AFTER TITANIC
Chapter Fifty-Nine
It was a beautiful morning the day Lindsey
returned home. Rose looked over the room they had set up for her. After a long
discussion the night before, she and Jack had decided it would be best to give
Lindsey her own room, and make the room the twins were in into a nursery. It
was a perfect location, because the room was right across from theirs.
Everything was set up. A beautiful canopy bed with pink sheets, pink carpeting,
and wallpaper covered in roses. Toys fit for a princess filled the room.
"She's going to love this." Jack
grinned, coming up behind Rose, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"You really think so, Jack?"
"I know so. Come on. She'll be here in
five minutes, and we'll want to be down there when she comes." Jack took
her hand and pulled her downstairs.
Indeed, it was five minutes when the car
pulled up in front of the mansion. Rose clung tightly to Jack's hand as the
driver went around and opened the door for the little girl to come out. They
were halfway to the porch when Rose couldn't contain herself anymore. Letting
go of Jack's hand, she rushed over and threw her arms around the little girl.
"Oh, Lindsey, you're home! You're
finally home," Rose cried.
"Mommy." Lindsey cried tears of
joy, clinging to Rose.
"Mr. Linningston told me to remind you
and Mr. Dawson that this arrangement is only temporary. That this will be the
last nine months you'll have Lindsey," the nanny coldly replied.
Rose looked up at the tall, middle-aged
woman. She seemed so cold and rigid, with her steely gray eyes and peppered
hair pulled back in a tight bun. Who knew how she treated Lindsey? The woman
shouldn't even be allowed near children.
"Tell Mr. Linningston that that's for
the judge to decide, not him." Jack came up behind the woman. "Now,
if you don't mind, we'd like to get Lindsey settled in."
The woman just nodded and headed back to the
car, but not before turning around. "Lindsey, remember , just because
you're no longer under my tutelage for the time being, that does not give you
permission to behave like a vagabond." Then she turned on her heel and
left.
"Daddy!" Lindsey raced to Jack, who
scooped her up into his arms.
"Hey, Lindsey!" Jack hugged her.
"We've missed you so much."
"Mommy's fat!" Lindsey suddenly
announced, causing both Jack and Rose to burst into laughter.
"She's not fat, Lindsey. She's pregnant.
We're going to have another baby." Jack stifled his laughter.
"Let's go inside and show Lindsey her
room." Rose took Jack's free hand and led him into the house.
"I have my own room?" Lindsey
asked, her eyes lighting up in excitement.
"You sure do." Jack grinned.
"We decided since you're a big girl now, there's no need for you to sleep
in the nursery anymore. We gave you the room right across from ours."
"Oh, Mommy, Daddy! Thank you."
Lindsey hugged Jack's neck.
Meeting Rose's eyes, he knew that their
family was now complete, and he was going to make sure it stayed that way.
That night, after the children had all gone
to bed, Rose laid in Jack's arms, thinking about Lindsey and the dream she had
not too long ago. She was going to make sure that Lindsey knew the meaning of
true love and how to follow her heart, despite all obstacles. That way, if the
little girl did end up with her grandfather...she'd know how to choose between
true love and love of money.
Rose turned to Jack and remembered her first
sight of him. He'd be amazed if he knew she had first seen him in Paris, and he
didn't realize it. He, of course, thought he was the first to lay eyes on her.
It was during that horrid European tour that Cal had insisted they take before
their wedding.
Rose had wandered off by herself and had
found herself at the Eiffel tower. She was even considering leaping from it
just to get out of the marriage. Sighing forlornly, she looked out at the
gathering people, picnicking in front of the tower, and noticed the group of
artists drawing portraits.
That was when she spied him. The unbelievably
handsome blond man drawing a portrait of a little boy and his mother. Rose
sighed and wondered what it'd be like to be married to such a man, with such
piercing eyes. For a second she had thought it'd be no different from marrying
Cal. But, somehow, she didn't think so. She was about to approach him when she
spotted Lovejoy standing in the distance, watching her. So, sighing sadly, she
left without speaking a word to the handsome artist. She had never expected to
see him again, and she had almost fallen over the railing when she saw the
exact same artist staring up at her on the Titanic. She would have stared
longer if Cal hadn't come up and yelled at her.
Sighing, she stroked Jack's cheek lovingly,
thanking God that she knew what it felt like to be Jack's wife. To be the only
woman he loved. From now on, no more running. She was going to be the best wife
and mother she could be.