nearly every corner in Seattle, they decided to meet there in the next fifteen minutes.
Zach got there first, and by the time she arrived, he was at the counter, ordering their drinks. Laurel found them a table by the window. Almost instantly, Zach returned with two drinks.
“I got you a peppermint latte,” he said. “Your favorite.”
“Thank you.” She looked down at the drink rather than meet his gaze.
“My guess is you went without anything to eat this morning.”
Her stomach wouldn’t tolerate food and he knew it.
Silence stretched like a summertime taffy pulled between them, rough and sticky. Zach was the one who’d asked her for coffee, and so she waited for him to speak first.
“I drove around most of the night,” he said, his voice hoarse and full of emotion. “That gave me plenty of opportunity to think about what you said. Did you mean it, Laurel? Were you sincere in saying you wanted me to find a wife who could give me a family?”
She sipped her latte before she replied. “Yes. I meant it.” Even now, after all these hours, she could tell that he still had trouble believing her.
Zach leaned back in the chair and ran his hand over his face. “Don’t you know by now that I don’t want anyone but you?”
“Please,” she whispered, her voice so faint she couldn’t be sure he heard her. “Please don’t make this any more difficult than it already is.”
“Don’t you understand? What more do I need to say to convince you that you’re far more than my wife? You’re my best friend, my entire life. I don’t know how you can even think you’re not enough for me, when you are my whole world.”
She raised her head and met his eyes. His look was dark and intense, pleading.
“I don’t want to live if it isn’t with you. Please, Laurel. Don’t let my mistakes destroy us. I couldn’t bear it. Please forgive me. We can make this work.”
Laurel, in all honesty, wasn’t sure she could bear life without him, either. Tears flooded her eyes and rained down her cheeks.
“Baby, please don’t cry. It hurts me to see you like this. If you can’t forgive me…”
“Are you absolutely sure, Zach? I can’t go through another night like that again.”
“I’m one hundred percent sure.” He stood so fast that he nearly toppled his chair over. He reached for her, pulling her off the seat and into his arms. Laurel was immediately wrapped in his embrace. His hug was tight enough to cut off her breath.
Standing in Starbucks, they clung to each other. “I’m sure, too,” she managed to choke out from behind the tears that had begun to flow again.
“We’re a team, Laurel. We’re a family—you and me. Not having a baby won’t change what we have between us. We were meant to be together and I won’t let you send me away.”
That was what she needed to know. It was enough. It was more than enough.
“Excuse me.” A woman’s voice broke through the fog of their reunion. “Are you finished with this table?”
“It’s all yours.” And with his arm tucked around Laurel’s waist, he added, “My wife and I are heading home.”
* * *
—
“You’ll come to the Christmas Eve service with us, won’t you?” Helen asked Mrs. Miracle as they said their good-byes. This was Mrs. Miracle’s last day before Christmas. She would miss the woman who had become a dear friend, but it would be hard to justify the expense of a paid companion when it wasn’t necessary. As compensation, two uninterrupted weeks with Laurel would be exactly what her heart needed to prepare her for the holidays.
“I’ll meet you at the church with bells on,” Mrs. Miracle assured, and in a low voice only Helen could hear, she added, “And I mean literally. You’ll hear me before you see me. Listen for the bells.”
Laurel had gone into the other room, so Helen felt free to speak, although quietly. “I’ll keep my ears open. Can you tell me when to expect the baby’s arrival?”
The angel’s smile was huge. “Soon.”
“Before Christmas?”
“I can’t be sure, but if not before, then shortly thereafter.”
“That’s wonderful news.” Helen was relieved. As tempting as it was, she hadn’t said anything to Laurel or Zach. Something had changed between the young couple. Helen didn’t fully understand what had transpired the day of the school production, but soon after the performance, Laurel had returned to the house with Zach. Helen had wept quiet tears of