Snowy Christmas by Helen Scott Taylor Page A

hands
were too big and clumsy for her small, fragile body. He cupped her
head in his palm and held her to his chest. She was such a tiny
thing. It was difficult to imagine she would grow into a little
girl, then a teen, and finally a woman. He didn't even want to
think that. He wanted to enjoy her being a baby first.
    He took her through to the dressing room off
their bedroom, where they had set up the changing table, and laid
her on the waterproof mat. What should be a five-minute process
took him about fifteen, and Rose was bawling her eyes out by the
time he finished.
    "It's all right, sweetie. Daddy's sorry he's
so slow." He lifted his daughter into his arms. "Let's go and see
if Mummy's ready to fill that little tummy of yours, shall we?"
    Emily had changed into her nightdress and was
sitting propped up against a heap of pillows in bed when he
emerged, grinning, his huge sense of achievement over putting on
the fresh nappy disproportionate to the task.
    "I'm too tired for a bath. I'll go straight
to sleep once I've fed her." She held out her arms. "Come to Mummy,
angel." Emily accepted Rose into her arms, giving a serene smile as
she started feeding her.
    Marcus sat on the bed beside them and watched
in wonder, fatherhood so new and amazing. He couldn't quite believe
this little girl was really his to keep forever. He touched his
fingers to her tiny foot and smiled. They would have so much fun
together, playing hide-and-seek in the garden and the house,
spotting the deer, and walking the dogs.
    There would be birthday parties outside in
the summer sun, and winter fun in the snow. In a few years, Rose
would run around, gurgling with laughter like Jonathan's little
Isabelle. With only thirty months between the girls, they were near
enough in age to be friends and play together.
    Rose dozed off when she was satiated. Lifting
her free and placing her between his legs on the bed for a moment,
he helped his exhausted wife to lie down. He kissed Emily. "Love
you so much, darling. Thank you for giving me my dream." He cuddled
his little girl and gently rubbed her back to burp her as he
watched his wife sleep.
    Snow White came into the bedroom, jumped on
the bed, and snuggled beside Emily, curling against her front.
    "You missed your mum, didn't you? She's back
now, safe and sound."
    Snow White and Peggy had stayed at Owen's
while Emily was in the hospital. Apparently Snow White had sat at
the door, whining most of the time. Dogs had a sixth sense, and
Snow White was so close to Emily, she knew something unusual was
happening when the contractions started.
    Marcus settled Rose in her bassinette beside
the bed and changed into his pajamas, even though it was only six
and there were hours of daylight left. He lay behind Emily, his arm
over her so he could hold her hand, and released a contented
sigh.
    The stress of the past was a distant memory.
Gabriella had married an Italian billionaire who'd quickly realized
his mistake and dumped her without a penny. Vicente had been
arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to three years in prison. It
turned out what he'd done to Emily was the tip of the iceberg. He
was stealing credit card details from his restaurant customers and
selling them to criminal organizations.
    What goes around comes around, he thought.
The bad people had got their comeuppance, and the good people had
married, had an adorable little baby, and lived happily ever
after.
    A tiny, plaintive cry emerged from the
bassinette and Marcus jumped up, gathered Rose in his arms, and
took her out of the room so she didn't disturb Emily.
    "What's the matter with you, Daddy's little
rosebud?"
    Rose cried louder, her tiny face turning red.
Peggy lay down and tried to push her head under a cushion.
    Okay, maybe the good people with the adorable
little baby faced challenges and must expect to be sleep deprived
for a while, but nothing could spoil his happiness.
    He was the luckiest man in the whole
world.

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