Faithless Angel (38 page)

“And what is this little angel’s name?” the nurse asked as she placed the newborn infant into Faith’s arms.

“Jane.”

“Rachel.”

Faith and Jesse spoke the names at the same time, their full attention on the tiny baby girl bundled in a soft pink blanket. Their gazes shifted, colliding with one another’s, and the nurse chuckled.

“I won’t even ask about this one.” She handed Jesse a second child wrapped in a blue blanket. “I’ll just give you proud parents a moment alone; then I’ll be back to collect these two for the nursery. Maybe you can decide on their names by then. Oh.” She paused in the doorway. “Should I tell the gentleman waiting outside the good news? He’s been here all night. We tried to get him to go home, but
he said he intended to be here until you squeezed this puppy out.”

“Squeezed this puppy out?” Faith stared at Jesse, a grin tugging at her lips. “And we picked him to be the godfather?”

The nurse laughed. “Oh, give him a chance. The way he’s been nagging, he’ll make a great godparent.”

“And he won’t be going it alone,” Jesse reminded Faith, giving her a wink. “Trudy and Emily are sharing godmother responsibilities. What with the way they’ve been reading all your baby books, I’m sure they’ll keep Bradley in line.”

A gleam lit the nurse’s eyes. “So what do you say? Can I break the news?”

Faith and Jesse exchanged glances, then nodded. “Make sure you sit him down first. We didn’t tell anybody we were having twins, so he’s only expecting one.”

The nurse smiled. “Oh, I’ll sit him down, all right. Him and every one of those kids packed into the waiting room.”

“How many kids?”

“At least two dozen, and all as anxious as that Bradley.”

Faith and Jesse exchanged glances. “I guess he brought everybody at Faith’s House and the shelter, too.” The shelter referred to Salvation House, a new temporary refuge for homeless teens now located in Jesse’s old apartment building. With the help of several private investors, the building had been bought, renovated, and now served as a beacon to the community. Jesse ran Salvation House, while Faith remained the foster mother to her kids at Faith’s House. She had just finalized adopting Trudy.

Based on his past history of fleeing foster homes
and county agencies, CPS had classified Daniel’s sudden disappearance from the hospital as another runaway attempt. His case remained open, and authorities were still on the lookout for him. Not that anyone would ever find him, Faith thought. Daniel had simply vanished, as abruptly, as mysteriously as all records of Jesse’s untimely death.

Estelle’s background check on Jesse had finally come through a few days after Daniel’s disappearance, and oddly enough, records showed Jesse alive and well and living in Houston.

A miracle, Faith and Jesse had concluded.

Now only the small headstone next to his younger brother’s grave stood as a reminder to them. But oddly enough there were no engraved words, as if someone had wiped the marble clean. It was enough that they remembered, and were grateful for all that they had been given.

Faith stared down at the tiny baby girl with dark hair and dark eyes so much like Jesse’s; then her gaze shifted to the little boy cradled in his daddy’s arms. Nine months of worrying and wondering surged through Faith and wiped the smile from her face.

“Jesse?”

“Mmmm,” he said, trailing a fingertip down his son’s cheek.

“What if …” Her words trailed off and his gaze lifted to meet hers. “I mean, we’ve never had a real baby before. The kids at Faith’s House and the shelter are different. They aren’t babies. And we don’t just have one. We have two, and I don’t know how to handle one, much less both of them. What if they start crying and I can’t comfort them—”

Jesse touched his fingertips to her lips. “
We’ll
comfort them. The two of us. Together.”

She tamped down her fears and summoned a smile. “I forgot you raised your brother and sister from diapers. You’re practically an expert.”

“Not yet. But after five or six more …”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Five or six?”

He grinned. “Maybe seven.”

She started to protest, battle-weary after fourteen hours of excruciating labor. Then the baby girl sighed and snuggled deeper into Faith’s arms, and warmth surged through her. “Okay, maybe seven.” She touched the baby’s tiny nose, her mouth. The small lips parted, suckling the tip of her finger. “You’re so beautiful,” she cooed. “Just like your aunt.”

The boy chose that moment to let loose a loud wail, obviously displeased to be left out of the compliment.

“And this one’s got a set of lungs to match his uncle’s.” Jesse grinned as if his new son had just been named a first-draft pick by the NFL. “He’s just as loud as Jason,” he said, remembering his brother. But there was no sadness in his voice. He’d come to terms with his grief. Now all that remained were fond memories. “I swear I didn’t sleep for the first six months after he was born.”

Tears spilled past Faith’s lashes as she watched her husband cuddle the tiny baby boy and shush his crying, and with each soft word he whispered, each rock of his strong arms, Faith felt her heart swell.

Soon the boy quieted and both babies settled into a safe sleep, nestled in the arms of their mommy and daddy.

“Rachel Jane Savage,” Faith finally murmured. “That’s her name.”

“And this is Jason,” Jesse added. “Jason Savage.”

“Rachel and Jason.” Faith stared down at the precious
children born of the love she and Jesse shared, and smiled. A boy and a girl.
Rachel and Jason
. “I wonder if your aunt and uncle would like that?”

Far, far away, beyond the hospital room and the storm clouds, in the vast diamond-studded blackness of heaven, two stars twinkled in answer.

They liked it. Very, very much.

About the Author

Bestselling author Kimberly Raye started her first novel in high school and has been writing ever since. To date, she’s published more than fifty-eight novels, two of them prestigious RITA Award nominees. She’s also been nominated by Romantic Times BOOK reviews for several Reviewer’s Choice awards, as well as a career achievement award. Her books have been featured in numerous magazines, including Cosmo and Better Homes and Garden. Most recently, her DEAD END DATING series for Ballantine Books was optioned by Disney for a television pilot. Kim is currently writing steamy contemporary reads for Harlequin’s Blaze line. She lives deep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country with her husband and their young children. She’s an avid reader who loves Diet Dr. Pepper, Twitter, chocolate, and alpha males. Kim also loves to hear from readers. You can visit her online at
www.kimberlyraye.com
.