Read Online The Last Stand (Book 3) (The Repentant Demon Trilogy) by Samantha Johns - Free Book Online Page B

that time.  The rest had died, moved, or ended up incarcerated.  Jane saved a lot of my stuff, and she was happy to give it back to me.  I thought at the time, that I might find you and we'd have all the rest of our Christmases together.  That didn't happen, of course, and I don't even know why I brought it with me here.  Just because of the sentimental value, I guess.”
     
    “I remember this little owl,” said Abigail, “and here's one I must have made in school, with my picture on it.”
     
    “You were only six or seven,” said Uma, “It's touching that you actually remember these.  Most of them we made ourselves.  I made all the crocheted ones.  It's been so long since I've held a crochet hook in my hands, but I'm sure I can still remember the stitches.  I'll have to get busy and make something for the baby, a blanket perhaps.”
     
    Dinner finished cooking while the women hung ornaments one by one on the tree.  Even those Abigail did not remember still filled her with emotion to consider that they were part of her history.  These things would be passed on to the next generation now.  Every one of them seemed very special.
     
    Abigail mentioned the proposal of having a party on Christmas Eve at the lodge, and she hoped that Uma wouldn't mind the imposition, explaining how the women wanted to keep things as joyful as possible for the children.
     
    “I absolutely love the idea of hosting the party,” answered Uma.  “Brady's going to get us a big tree tomorrow, and I've already got all the decorations out of the attic.  I'll bake apple pies.  The men always like that; even though it's not really a Christmas dessert.  We'll have plenty of cookies for the kids.  It’ll be a good thing for us to be together on that night.”
     
    A smaller box at the bottom of the bigger one held the nativity set of beautiful chalkware figures of baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and all the shepherds and barnyard animals.  Abigail placed it underneath the tree carefully, thinking that the peace of the Christ Child was surely needed on this Christmas more than any other in her lifetime.  A white chenille throw she had brought from Saint Louis served as an excellent tree skirt, hiding the ugly bucket of sand and providing a “snowy” backdrop for the creche.  Following tradition, she placed the baby Jesus figure in a drawer, leaving the manger empty until Christmas Eve.
     
    The table had been set, the meal was warm and waiting, and the newly-formed little family gathered for their meal.  The conversation was lively.  They had so much to learn about each other and a whole future life to share, although they had no idea for how long it would last.
     
    “I was thinking about going into town to do a little Christmas shopping,” said Abigail, speaking to Uma, “I know they don't expect it, but I want to get some little surprises for the Edwards and Decker kids. Would you want to come along?”   She actually was more interested in finding something really special for Cal, but would not say so in his presence.
     
    “Oh, I forgot to tell you, Abby,” interrupted Cal, “They want you to come in for a medical exam tomorrow.  It shouldn't take long, though.  If you go early, you should still have plenty of time for your shopping.”
     
    “You mean like a prenatal check-up?” she asked.  “I was wondering if they were going to take care of that or not.  I can't wait to see the ultra-sound.  We'll get to see Junior for the first time, only he'll probably look more like a peanut than a baby right now.”
     
    “So you're hoping for a boy?” said Brady, “That would be nice.”
     
    “Oh, we know it's a boy,” said Cal, before he realized he had slipped and said something that wasn't explainable without telling them about the angel.
     
    “So you've had DNA testing done?” asked Uma, “That's understandable since you didn't know exactly what genes you were dealing with, being adopted.  I heard that a