A Forever Family Collection

The solo violinist sat upright, adjusted his jacket and then began “Wedding March” by Felix Mendelssohn. All heads turned back to see Amber hug her grandmother before she took her first tentative step. She looked like a tiny angel in her ankle-length pastel pink silk dress. A circle of fresh rosebuds and gypsophila sat atop her blonde curls and a smile dressed her cherub-like face as she walked down the white carpet aisle, scattering rose petals with each tiny step.

Mitchell’s mouth curved into an equally big smile as he caught sight of her. She was walking towards the jasmine-covered arbour where he stood with his groomsmen. His legs, hidden by the black designer suit, were shaking a little as the much-anticipated moment of his bride’s entrance drew closer. Amber tried to stay in time to the strains of the violin but she gave up and happily skipped the last few feet.

‘You look so pretty,’ Mitchell told her as he bent down and kissed her forehead then took her tiny hand in his.

‘You thould thee Mummy.’ She beamed. ‘She lookth like a printheth.’

‘I bet she does.’

Alli and Laura appeared from the marquee in their floor-length pale pink silk bridesmaid’s gowns and slowly made their way to the arbour. The shoestring straps of their dresses were embellished with tiny crystals, their hair was softly curled and falling around their shoulders, and they each held posies of roses and gypsophila. All eyes were on them until moments later Arthur escorted Jade onto the white carpet walkway.

Mitchell felt his heart stop for a moment. His wife-to-be was breathtakingly beautiful. Her cream silk dress clung to her body like a second skin. It was nothing close to a maiden aunt’s attire. The halter neckline was trimmed in crystals and her shaking hands held a posy of pink rosebuds. A delicate short veil skimmed her bare shoulders but allowed Mitchell and the wedding guests to see her beautiful smiling face.

With short steps, she walked towards the man who had shown her that it was okay to be herself. The man who would not let her live a life carrying guilt or regret. The man who had captured her heart and given her love in return was waiting for her and holding the hand of the most precious little flower girl. His daughter.

Each step brought her closer to the most important people in her universe.

They were all she would ever need.

Arthur finally released Jade’s hand to the security of Mitchell’s.

‘You look beautiful,’ Mitchell told her as he held her hand tightly.

Jade smiled at her soon-to-be husband. With one hand holding Amber and the other firmly clasping Jade’s, the three of them stood before the celebrant.

‘We do,’ Amber suddenly called aloud.

The guests all laughed at the little girl’s impromptu announcement, and Mitchell turned to face Jade with an overwhelming feeling of desire and love surging through his body.

‘I guess if Amber can’t wait … neither can I.’

Mitchell gently released Amber’s hand. Throwing tradition to the wind, he lifted Jade’s veil, swept her into his arms and just before his mouth met hers he whispered, ‘I will love you for ever, Mrs Forrester.’

Six-Week Marriage Miracle (#ulink_e73aef8b-42ba-5445-849c-177333d0aab2)

Jessica Matthews

To Judi Fennell for her Spanish language expertise.

Any errors are my own.

To adoptive and foster parents across the world.

Your generous spirit is truly an inspiration

to all of us.

CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_b86ce499-76d5-5362-8640-696b95e71381)

“ANOTHER ambulance is coming.”

Leah Montgomery didn’t spare her nursing colleague a glance as she stripped the used hospital sheets from the bed. “Tell me something I don’t already know,” she said wryly. “The moon was full when we came to work this morning.”

Although it wasn’t a scientific fact, hospital staff the world over recognized and accepted that full-moon shifts were the proverbial shifts from hell. So far, this was shaping up to be one of them. Everything from car wrecks, heart attacks, lawn mower accidents, and simple sore throats had flooded the Spring Valley ER on this hot August day.

While many of her staff bemoaned the extra workload, she didn’t mind the increased pace at all. Being busy kept her mind off things she didn’t want to think about—things like her husband’s plane crashing in the Mexican jungle a month ago today. Or the report stating that there were no survivors, which meant Gabe was dead.

Dead!

After four painfully long weeks, it still seemed surreal, as if she might wake up some morning and discover she’d simply had a horrible nightmare. To her disappointment, each day was like the one before—the facts hadn’t changed overnight. Neither did they change when she worked until she was too exhausted to reflect on the losses in her life.

If her boss would allow it, she’d cover more shifts than her PRN status allowed in order to keep her demons at bay. She was willing to do anything to stay busy until time took away the anguish over her last conversation with Gabe—the one where she’d asked to make their separation permanent with a divorce.

Some might call her crazy, others might say she was being silly and sentimental, but the truth was, she was mourning for Gabe on so many levels. Grieving that his vibrant life had been cut short at age thirty-eight; grieving that their marriage had reached an impasse; grieving for the loss of their dreams and missed opportunities. Was it any wonder she needed the fast pace of the hospital, the steady stream of new patients and drama as a life raft she could climb aboard?

“I hear Maternity is swamped,” Jane rattled on, blithely unaware of Leah’s inattention. “They’re so packed with new moms, they’re overflowing into the med-surg unit.” She unfolded a fresh sheet and began tucking the corners under the mattress.

Leah pictured a nursery filled with bassinets of sleeping babies wearing pink or blue stocking hats, the hallway crowded with beaming fathers and proud grandparents while new mothers, some having already forgotten the pain of childbirth, looked on benevolently. She didn’t begrudge the new families their happiness, but a familiar pang of disappointment shot through her chest.

At one time, she’d imagined herself in similar circumstances, with her parents waiting for their first peek at her child while Gabe passed out the bubblegum cigars and strutted as only a new father could. She’d fallen pregnant almost immediately after they’d decided it was time to start their family, making that dream seem like a sure thing and easily within her grasp. In her mind, and Gabe’s, the future couldn’t have been brighter.

Life, however, had rewritten her beautifully scripted scene.

Instead of joining the ranks of other new mothers, she’d become one of a small percentage of women who became a gynecological emergency. Shortly after entering her last trimester of an unremarkable pregnancy, her placenta had separated without warning. She’d lost the baby as well as her hopes for future children when profuse and unstoppable bleeding had necessitated a hysterectomy. Afterwards, she’d been whisked away to the surgical floor where babies weren’t seen or heard.

Her parents had been there for her, of course, but pity, not pride, had shown on their faces. As for Gabe … he’d been on one of his occasional trips for the Montgomery family’s medical foundation. He’d come as soon as her parents had called him, but time zones and flight schedules had prevented his return until the day she was ready to be released.

“I just love to stop and peek at the newborns,” Jane gushed. “They have such cute little wrinkled faces.” Suddenly, she stopped short. “Oh, Leah. Here I am, babbling on so insensitively about babies after everything you’ve been through. First a miscarriage, then the adoption fiasco—”

Leah cut off her friend’s reminder of their failed foray into the world of adoption. After her surgery, still hazy from the grief of her loss, Gabe had convinced her to think about adoption and then so many things had fallen into place with amazing speed—Gabe’s lawyer had known a young woman who’d wanted to relinquish her baby. They’d hurriedly filled out the necessary paperwork and completed the required governmental home studies and background checks. The entire time the birth mother had been adamant about her choice—she was making the right decision for both her and her unborn child. Yet when the hour arrived for Leah and Gabe to pick up the baby from the hospital, the young woman had changed her mind and Leah had once again driven home empty-handed.

Leah couldn’t fault the girl for her change of heart—it had to be difficult to relinquish one’s child, especially after seeing that tiny person for the first time—but understanding didn’t take away her gut-wrenching disappointment.

“It’s okay,” she lied. “I don’t fall apart just because someone talks about babies or mentions how cute they are.”

Admittedly, they were, but seeing those adorable little faces was tough, which was why she never, ever, entered the secured area to stare at them through the plate-glass window. Why add insult to injury? she’d rationalized.

“I know, but—”

“It’s okay,” Leah repeated, as much for her own benefit as Jane’s. “Honestly.”

Jane nodded, but the worried wrinkle between her eyes suggested her good-mood bubble had burst. Determined to regain their easy footing, Leah thought it best to gently steer the conversation in another direction, for both their sakes.

“OB isn’t the only busy department in this place,” she commented as she tucked a fitted sheet around a corner of the mattress. “Our daily patient census is above average across the entire hospital and we both know our ED visit numbers are up, too. The extra business should make the bean counters happy.”

“Maybe this year we’ll get a Christmas bonus for a job well done,” Jane responded hopefully.

Word from the last supervisors’ meeting was that the possibility was remote, but Leah wasn’t going to rain on Jane’s picnic. “Maybe, but, bonus or not, more patients means more nursing staff are necessary, which means I work more often.”