Gunn One More Wish

Christy & Todd: The Married Years Series
1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9828772-8-9
Verlag: Robin's Nest Productions, Inc.
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 273 Seiten

As Christy blows out the 26 candles on her birthday cake, she closes her eyes and makes a wish. Could this be the year that she and Todd finally have a baby? They know that everything will change once they have a child. Are they ready for all the adjustments a new little one would bring? Christy isn't sure. But as her closest friends announce they are expecting, Christy's heart carries an ache for a child of her own. On their way home from Sierra's wedding, Todd opens up the discussion of adoption and soon a simple invitation turns into a life-changing season. Christy's patience and understanding are stretched beyond her limits, and she finds herself holding not just one baby in her arms, but two. Everything Christy and Todd thought about family and hospitality shifts as the two of them dare to make one more wish and believe that God's timing is flawless.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gunn, Robin Jones

Leseproben

Christy closed her eyes.

“Go ahead,” Todd said. “Make a wish.”

Maui. I wish Todd and I could go to Maui.

Returning to Maui had been a secret hope ever since Todd and she had gone there for their honeymoon more than four years ago. Now that her aunt and uncle were planning a trip for the fall, Maui had been on her mind.

Christy opened her eyes, took a quick breath, and victoriously blew out all the candles. The circle of friends gathered around the kitchen counter cheered.

“Wait till you taste this carrot cake.” Doug pulled out the tiny candles so his wife could cut slices for everyone. “It’s gotta be Tracy’s best recipe so far. Not that I want her to stop experimenting, since I’m her official taste tester.”

Todd slipped his arm around Christy’s waist and leaned close to murmur into her long nutmeg-brown hair, “So, what did you wish for?”

“I can’t tell you,” she said playfully. “If I do, it won’t come true.”

“I think we can all guess what she wished for.” Tracy put down the cake knife and used both hands to shape an invisible bubble in front of her belly.

A baby. Christy’s heart did a little flutter. Oh yes, please. May this be the year!

“Light the candles again,” Christy said. “I need to make one more wish.”

“Too late,” Doug said. “The cake has already been cut. Guess we have to eat it. You first, Christy. Go for it.”

“If you didn’t wish for a baby,” Tracy said, “then what did you wish for? Now I want to know, too.”

A nervous twinge made Christy’s stomach tighten. I’m not ready to have a baby. Why did I just say that I wanted to make one more wish?

She dodged her petite friend’s question and pulled a gallon of milk from the refrigerator. “Todd, could you grab some more paper cups?”

The teens gathered in her kitchen were local beach kids who showed up each week for the Friday Night God Lovers Gathering. Christy was eager to move the focus off of any possible discussion about when Todd and she should start having babies. She was glad when Tracy held out the first slice of birthday cake.

“Mmm.” Christy nodded her approval. “Doug’s right. This is your best cake ever.”

One of the girls stuck forks into the slices as quickly as Tracy plated them. The gang helped themselves and headed back into the living room or out onto the front deck.

Sidling up to Christy, Todd gave her a familiar chin-up nod. She read the signal and offered her beach-boy husband a bite of her cake. His grown-out, sun-bleached hair fell across his forehead as he leaned in closer for a second bite.

“Hey, Mr. Moocher,” Christy teased, pulling her plate away from him. “You better get your own piece. I have plans for the rest of this one.”

“Here you go.” Tracy held out a big slice for Todd. “Mooch no more.”

Doug eyed Todd’s piece of cake. “If you have another piece that size, I’ll find a good home for it.”

“I bet you will.” Tracy grinned and elbowed her husband’s stomach. She cut him a large slice, and he leaned over and kissed her on the side of her head.

“You should be the one getting the bonus piece,” Doug said. “Now that you’re eating for two.”

Christy paused in midbite. “What did you just say?”

Doug stuck his fork in his mouth, but it might as well have been his foot by the look of exasperation Tracy gave him.

“You didn’t tell Christy already?”

No one else from the group was still in the kitchen so it was unlikely anyone besides Christy and Todd had heard Doug’s comment. That didn’t seem to bring much comfort to Tracy.

“No, remember? I told you I wanted to wait. Tonight was supposed to be all about Christy and her birthday.”

“Sorry, Trace. I thought you had told her.”

Christy scooted around to the other side of the counter and wrapped her arms around her friend. “I’ll share my birthday celebration with you and your good news anytime. Congratulations!”

Todd joined Christy’s expression of cheer by giving Doug a shoulder-bump sort of handshake and hug while both men were balancing their cake plates in their free hands. “That’s great news, man. Happy for you guys.”

“I think it’s pretty awesome.” Doug wrapped his arm around his blushing wife.

“I just want to be sure before we tell people. We haven’t been to the doctor yet. I’ll feel better about announcing it after we see him.” Tracy lowered her voice and looked at Christy. “But if I am pregnant, I hope you get pregnant soon, too. It would be so fun to have babies close together.”

Christy smiled and felt the nervous clenching sensation return. She glanced at Todd to see his response to the thought of their having a baby in the near future.

“I wouldn’t mind that,” he said. “Couple more little grommets around here would be great.”

One of the teen girls came into the kitchen and tossed a stack of emptied plates into the trash. “Did you just say we need more grommets here?”

Todd nodded and took another bite of cake.

“No! We need more older guys. Not more young surfer boys who can’t even drive yet. Don’t you know any college guys you could invite?”

“College guys?” Tracy questioned. “Lindee, aren’t you going to be a sophomore this year?”

“Yes, but I like older guys. That’s normal, right?” Broad-shouldered Lindee towered over petite Tracy. Her dark, thick eyebrows were her most noticeable feature and seemed to cave in at the top of her long nose, which caused her to appear angry much of the time.

“So, are you saying you think our dating service skills are lacking here on Friday nights?” Doug’s good-natured personality served him well when it came to being around teens like Lindee. Secretly, Christy felt intimidated by her.

Lindee put her hand on her hip. “Since you put it that way, yes. I mean, seriously. Come on, you guys. Don’t you remember what it was like when you were our age? You’ve gotta help us out here.”

Doug gave her a look of fake shock. “And here I thought all this time that you were coming because of the great Bible teaching and awesome worship.”

“Well, yeah, I know that’s the main thing. But ever since Rick and Nicole got married and moved to New York none of Rick’s friends has been coming anymore.”

Todd gave a shrug. “We go with what we’ve got. This is what we’ve got. At least for now.”

“It could change,” Tracy said. “Start praying that more quality guys start coming.”

Lindee looked doubtful.

“Better than that,” Tracy added. “Start praying for your future husband. Christy and I did.”

Lindee studied Todd and then turned her focus on Doug as if deciding whether they represented a worthwhile answer to prayer. She seemed undecided. “Neither of you guys have tattoos, do you? I want to find a nice guy who has tattoos and a motorcycle and likes cats.”

“In that case,” Doug said, “we should all start praying for the poor guy right now.”

Christy wanted to laugh. Instead she licked the last bit of cream cheese frosting from her fork so her expression wouldn’t give away her thoughts.

“You guys are making fun of me.”

“No,” Doug said. “I just use every opportunity I can to make fun of cats.”

“You’re mean.” She gave Doug a scowl, turned, and walked away with an awkward thumping of her feet.

The four friends exchanged bemused glances.

“You know, she has a valid point about how this group has changed,” Tracy said. “It feels different now that we don’t have other people here that are our ages. We started with mostly twenty-somethings and now it’s all teens.”

Todd repeated his line about going with what they had, and Doug continued his teasing mode by adding, “Are you saying the three of us aren’t fun enough for you on a Friday night?”

“I love you guys. You know that. I guess I just miss the conversations I used to have with other peers here on Friday nights.” Tracy blinked behind her glasses. “It’s the Mommy Syndrome, I think. There’s too much toddler time going on in my life right now.”

“Why don’t we meet up this week at Julia Ann’s?” Christy suggested.

“Yeah, for one of your girly tea parties.” Doug straightened up and squared his broad shoulders so that he stood taller than the rest of them. “Weren’t you just saying the other day how much you missed doing that with Christy?”

Christy wasn’t sure when she could fit in a leisurely morning sipping tea lattes with Tracy. But it seemed like a good idea to suggest it, and Doug certainly supported the idea.

“Yes. I’d love that,” Tracy said. “Maybe we could go on Tuesday since that’s your official birthday.”

“Sure, Tuesday would be great.”

“Do you think they’ll...