CHAPTER 8

Around three hours later, Jeremy drives his buckboard up to the house and stops at the front steps. Jamie, Joey, and Josie come running to meet him.

"Thank God you're here, Daddy!" Josie greets him.

"I've missed you too, little girl," Jeremy replies. Seeing the looks on their faces, he realizes something is wrong. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

Joey answers, "It's Mama!"

Jeremy climbs down from the wagon. "What? Is it the baby?" he asks with much concern.

"Baby? What baby?" the kids ask.

"Never mind! What happened to Candy?" Jeremy demands.

Jamie nods his head towards the water. "Mama drove straight down there when she got home several hours ago. She's just been sitting there. I walked down there to be sure she's all right. She said she was fine. That she wanted to be by herself. That she was going to have to get used to being alone. Dad, she wasn't acting right. I know something's wrong."

"I'll go talk to her. Don't worry. I think she'll be all right. Go on and do your usual stuff. Go on," Jeremy tells them.

Jeremy slowly makes his way down to the water. As he approaches the buggy, he hears Candy talking to someone, but she is all alone. Jeremy climbs into the buggy and sits next to her. "Hey," he says.

Candy looks at him and answers, "Hello."

"What are you doing, Candy?"

"Oh, I was just sitting here looking at the scenery. Jeremy, you picked the perfect spot for us. It's so beautiful and peaceful here."

"I think so too. How long have you been sitting here?" he asks.

"I don't really know. I guess too long, right?"

"Well, you do have the kids worried. They said you've been sitting here for hours."

"Really? I didn't realize it's been that long."

Taking her hand in his he says, "Candy, I thought I heard you talking to someone. Who were you talking to?"

"The baby. I was telling him about his family. All his brothers and sisters, and his niece, his aunts, uncles, cousins. But mostly about his Daddy and what a wonderful man he is. And how he shouldn't ever blame you for not being here. That it's all my fault. I drove his Daddy away."

"You did no such thing," Jeremy says.

"Yes, I did. Jeremy, I'm so sorry."

""I know you are, but Candy, it's going to be all right. I'm not leaving so we'll raise this baby together."

"Jeremy, I told you that you can go. You don't have to stay here because of me and the baby. I know you don't want any more babies. And that's all right. I'm not going to insist you stay to be a Daddy to this little one. We'll be fine," she says as her voice cracks.

"I'll know you'll be fine because I'm going to make sure of it. I want to come home. I've been away too damn long."

"But Jeremy, what about all that Billie stuff and how I treated you?"

"Look Candy, I was to blame for a lot of that too. I shouldn't have put myself in that kind of situation again. I know how it must have looked when you saw me and Billie come out of Lottie's together. But I swear nothing happened."

"I know, Jeremy. I know that now. I'm sorry for not believing you. Emily had just told me about Paul leaving poor Amy and running off with one of Billie's girls. Then, when I saw you coming out of the brothel with a half naked Billie, well it was more than my mind could take. When you said you had to go tell me, I was convinced that you were going to tell me you were leaving me for Billie."

"I would never do that. What about the journal? Do you believe there was a journal?" he asks.

"Yes, I believe you about the journal, too. I really don't care if there was a journal or not, but if you say there was one, then yes, I believe it. You have never lied to me. And I thank you for that. I should have known. I should have known you were telling the truth." Candy places her hand on the side of his face.

"I wonder what happened to it," Jeremy says. "It's like it just vanished into thin air." He shakes his head. Looking into Candy's eyes he asks, "Candy, do you want me to come home or do you just. . . "

Candy breaks down and begins to cry. "Oh Jeremy, I want you to come home. Please, don't leave Seattle. Please, don't leave me."

Jeremy smiles and takes her face in his hands, "Candy, that's all I wanted to hear. For you to say, Please, don't leave me." He kisses her lips tenderly. "I love you, Candy."

"I love you, too. Welcome home." They wrap their arms around each other and hold on tightly as they hear whoops of joy and feet running towards them.

Josie climbs in the back seat of the buggy and puts her arms around her parents' shoulders. "Does this mean what we hope it means? Are you coming home, Daddy?"

Jeremy and Candy look into each others eyes. "Yes, I'm back and I'm never leaving again." He then kisses Candy's lips. "Um, can we get you three to go tell your brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles to come over here by," he stops to look at his pocket watch, "say three o'clock. Is that good for you, Candy?"

"It's perfect. Oh, don't tell them why. Just tell them I need to see them."

As the three of them run back up to the house laughing and whooping it up, Jeremy and Candy sit and watch. Jeremy laughs, "I wish I could still do that." Then he gets serious. "Candy, what do you want this time, a boy or girl?"

"I don't have a crystal ball or anything like that, but I have a strong feeling it's a boy. He'll look just as handsome as his daddy. Jeremy, I've already named him."

"You have? Aren't you rushing things?" Jeremy laughs.

"Maybe, but when we were apart, I had to have a piece of you to hold on to. I started calling him, "Jeremy."

"Candy, that's JJ's name."

"I know, but he's not using it. He goes by JJ."

"Well, he might want to go by Jeremy someday, when he's older. What would he think about this? I don't want to make him feel like his name doesn't matter."

"Look, I don't know why, but I need this child to be named Jeremy. Calling him Jeremy helped me get through some hard days. If I couldn't have you, then I at least had my little Jeremy. Please don't fight me on this. I need this! He is Jeremy," she says as tears roll down her cheeks.

Jeremy holds her. "All right, Candy. If it's a boy and you want him to be named Jeremy, then we'll name him Jeremy. I'm sure JJ will understand." He takes his handkerchief and wipes her eyes. "Now, let's go back to the house and get ready to have a family reunion." He picks up the reins and drives to the house as Candy lays her head on his shoulder. Turning her head slightly, she gives his shoulder a kiss as he gives her that big smile that she loves.