“Kathleen!”
She turned back. “What?”
He gestured toward her car. “Not a chance in hell. We’ll take mine.”
She laughed. “Mine’s closer.”
“Then I’ll drive.”
“What’s wrong with my driving?” she asked, even as she docilely went around to the passenger side of the car.
“Too fast and too dangerous,” he said succinctly. He decided it was time to lay his greatest fear on the table, the one he couldn’t shake because he was reminded of it every single time he saw her behind the wheel. “It reminds me of the way Graciela drove.”
Her mouth dropped open and tears immediately filled her eyes. “Oh, Ben, why didn’t you say something? I thought you were just being a macho jerk.”
He shrugged. “Maybe a little of that, too,” he admitted. “Think you can slow down, just enough so I don’t go crazy worrying every time you’re on the road?”
She reached for his hand. “I’ll never go above the speed limit again,” she promised.
“That’s something, I suppose.”
“You wouldn’t want me to poke along, would you?”
“It would make my day, actually.”
“Then I’ll drive like some little old lady heading for church on Sunday,” she promised. “You’re not going to lose me in an accident, Ben. Not if I can help it.”
“I wish it were possible to be sure of that,” he told her. “But I know it’s not. I just know I don’t want to lose you by pretending that I don’t love you.”
She touched his cheek. “Then isn’t it a good thing you’ve admitted it at last? We’ve got that all cleared up.”
“Yes,” he said quietly. “It’s a very good thing.”
The best, in fact.
* * *
At the hospital they found Destiny, Mack and Beth gathered in the waiting room. There was no sign of Richard.
“Did he faint?” Ben asked.
“No, he’s in the delivery room,” Mack said. “Pity the poor doctor with Richard looking over his shoulder. I’m sure he had a plan for just how this delivery is supposed to go, too.”
Kathleen and Beth exchanged a look and chuckled.
“Fortunately, Dr. Kelly has dealt with a great many expectant fathers before,” Beth said confidently. “I think he can keep Richard in line.”
“Ha!” Mack said. “Richard is used to running a multinational corporation. Organizing a delivery room to suit him will be a piece of cake.”
“Not after the first time Melanie screams her head off,” Beth predicted.
Mack paled at that. “There’s going to be screaming?”
“Plenty, I imagine,” Beth confirmed.
He scowled at her. “We are adopting all of our kids.”
Beth gave him a long, lingering look, then said quietly, “Too late for that.”
Mack simply stared at her. “A baby,” he said eventually. “We’re going to have a baby?”
“In about eight months,” Beth said, grinning.
Mack sank onto a chair as Kathleen and Destiny rushed over to hug Beth. Ben went to sit beside his obviously shaken brother.
“You okay?” Ben asked.
Mack nodded slowly. “I didn’t know about the screaming.”
“Can’t be much worse than some football player who’s just gotten his collar bone dislocated.” He gave Mack a pointed look. “Or his knee shattered.”
“I didn’t scream,” Mack said defensively. “Either time.”
“Tell that to someone who couldn’t hear you from twenty rows up on the fifty-yard line,” Ben said. “Women have been doing this since time began. They’re tough. Tougher than we are, in fact.”
Mack glanced over in the direction of his wife and smiled slowly. “Yeah, they are, aren’t they?” He turned back to Ben. “So what about you and Kathleen? Did you work things out?”
“We’re getting married,” Ben admitted.
“Well, hallelujah!”
His exuberant shout brought the three women across the room.
“More good news?” Beth asked, her gaze on Ben.
He glanced at Kathleen. “Looks like we’re all going to steal the new baby’s thunder.”
“I seriously doubt Richard or Melanie will even notice,” Beth told him. “Come on, spill it.”
“I asked Kathleen to marry me,” he said, reaching for her hand. “And she’s said yes.”
Destiny began to cry. “Now that is worth celebrating. Oh, darling, I am so happy for you. For both of you.” She sighed. “A June wedding will be perfect.”
“Not June,” Kathleen told her without apology. “January.”
Destiny’s mouth gaped. “This January? As in next month?”
“That’s what she said,” Ben confirmed. “Before my show opens at her gallery.”
Destiny sank onto the chair next to Mack and reached for his hand. “Well, this really is moving along quickly.”
Ben caught an odd note in her voice. “Too quickly?” he asked worriedly.
“Oh no, darling. Getting you happily settled could never come too quickly.”
“Then why did you say that?” he asked.
“Never mind,” she said briskly and turned her attention to Kathleen. “We have a lot to do. I think we should get your mother down here right away, don’t you?”
Kathleen paled. “Oh, my God. I forgot all about going to Providence.” She glanced at her watch. “They’re going to be expecting me any minute now.”
“Call them,” Destiny advised. “Tell them about the baby and the engagement and invite them all to come here tomorrow. I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate Christmas. We have so much happy news.”
“You know, you could be right,” Kathleen said. “Maybe this will be enough to get them all to finally come down here. I’ll go outside and call right now on my cell phone.”
Ben followed her. “You sure you want to drop this bombshell on them like this?” he asked. “We could go up there tomorrow. Maybe they should at least meet me before we spring the rest of the family on them.”
“No,” she said decisively. “I like the idea of all of us being together here on Christmas. Maybe they’ll see what a real family holiday can be like.”
“Whatever you want,” he said. “Want me to wait for you inside?”
She reached for his hand. “No, stay with me,” she pleaded as the call went through. “Hello, Mother.”
Ben couldn’t hear exactly what her mother said, but it was communicated in an aggrieved tone he couldn’t mistake. He watched Kathleen intently, but her expression never wavered.
“Mother, if you’ll just listen for a minute, I can explain. I got engaged tonight, to
