged her at the hospital?”
Matt laughed. “That’ll cost you a kiss, Mrs. Carmichael.”
“But that’s too easy,” she giggled, planting a smooch right on his lips.
He grabbed her close and held on tight encouraging two, three, four and a whole lot more. Lying in the crook of his arm an hour later, she finally got her answer.
““I told Lorena I would never again risk losing you but that I secretly wanted another child. I thanked her for the incredible gift she gave me in that little boy, and how thrilled I am to be his daddy.”
Anna snuggled close and threw an arm around his chest in a bear hug.
“I find it so fascinating how God works. What you and Lorena felt was your most devastating failure, he turned into good—a beautiful gift of life. All because you both chose to do it his way. Could you imagine life without little Melody and now, baby Jesse?”
Anna shook her head. “Matt, I’ve thought about that many times. Melody brings me so much joy, and my heart bursts with love for Jesse. What I would’ve missed—”
Matt rolled over and held his face just above Anna’s.
“And what I would have missed.” Matt planted a kiss on Anna’s brow. “Sweet Melody for one.” He planted another kiss on her left cheek. “And her stubborn but beautiful mama.” He dropped a kiss on the other cheek. “Who would’ve kept dodging me.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Had that little girl not brought me to her doorstep over and over again.” A rain of kisses found their way to her lips.
Anna laughed up at him. “Ahhh, Doctor Carmichael, you truly are too good to be true. How did I ever get so blessed?”
Matt rolled back beside her and lifted her hand to his lips.
“I feel the same about you, my dear lady. God is so good.”
“Yes, Matt, he truly is.”
Their words of faith ascended into the heavens, and a gift from the invisible realm descended and perfumed the room with a surreal presence of peace.
“Do you feel that?” Matt whispered.
Anna nodded, unable to speak, and squeezed his hand.
Blossom Turner is a freelance writer published in Chicken Soup and Kernels of Hope anthologies, former newspaper columnist on health and fitness, and an avid blogger. She lives in British Columbia, Canada, with her husband, David, of thirty-six years. A former business woman, personal trainer, and mother of two grown children she is now pursuing her lifelong dream of writing full-time.
A hopeless romantic at heart, she believes all story should give the reader significant entertainment value. However, her writing embodies the struggles of real life. She infuses the reality of suffering with the hope of Christ to give
