CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT
(part two)

He fell silent. Jill kissed his cheek. Trusting him to tell her when he was ready, she rested in the warmth and comfort of his lap. He sighed again.

“I ached for you, for a chance at a life with you. I longed for family, children, joy. I wished for Val to come home and want to be my sister again. I hoped my father would survive the loss of my mother. I begged a thousand times to be relieved of the burden of the Lipson albatross.”

He sighed and became quiet again..

“You have almost everything you wished for.”

“The moment you entered my life, I got everything I’d ever wished, hoped or longed for,” he said. “And Katy? I never thought I could love a single being so much, laugh so hard, and get so angry – all in the same moment.”

“That’s a good description of Katy.” She kissed him under his chin.

“Tomorrow, the first round of Lipson Construction shares will be sold to the employees,” Jacob said. “It’s all happening.”

She nestled into his lap.

“Is it everything you’d hoped for?”

“Oh.” Jacob shifted to look into her face. “It’s more than I hoped for, more than I could ever dream of. I’d never expected to be so happy and feel so complete… whole.”

“I’m glad.”

He pressed her head back to his shoulder then kissed the top of it.

“Why are you here in the middle of the night?” she asked.

“I’m not sure… Marking the moment, I guess,” he said. “After so much longing for such a long time, I’m not very sure what will happen next.”

“But you’re…”

“A psychic, I know.” Jacob kissed her forehead. “It’s hard to explain. I wanted all of this to happen, but I wasn’t sure it would.”

“Can’t know your own future?” she asked.

“Exactly,” he said. “I can stretch out to see what’s next, but it’s out of context. I don’t really get what it means. For some reason, there’s a gaping hole in the middle of it – like I’m not allowed to see a part of it.”

“Sounds like Delphie’s issue a month ago,” Jill said.

“Good point,” Jacob said.

“What about babies? Just a few months ago, you were excited to have more babies but lately, you’ve been reluctant.”

“Seems like Katy keeps our hands pretty full,” he said. “I’m glad she’s feeling better.”

“Me too. It’s like a switch — one moment she’s was sick, the next she’s all better,” Jill said.

“She’s very strong, like her Mommy.”

“Like her Daddy.” Jill touched his face. “Katy is not the reason you don’t want to get pregnant. I know it’s not it. You see something.”

“I see something,” he said.

“What?”

“I wish I knew.”

Denver Cereal continues tomorrow….