The Trouble With Angels Page 0,102

with her illness.

All he remembered was her pain.

All he could think about was his ongoing frustration and the intense feeling of helplessness.

All he could think about was his loss.

Like Madge, she was free of cancer now. Healed by the glorious hand of God. Not as he'd expected. Not as he'd wished. But healed.

Sure enough, the headlights slowed as they neared the house. Eric parked the car at the curb, and Paul watched as his son-in-law walked around the car and helped his wife out the passenger door. Eric took her hand, and some unspoken message passed between the two.

Not knowing they were being watched, Eric and Bethany kissed. Paul smiled, knowing well how it was to be deeply in love. His daughter and son-in-law were a good match.

He held open the door and greeted Bethany with a big hug. The two men exchanged hearty handshakes.

"I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already," Bethany said.

"I can," Eric muttered. "You would too if you'd gone out to do any Christmas shopping this morning."

"That's what you get for saving everything for the last moment," Bethany chastised, but without any real conviction. She sniffed the air. "What smells so good?"

Paul wiggled his eyebrows. "Your favorite fast-food chicken."

"Daddy, you didn't." Just the way she said it indicated that she hoped he had.

"Since the cook refused to name those eleven herbs and spices, I had no choice but to buy us a big bucket of the original recipe. I figured I might as well pick up all the fixings while I was at it."

"But I was going to cook for us," she protested, although she didn't look the least bit disappointed.

"You still can if you want." But if Paul were a wagering man, he'd have bet his daughter would be content with chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and the other goodies he'd bought.

"Who set the table?" Bethany asked, looking into the dining room.

"Me," Paul answered. "There isn't anyone else, is there?"

"No," Bethany agreed, but she seemed surprised. "The house looks great."

"We decorated it together, remember?" She really shouldn't need to be reminded. Paul couldn't understand why she studied him with such amazement.

"What?" he asked when he could bear her scrutiny no longer.

"Something's different," she said. "You're different. I don't know. It's as if you're really listening now, really seeing."

"I didn't before?" He stuck his index finger in his ear and jerked it back and forth a few times. "Maybe I should have my hearing tested."

"Are you two going to jabber all night?" Eric asked, carrying the bucket of chicken into the dining room. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I've developed an appetite."

"I'm starved," Bethany said.

"Come to think of it," Paul added, "so am I."

The three carried the varied cardboard serving dishes to the table. They sat down, joined hands, and said grace. It didn't take them long to load up their plates.

"You bought enough food to feed a family of eight," Bethany commented, a chicken leg poised in front of her mouth.

"One never knows when feeding Eric," Paul teased, and winked at his son-in-law.

Eric was good-natured enough not to retaliate.

"As I recall, there was something important you wanted to tell me," Paul reminded them.

Eric and Bethany exchanged happy glances. "Do you want to tell him?" Bethany asked her husband.

Eric grinned broadly and gestured toward his wife. "You go right ahead."

Bethany reached for a paper napkin and wiped her fingers free of grease. "Well, Dad," she said, and the happiness seemed to bubble up inside her like fizz in a soda can. She reached for Eric's hand and gripped it hard. "We're going to have a baby." Having said that, she started to cry, but these were happy tears, and her eyes were quickly dry. "We couldn't be more pleased."

"Bethany, Eric," Paul said, amazed he hadn't guessed sooner, "that's wonderful news."

"The baby's due on August tenth."

Paul's gaze found his daughter's.

"Yes, Daddy, I know. That was Mom's birthday. It's like God is returning to me a small part of Mom. I know that sounds silly, but I believe the baby's a girl. I've already chosen her name. Bobbi Jo. The baby name book explained that Bobbi is another name for Barbara."

"And the Jo is for Bethany Jo," Eric added.

"It's a beautiful name. Your mother would have been so pleased." Paul was pleased himself. Although his daughter and Eric had been married four years, he hadn't thought much about grandchildren. Frankly, he rather liked the idea.

"And on the off chance we happen to have a son,"