One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“MERRY CHRISTMAS, CHERIE,” Vaughn said, handing Sierra a small gift-wrapped box.
“What is it, Goddy?” Teryn asked, coming to join them by the huge Christmas tree.
They had decided to spend Christmas Eve at Zara’s Haven. Teryn was okay with it after they’d convinced her that Santa would know where to find her when delivering her presents. Teryn had been given one of the guest rooms upstairs and Sierra had been given the one next to that. And later that night, when she was convinced Teryn had drifted off to sleep, she had tiptoed downstairs to join Vaughn in his bed. He had carried her back to her bed just before daybreak. Less than an hour later, Teryn had awakened and rushed into Sierra’s room.
Sierra’s fingers were nervous as she unwrapped the box. She still had memories of their time together in Chicago. Dani had warned her that there was something wonderful about makeup sex.
They had decided to spend an extra day in Chicago once he told Sierra she didn’t need to catch her flight home because he had the Lacroix jet and she would fly back home with him. After getting assurances from Velvet that staying another day was fine and she’d take care of Teryn, they had continued enjoying their time together...even if it had meant another shopping trip.
After returning from Chicago, there had been a lot of wonderful holiday events, including the boat parade. Teryn had helped Vaughn string lights along the upper deck of his yacht, and she’d been so excited about being a part of it. Sierra had, too. Vaughn had given them all sailor’s hats and jackets, which had been a smart idea since the night air had been cool.
To proudly celebrate Teryn’s debut as a caroler, they had gone to Spencer’s. It was fast becoming one of Teryn’s favorite places to eat. She, like everyone else, loved their hamburgers.
According to the newspapers, Nathan and his two partners were out of jail on bond. The whole thing was a big scandal in Chicago. Their troubles piled on when two more teens came forward. Both claimed that although they had gone to the club of their own free will, once they had gotten there and wanted to leave, they had been given the date rape drug. Nathan maintained his innocence and that he hadn’t known anything illegal had been going on. So far his other two partners had not corroborated his claim.
“You need help opening that, Goddy?”
She looked at Teryn. “No, sweetheart, I got this.”
When they had arrived at Vaughn’s house, they had seen three huge gift-wrapped boxes under the tree. This morning, they opened the boxes to discover he had purchased three bicycles for them to go cycling around the cove on nice days.
Now she finally had the box unwrapped and saw the small velvet box. Her heart was rapidly beating when she locked eyes with Vaughn. They were all sitting around the tree and he’d eased closer to her and was now on one knee. She opened the box and saw a beautiful engagement ring. It had to be every bit of four carat diamonds.
He held her gaze and said, “I love you, Sierra. Will you marry me and allow me to be a good husband to you and a loving and dedicated godfather to Teryn?”
Tears clouded her eyes and she saw the happiness in Teryn’s face as both she and Vaughn waited for her answer. She would not keep them waiting. “Yes, Vaughn! I will marry you.”
Teryn let out a loud squeal of happiness, and Vaughn pulled her into his arms for a kiss.
“GODDY, DIDYOUget your one Christmas wish?” Teryn asked. She was stacking her toys on the other side of the room so she could start enjoying them.
Sierra smiled. “I most certainly did.”
“Now can you tell me what you wished for?” Teryn asked.
Vaughn chuckled. He recalled Teryn had tried getting him and Sierra to tell her what they’d written but they’d told her they couldn’t tell her their wishes, or they might not come true. “Yes, cherie, what did you wish for?”
Sierra released a deep breath and smiled at them. “Happiness. That’s what I wished for, and I am extremely happy today that my one Christmas wish did come true.”
Before Teryn could turn her attention to him, Vaughn quickly said, “Look, there’s a few more gifts under the tree. I believe both are for you, Teryn.” He had bought them for her when he and Sierra had gone shopping in Chicago, and she had wrapped them for him.
Teryn clapped her hands in happiness. Sierra reached for the gifts and handed them to Vaughn to pass over to Teryn. He was about to do so when he glanced down and went still, fixated on the way Teryn’s name was written on the card attached to the gift-wrapped box. It read, Teryn Marie.
He kept staring at it, not for the name itself but at the handwriting. Specifically, the name Marie.
“Vaughn, is something wrong?” Sierra asked when she saw him staring at the box.
“I’m just noticing the name Marie,” he murmured.
She tilted her head. “What about it?”
Before he could answer, Teryn said, “My middle name is Marie. I was named after my goddy.”
Vaughn swung his gaze to Sierra. “Your middle name is Marie?”
She smiled. “Yes, I’m Sierra Marie Crane. Marie was my grandmother’s middle name.”
He didn’t say anything for a minute as his heart began pounding. “Who wrote Teryn’s name on this card?”
“I did. What’s wrong with it?” she asked.
“You write your M’s different.”
She laughed. “Oh, you mean that little squiggly tail I give it. It’s an old habit of mine.”
He stared down at the handwriting. “I’ve seen it before.”
She shrugged. “You probably have, possibly in my office, although I rarely have a reason to use my full name. I’m sure I’ve done it at some time or another.”
“No.” He shook his head numbly. “I’ve seen the name Marie written this same way someplace else.”
She lifted a surprised brow. “You have? Where?”
He passed the gifts on to Teryn, who’d been waiting patiently for them, and then said, “Teryn, I need to borrow your godmother for a minute.”
Teryn nodded, too excited to answer as she began opening the gifts.
Vaughn stood and reached out to help Sierra to her feet. “What’s wrong?” she asked as he took her hand and led her toward his bedroom.
When they entered, he immediately walked over to the dresser and pulled out a packet. He turned to her and asked, “Did you ever at any time communicate with prisoners as a pen pal?”
A look of surprise appeared on her face. “Yes. That was something Rhonda got me involved in. She was always active in social issues or community work.”
He nodded as his heart started pounding. “Did you ever sign your name?”
“Yes, but not as Sierra. I used my middle name.”
“Why?”
“We were told by the agency not to use our real names just in case one of the prisoners receiving our letters was released and tried to find us. However, we had been assured there was no way they could since we never used our address or provided any identifying information about ourselves. I guess they wanted to take extra precaution.
“The agency asked that we send an occasional uplifting word or two. We sent it to the agency, and they dispersed them.” She tilted her head again. “Vaughn? Why are you asking me these questions?”
He covered the distance between them. “Because of this,” he said, handing her the packet.
Vaughn watched her slowly pull the letters out and her eyes widened. “These are my letters! How did you get them?”
Reaching out, he placed his hands on her waist. “They came to me. I was your pen pal, Sierra Marie. I was the inmate your letters were given to. They kept me motivated and encouraged and I looked forward to getting them. They are the reason I kept a positive attitude and was released three years early on good behavior.”
Tears began streaming down her face. “I—I never knew.”
“I didn’t either,” he said, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. “I had no idea until I saw how you’d written the name Marie on Teryn’s Christmas card just now. I always thought your signature was unique.”
He walked back over to the nightstand and pulled out an envelope. “Now, when Teryn asks me about my one Christmas wish, I can tell her it came true.”
Sierra lifted her teary eyes. “What do you mean?”
He handed her the envelope and said, “Please open it.”
She did and read what he’d written. My one Christmas wish is to one day meet my Marie.
Sierra looked at him as happiness, which had been her one Christmas wish, shone in her eyes. “I can’t believe it. It seems everything is full circle. Rhonda is the one who got me involved with being a pen pal, and now, together, we will be raising Rhonda’s daughter.”
He nodded. “And another thing,” he said, grinning. “We laughed at Madam Josey’s predictions, but it looks like she was right all along. She said our destinies had been entwined since we first connected six years ago. The timing is about right. We connected not physically but with communication.”
Sierra nodded. “Yes, and what she’d told me years earlier came true, too. She predicted that I would live a long and happy life with the man I loved. I believe at the time she knew that man would not be Nathan. It would be you.”
Vaughn chuckled. “I believe that as well.”
He took the packet of letters from her and put them on the bed. Pulling her close he captured her mouth, elated that both of their wishes had come true.
And they would be celebrating for the rest of their lives.
Keep reading for an excerpt from What He Wants for Christmas by Brenda Jackson.