Chapter Seven

 

 

Kate stood at the stove and stirred a big pot of spaghetti sauce. Poppy was next to her creating a salad large enough to feed an army, which the McKinnon clan was becoming. Skye had an assortment of cold cuts and vegetables set in a platter on the kitchen table that she was expertly arranging. Maddie was just rearranging trays of food in the oven to make room for more food. Reggie had baked an apple pie and a pecan pie earlier in the day and brought those over to Poppy and Logan's house.

She remembered how crazy last Christmas was. But there was more room in Kate McKinnon's kitchen at the McKinnon home. Since this was Emma’s first real Christmas, Poppy had begged Kate to allow them to have Christmas Eve at Logan's house so that it would make Emma’s first Christmas special.

“I hate to say I told you so, but I'm saying it,” Kate said with a laugh. “You've just given the men in this family an excuse not to come in the kitchen.”

Skye laughed as she rearranged cheeses on the platter. “Do you really want them in here? They’re eating the food before we even have a chance to fully prepare it.”

“You make a good point,” Kate said.

Maddie finished rearranging the food trays in the oven and closed it. Turning around, she asked. “When is Sam and Summer getting here?”

Kate put down the spoon she’d used to stir the sauce with. “Their flight is coming in later. They wanted to visit with some of Summer’s family back East, but then they’ll be spending all Christmas Day with us.”

“What can I do to help?” Reggie asked. “I feel like everyone is doing something and I’m standing here in the corner just watching.”

Poppy swung around and looked at everything going on in the kitchen. “I think we have everything under control in here,” she said. “You and Maddie can go in to the living room and make sure the guys aren’t feeding sugar to the little ones. The boys will be so full of chocolates and cookies that they won't have any room for real food. Not to mention the sugar high.”

Maddie grabbed a tray of food that Kate had just handed her. “Let me just get this in the oven, and I'll be right behind you, Regis.”

Feeling a bit left out, Reggie walked into the living room. The adult boys were all joking about something, and had either turned a blind eye or were purposefully ignoring the fact that Alex and Keith had pulled candy canes off the Christmas tree and were sitting in the corner eating them as if no one could see them. Reggie decided to turn a blind eye as well. One candy cane wouldn't ruin their appetite.

“Please tell me you're watching a Christmas movie and not some sports event,” Reggie said. She found Keith in the corner sitting in a recliner. She walked over to him and climbed into his lap. He wrapped her in his arms and gave her a kiss.

“Don't worry. We’re not watching sports.”

“That's because there's nothing on,” Wade said. “Give me a good hockey game and I'm all for watching it. I missed enough of those while I was away. Dad’s unrelenting. He keeps trying to convince me to join the oil business with him and Gray.”

Wade had been missing and presumed dead for over five years. The family had believed he was killed during a tsunami in Samoa. But that had been a ruse to protect the family from the danger they had no idea existed. Wade had been a special agent for the government. But his time working for the government was now over and he spent his time with family figuring out what his next step was going to be. Apparently, the patriarch of the McKinnon family, Don McKinnon, was doing his best to convince Wade it was time to join the family business in the oil industry. So far all of his coaxing hadn't worked.

“Regis, how's the food coming in the kitchen?” Logan asked.

“Why are you asking me? It's your kitchen. Go check it out.”

Logan made a face that made her laugh. “I was given strict instructions to stay out of that kitchen. I'm not a stupid man.”

The sound of little Emma waking up came through the baby monitor that was propped up on the fireplace mantle.

Don McKinnon got up from the sofa. “My little princess awakes. Guess I better go get her.”

Reggie got up from Keith’s lap and said, “That's okay. I’ll do it.”

“Okay,” Don said. “It'll save me doing the stairs with this bum knee. Make sure when you come downstairs she comes straight to these arms. She's got to know her pappy loves her.”

“I love you,” Keith said from the corner, as if he felt left out.

“I know you do, Scout. And I love you more!”

Keith got up from the floor and ran over to his grandpa, launching into his arms. Alex followed him and climbed into Don’s lap, too.

As Reggie climbed the stairs, she paused and looked at the men in the room joking and just enjoying each other's company. Even though she and Keith weren’t married yet. It didn't seem to matter to any of them. The McKinnon's all welcomed her right from the start and treated her like a McKinnon.

She climbed the rest of the stairs and walked down the hallway to the far bedroom where the nursery was located. She put her ear to the door to listen for sounds from Emma. The little girl was sweetly cooing to herself. When she pushed through the door and flicked the light switch, illuminating the room, Emma bolted up in her crib. Reggie held back a little bit for fear she would startle Emma when she realized it wasn’t her mother. Emma looked wide-eyed at Reggie, and then greeted her with a big smile and outstretched arms.

“Hi, sweetie. Did you have a good nap?” she asked as she picked Emma up from the crib. She took a moment to give kisses to Emma on her pudgy cheek, and then walked over to the changing table to change her wet diaper. In the past year, she hadn't done a whole lot of diaper changing, but she'd done enough that she knew what she was doing and finished it within minutes.

Emma continue to talk to her in her baby talk as she picked her up and carried her downstairs to the living room where the rest of the family was congregated. Poppy was just coming into the living room with a plate of hors d'oeuvres when Reggie made it to the bottom step.

“Hey, I wondered when you'd wake up from your nap. I thought you were going to miss the party, princess,” Poppy said. Emma continued to look around the room with her wide eyes and take everyone in. Poppy put down the plate of food on the coffee table and then reached for Emma, who wiggled her body and chattered to her mother as she approached.

Reggie held the baby tight. “I have strict instructions to hand this baby over to her pappy,” Reggie said.

Poppy made a comical face. “Far be it from me to keep this little girl from her pappy.”

“Damn right,” Don said, opening his arms again as Alex and Keith climbed out of his lap. Reggie handed Emma to Don.

Alex gasped and said, “You're not supposed to say that word.”

“Guess I'll have to put a dime in the naughty word jar.”

Both boys frowned.

Logan pulled them both away from the conversation. “Never mind. Both of you go into the bathroom and wash that sugar off your hands. No more candy canes.”

Poppy shot Logan a piercing glance. “Candy canes? Really, Logan?”

“Just one,” he said.

“They’re going to be bouncing off the walls before we even get to presents.”

Reggie glanced over at Keith, who was still seated in the recliner by the fireplace. He gave her a quick wink that sent shivers up through her body. She walked over to him and curled into his lap again. She never wanted to leave.

“How do you put up with me?” she whispered in his ear.

“I love you. That makes it easy.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

He squeezed her tighter and smiled at her in a way she felt it throughout her entire body.

“Will you marry me?”

His eyebrows drew together. “Of course, I will. That’s been the plan all along, Regis.”

“I mean, right now.”

He chuckled. “Here? Tonight.”

She shrugged. “No, silly. I mean, I don’t want to wait. I don’t need a big wedding like Logan and Poppy, or like Abby and Ian had.”

“You want to elope like Wade and Skye?”

She shook her head. “No. I want your mother to like me.”

He laughed. “She loves you.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way. Seriously, I just want a nice little wedding like…like we’re having here. I mean, invite the whole family. All the McKinnons. I just want it to be like this.”

“Will this make you happy?”

She nodded.

“What about everything you told me before?”

He was afraid of what she’d say. She knew this man so well it was scary. She could see the fear in his eyes as clearly as if it were written in neon lights across his forehead.

“I don’t know what I was thinking. I mean, I’m scared. I really am.” She squeezed him tighter. “But if I’m going to be scared, at least I have you to be scared with, right? You always take care of me.”

“It’s because I love you.”

“It’s not just that. It’s you. You’re a good and loving man, Keith McKinnon.”

“When do you want to tell the family,” he asked.

Reggie thought for second. “Well, Grace has her big announcement to give tomorrow when the entire family gets together. I don't really want to upstage that. Besides, I have a feeling your mother would probably be upset that we haven't told her already.”

Keith’s eyebrows stretched on his forehead. “I have a feeling she already knows.”

“Do you think? I haven't said anything to her. Not even when we talked the other day at the diner.”

“What's going on over there?” Wade asked. “The two of you are awfully cozy and quiet about something.”

Reggie felt so much love that she thought her chest would burst. She loved this family and she absolutely adored the man responsible for bringing her into it and making her a part of them.

Looking at Keith, she saw nothing but love shining in his eyes. “Do you want to tell them or should I?”

“I'm not sure what to say first. Hey, we’re getting married. Finally. Or guess what, we’re having a baby.”

She climbed off his lap and took his hand, guiding him until he was standing next to her. He wrapped his arms around her so that her back was against his chest. Then he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “I have never loved you more than I do right at this moment.”

“Well, we do sort of have an announcement,” Reggie began as she addressed the family.

Wade laughed from across the room. “There is no sort of in this house. Or any other McKinnon house for that matter. You just say it.”

“We’re getting married,” Keith announced. Kate had just come in the room and sat on the arm of the chair where her husband was sitting. Her smile was bright. “Of course you are. We've always known that. Did you finally set a date?”

Reggie looked up at Keith. And then looked out at the family she had come to love. “We'd like it sooner rather than later.”

“Why I’m sure we can something together fairly quick at the Center,” Kate said.

“Sure,” Logan said. “It only took about six months to organize everything for our wedding. Right, Poppy?”

Poppy sputtered. “Maybe for you. I was organizing that wedding a long time before you started.”

Everyone in the room laughed.

Reggie placed a hand on her stomach. “Well six months is too long. I don’t want to be fat in my wedding dress.”

Kate's eyes widened with delight. “Are you expecting? Is that why you've been so tired lately?”

Reggie nodded and everyone in the room got up to their feet and congratulated each of them with hugs and kisses. Kate came over to Reggie and gave her a tenderhearted hug that made tears fill her eyes. Kate touched her cheek, and said, “You're going to be an amazing mother.”

“Do you really think so?” Reggie asked, her bottom quivering.

“I don't think so. I know you will be. Only a big heart like yours could be good enough for my Keith. And I know he loves you to pieces. I'm so thankful he found you.”

“Me, too.”

Reggie couldn't help but think that she was the lucky one. Keith may have been holding out for a woman like her, but never in a million years did Reggie think she would find a man as wonderful and loving as Keith McKinnon. And the fact that his family was just as wonderful was only icing on the cake.

The family ate dinner and laughed and joked and enjoyed each other in a way that only comes from years of bonding. This was her family. Something she never thought she would have. How could anybody want to leave the McKinnon's?

Later that night when she and Keith settled at home to share their own private Christmas celebration, Reggie found a little box under the tree that hadn't been there when they had left for the family party.

“What's this? A last minute gift? When did you ever have time to get this wrapped?” Reggie asked.

Keith picked it up from under the tree and handed it to her. “You can save the rest for tomorrow morning. This is the only one I want you to open up now.”

“Okay.” Feeling like a little girl, Reggie ripped open the wrapping paper and opened the box. She pushed the tissue paper away until she found a small pair of booties. They were white leather and crinkled. They looked to be almost antique.

“Where did you get these?”

“Mom gave it to me tonight. She said when she saw you at the diner, she knew.”

“But I didn't tell her I was pregnant.”

“You did. You just didn’t know it. I told you. Nothing gets past Kate McKinnon.”

Tears filled Reggie’s eyes and she wondered if this was going to be a common affliction. “Why didn’t she say anything to me?”

“Because she wanted to give you the space to tell her yourself.” He kissed her on the lips. “These were my booties by the way.”

She gasped. “You’re kidding. Really?”

“Yeah. Can you believe I was ever that small?”

“No, it doesn’t seem possible.”

“I have one more gift for you.”

She chuckled. “Just one?”

“The only one I’m really excited about.”

“Yeah? Where is it?”

“Give me a second.”

Keith disappeared into the bedroom. She could hear his dresser drawer opening and closing. Then he walked back into the living room and stood by her next to the Christmas tree.

He opened his hand and showed her the small blue box, and she gasped. Then he got down on one knee and looked up at her. The lights from the Christmas tree glistened in his eyes.

“I’d intended to give this to you the night you took your pregnancy test. It clearly wasn’t the right time. But now I think it’s the perfect time.”

He opened the box to reveal a beautiful sapphire and diamond ring. The center stone was a deep shade of blue and the diamonds spread out on the gold band sparkled under the lights.

“Oh, Keith. It’s beautiful.”

“Not more beautiful than you are. Regis Simpson, will you marry me?”

She giggled. “I already asked you that tonight and you said yes.”

“Yes, you did.” He stood up and wrapped her in his arms. “And I’m filled with everlasting joy because of it.”

She kissed his lips and felt warm tears of joy slide down her cheeks. “I’m in love with you, Keith. I’m so thrilled we’re going to be a family.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.”

 

The End

The story of the McKinnons continues! Check back for more info on new Dakota Hearts books by visiting me at And check out my new series Sweet Montana starting with