Thank you so much to everyone for the continued support! I appreciate it so much!
I do not own any of these characters, they belong to the wonderfully talented Martha Williamson.
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Chapter 3:
Shane worked on setting the table while Oliver finished making their omelets. They got up early every Sunday morning and made breakfast together right before church. Soon after they had become engaged, Shane started going to church with Oliver. She knew how important faith and religion were to him and that her giving God a chance would mean the world to him. She actually looked forward to Sunday service now, and not just because she got to hear her handsome husband sing in the choir. Shane could hardly believe that in a few short months, she and Oliver would be attending church with their baby. She was so lost in thought that she hadn't heard Oliver come up behind her. She gasped as he wrapped his arm around her and used his other hand to brush her hair to the side, leaving a trail of kisses on her neck.
Shane giggled, "Mmm if you keep doing that, we'll never make it to church."
Oliver held her tighter and whispered in her ear, "I can't help myself, you are so unbelievably enchanting." He nibbled on her ear, then Shane spun around in his arms and drew him in for a slow, sensual kiss. As they parted, their eyes locked. "Have I told you yet today how incredibly beautiful you are? "
"I believe you have, Mr. O'Toole." She smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I also believe that if you don't stop distracting me, we're going to be late."
"I suppose you're right, my love. I appreciate you trying to keep me focused." Oliver grinned and kissed her forehead. He walked over to the kitchen counter, grabbing their plates and placing them on the kitchen table. "I'll just have to wait until we return home to ravish you." Shane blushed in anticipation as Oliver pulled her chair out for her. They both took their seats and began to eat the delicious meal.
As Shane took a bite, her stomach plummeted and her face immediately paled. "Shane, are you okay?" She dropped her fork and made a mad dash for the bathroom, quickly throwing up the little she had eaten that morning. In her panicked state, she had forgotten to close the bathroom door and was genuinely surprised to feel Oliver gently holding her hair to keep it from getting in her face. He soothingly rubbed her back and then helped her to stand when she was done. Shane was embarrassed, but still too shaky to say anything or even worry about her husband finding out her secret on his own. Oliver had remained silent, the wheels in his head turning. He closely watched as his wife walked over to the bathroom sink, rinsing her mouth out with mouthwash and splashing water on her face. Once Shane had composed herself and she felt that her brain was working again, she turned around and faced Oliver, who carried the most worried look in his features that she had ever seen. It was in that moment that Shane devised her plan on how she was going to break the joyful news to her husband. Now all she had to do was convince Oliver to go to church without her, which she knew would present itself to be easier said than done.
"My goodness, Shane, are you alright?!" Oliver walked over to her and felt her forehead, somewhat relieved that it didn't appear that she had a fever. "Let's get you into bed." Before Shane could even respond, Oliver had picked her up and began walking towards their bedroom.
"Oliver, please put me down, I promise you that I can walk. This really isn't necessary." Shane protested, although she loved the feeling of being carried by her husband.
"You most certainly are not fine!" Oliver lovingly placed her on the bed and began covering her with blankets, worry etched in his brows.
Shane grabbed his forearms to get him to stop and then cupped his face in her hands. "Oliver, please stop. I was feeling a little queasy this morning and I should have gone with my instinct and not tried to eat anything. Now that I let it all out, I feel a lot better." Oliver seemed to relax a little, however the look of concern was very present on his handsome face. "I'll make you a deal. You go on to church without me, and I'll stay home and rest. By the time you get home I should be feeling much better." She crossed her fingers and hoped this would work.
"There is no way that I am leaving you in this state." He was standing his ground and Shane was getting aggravated.
"Please go to church, Oliver. I would feel awful if you had to miss and the choir is counting on you." He still wasn't budging. "How about you take my cell phone with you. You can put it on vibrate and keep it in your pocket. If I need you to come home, I will call you from the home phone." She tenderly grasped his hands in hers. "Please? I promise to let you take care of me the rest of the day without complaint."
Oliver sighed in defeat. He hated leaving her when she didn't feel well, but it seemed as though she really didn't want him to miss church and he didn't want to upset her further. "Okay, I'll go. But only if you promise me that you will call me if you need me, without hesitation."
Shane gave him a smile and kissed his hand. "I promise, Oliver. If I need you to come home, I will call you."
Oliver leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Okay. I will be back as soon as I can. If you think of anything that you want me to pick up on the way home, please call me and let me know." Oliver reluctantly grabbed Shane's cell phone and slipped it in his pocket. It was quite ironic that this horrid electronic device was giving him a huge sense of comfort. He made his way to the door and turned back to look at his wife. "I love you. I'll see you soon."
"I love you, too." Shane gave him an encouraging smile as he left the room. She waited a couple of minutes and listened intently for the door. Once she heard it close, she got out of bed and carefully peered out the window. As soon as she spied Oliver's car back out of the driveway, she quickly got to work on her plan. She had laid awake in bed half the night trying to come up with the perfect way to tell Oliver about their baby. It had actually been sheer luck that she had the bout with morning sickness earlier, presenting the opportunity to stay home alone. Though she hated to worry her husband, she wanted today to be perfect. As soon as he returned home, their lives were never going to be the same again.
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Oliver was a man that preferred to follow the rules, especially when it came to obeying traffic laws. He thought it to be preposterous when he saw people talking on their cell phones while they drove, speeding by like they had no care in the world. But when Oliver walked out of church, the only thought that came to mind was getting home to Shane as quickly as possible. He didn't even care that he was going 7 miles over the speed limit, he needed to be with her. He had been worried about her over the past few days and he never should have let her talk him into leaving her at home this morning. His wife, however, was fiercely independent and had insisted that she would be fine and wanted him to go to Sunday service without her. He kept replaying their morning together in his head. He felt like a horrible husband for not staying home to take care of his wife, God would have surely understood. He was beyond relieved when he finally pulled into the driveway. He got out of the car and raced up the walkway, longing to get to Shane.
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Oliver unlocked the front door as quickly as possible and walked inside. He was ready to make a beeline for the bedroom when the 3 yellow roses sitting on the small table in the entryway caught his eye. He gently grabbed a rose and brought it close to his nose, inhaling its sweet scent. He smiled, as yellow roses always remind him of Shane and second chances. It was then that he noticed there was a small, heart shaped card laying on the table under the other roses. He picked it up as he began to read his wife's words.
Oliver,
My life didn't truly begin until the day I met you. You have given me so much throughout our journey together and I want to show you just how much you mean to me. I have put together a "scavenger hunt" filled with tokens of my love for you. If you follow the trail, as I know you will, you'll find me at the end waiting for you. When you gave me that clipping from the rose bush that I had planted as a child, you actually gave me my new beginning. You will never truly know what that meant to me. I look forward to seeing the first and last rose of summer with you every year for the rest of our lives.
I can't wait to see you, my love. Your next clue awaits you in the kitchen.
Love,
Shane
P.S.
Please don't be mad that I got out of bed. I promise that it will all make sense soon.
Oliver smiled and rushed to the kitchen, anxious to follow the steps that would lead to his loving wife. He was beyond thankful that she seemed to be feeling better, however quite curious as to what she was up to. He looked around and then spotted another card on the kitchen table. This card, however, was handmade and was in the shape of the letter "D". Curious, he read aloud:
Oliver,
"D" is for the DLO. This is the place where I fell in love with you. From the moment we delivered our first dead letter together, I knew that there was something special about you. It was there, that in one of the dances that we shared (I think you know exactly which one I'm referring to), everything suddenly changed. I knew in that moment that nothing would ever be the same again. I promise you, Oliver, that I will always give to you my undying devotion.
You can find your next clue to reaching me in our bedroom.
All My Love,
Shane
Oliver quickly made his way to their bedroom, hoping that maybe Shane would be waiting for him there. His need to kiss her and hold her tight was increasing. His eyes went straight for the bed, however it was another card that lay there instead of his beautiful wife. This card was also handmade and in the shape of the letter "A". He grasped the card and happily read:
Oliver,
"A" is for answer. When I wrote that letter to God as a child, I lost my faith when I never got my answer. What I now realize is that God was waiting to deliver you to me when the timing was right. You are the answer to my prayers and I can never thank you enough for helping to restore my faith. I promise to always appreciate you and our sacred relationship with God.
You're getting closer…go to the guest bedroom for the next clue.
Your Loving Wife,
Shane
As Oliver walked into the guest bedroom, his heart was pounding. He couldn't see her in there, but he could feel her close by. He was expecting to find another card, however in its place was a small pink and blue gift box laying on the bed. He walked over to it and carefully lifted the lid and peeked inside. There lay another handmade card in the shape of the letter "D" atop a small piece of clothing. He pulled them both out of the box and his hands began shaking, slowly putting together the pieces. He began reading the final card out loud, barely able to control the emotion in his voice.
Oliver,
"D" is for delivery. Together we have made countless special deliveries and we've been witness to God's many miracles. My wonderful husband, we are about to embark on the most important special delivery of our lives.
Oliver stopped reading for a moment, unfolding the tiny yellow onesie. He couldn't stop the tears from falling as he tenderly ran his fingers over the "I love Daddy" written on it. He had to finish reading the card, he ached to hold Shane in a way that he never had before. He continued,
"D" is for daddy- I can't wait for the day that our baby is able to call you daddy. Thank you for making me a mommy, I can't wait to welcome our little miracle together.
Love,
Shane
P.S.
TURN AROUND
Oliver swiftly turned towards the door and saw Shane standing there. He was taken aback, she had happy tears streaming down her face and a glow about her that almost stopped his heart. Shane's voice broke a little as she spoke, "If it's alright with you, I want this to be our baby's room." Her beautiful words pulled Oliver from his trance: our baby. Those were the most wonderful words he had ever heard.
Oliver walked over to Shane and pulled her into his arms. They were both crying and holding each other so close it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. After a couple of minutes, Oliver pulled back a little so he could look into Shane's eyes. He hadn't said anything yet and he could now see the unease sketched on his wife's face. At last, Oliver found his voice. "My Love, my wife." He gently tucked her hair behind her ears and continued, "The mother of my child, you have made me happier than I ever thought it would be possible for me to be. I love you so much, Shane, and I can't wait to hold our baby in my arms." Shane felt a huge sense of relief and excitement. She never should have doubted that Oliver would feel anything but happy about their baby. "Thank you for making me a daddy." Oliver mimicked the words that Shane had used in her letter. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and then pulled her close again, except this time he kissed her with all of the passion he had pent up for her all day.
Shane kept a tight grip on her husband, not willing to let him go yet. "I love you so much, Oliver. I've only known for a couple of days, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." She took a deep breath and then decided that she wanted to be completely honest with him about her earlier fears. "I must confess that when I first found out, I was afraid to tell you. We hadn't talked about starting a family yet so I wasn't sure of how you would feel. I should have 'trusted the timing' from the beginning and I'm sorry that I doubted you would be anything but happy. Once I worked through my fears, I just wanted to find a special way to tell you. I hope you aren't angry with me." She looked at him with hope in her eyes.
Oliver took a moment and then held her hands to his chest. "Oh Shane, how could I be angry at you for having those fears? I know how scared I'm feeling right now, so I can only imagine how you must have felt when you found out." He brought both her hands up to his lips, kissing each one before continuing. "I vow to you that I am going to be here for you and our child every step of the way. We are in this together." Their lips lightly touched and Oliver let out a slight laugh, Shane eyeing him curiously. "I do hope that you realize you promised me earlier that if I went to church without you, I could take care of you for the rest of the day without complaint." Oliver lightheartedly raised his eyebrows at her.
"You're right, I did make that promise to you." Shane gave him a flirtatious smile. "I suppose since you followed through with your end of the deal, then so will I."
"Good, I was hoping you would say that. It's off to bed with you." Shane giggled as Oliver swept her off her feet. As he held her in his arms, he tenderly kissed her lips. "As soon as I feel confident that you are feeling better, I'm going to also follow through on something else I promised you this morning." Shane tilted her head and looked at him inquisitively. "To ravish you." Oliver and Shane flushed, anxious to celebrate their miracle together.
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Coming up Next: Oliver and Shane go to their first doctor's appointment…