“Babies?” Kaitlyn asked. “As in more than one?”
Tess placed her hand over her mouth. “Oops.” She cast a furtive glance at her husband. “I guess the cat is out of the bag, so to speak.”
Ryder rolled his eyes at her. “And here you thought I was going to be the one to spill the beans. Yes. We’re having twins. We’re going to be doubly blessed.”
Shouts of congratulations rang out in the room. Everyone began to hug and kiss Ryder and Tess.
AJ started jumping up and down. “Twins. That’s so cool. I’m getting a baby brother, twin cousins, a baby cousin from Jakarta, a baby cousin from Uncle Mac and Aunt Delilah and a foster cousin.” He swiped his palm across his forehead. “Phew. I think Grandpa Alec and Grandma Maggie are going to need a bigger house.”
The room erupted into laughter. Everyone knew AJ was right. With all the babies being born and adopted and fostered, it was a veritable Donahue explosion.
“I want to thank Mac for inspiring me to drum up the idea of going to Ireland,” Alec said.
“Me?” Mac asked. “How did I do that?”
Alec’s eyes filled with tears. “By being tenacious and brave in hunting down your sister. Against all odds, against everything you have been told, you chased after your truth. And in taking that journey, you found something priceless. A sister once lost, now found.”
Mac met his father’s gaze. “I already had something priceless with this family. I need you all to know that. But Callie was the one question mark in my life I needed answers for.”
“We understand that, Mac. Believe me, we do. Being with the ones we love is what life is all about,” Alec said as he reached for Maggie’s hand and squeezed it.
“Oh Alec. My sentimental sweetheart,” Maggie said in a choked up voice.
Alec brushed his lips across Maggie’s temple. “You make it easy to be sentimental. I’ve been so blessed to walk on this journey with you. God gave me everything I could ever have dreamed of having in one amazing package.”
“Alec, I’m going to run upstairs to our bedroom and get the albums I want to give to the boys,” Maggie said as she got up and headed toward the staircase.
Alec watched as his wife headed upstairs. He turned back to his family.
“For so many years we talked about going back to Ireland so your mother could revisit the land of her birth, but we never did. Something always came up. Chicken pox. Graduations. Soccer tournaments. Weddings. But our time is now. And we’ll be gone for a spell. Four glorious months.”
A shocked silence filled the room. One could have heard a pin drop.
Everyone exchanged surprised glances.
Nick scratched his head. “Four months? That’s a long time.”
“Wait! What about doctors’ appointments?” Mac asked. “How are you going to manage her care? And don’t you have to check in with your cardiologist?”
“I’ve got that all figured out. We’ve got a specialist in Dublin who’s agreed to check in on your mother from time to time. We’ll bring along all her medications and pray for a smooth time of it. And I’ve also made contact with a cardiologist. It’s more of a precaution for me since I’ve been given a clean bill of health. No more slurred speech. No cane or walker.”
“We’re so proud of you Dad,” Brandon said. “You really are amazing.”
Mac knew some stroke victims never made a complete recovery. His father was a walking miracle.
“Isn’t that kind of risky to take Ma so far away?” Ryder asked.
Alec looked around the room. “Your mother’s memories are going to fade. She’ll be facing a twilight of sorts. Soon, she’s going to struggle to remember who we are. I pray that day is years away, but with a disease as brutal as dementia, we don’t have the luxury of those answers. I want Maggie to reconnect with her earliest memories, to embrace every bit of her past. Every day I’m going to present her with something wonderful. Instead of focusing on what she’s losing, we’re going to focus on the moments. Living in the moments. Walking in love, the way He wants us to.”
Alec’s emotional words caused a groundswell of emotion to rise up in the room. Tears were flowing like a rushing river. Gabrielle got up from her seat and began handing out tissues. Everyone was holding each other or holding hands or wiping away tears. At once they all understood.
“I’m tired of being afraid of what tomorrow brings.” Maggie’s voice rang out in the room. She stood in the doorway. “It’s not who I am. And I refuse to cave in to this disease. Sure, sometimes it gets the best of me. And I know it’s not going to get better, but I want to live each day for what it is. A blessing.”