The Pastor's Replacement Bride
Copyright© 2023 by George H. McVey
Chapter 28: Bonus Epilogue
Five years later
“No Mama! How could you?” Hattie looked up into the disappointed eyes of six-year-old RoseAnn. The little girl was standing at the foot of her bed with her hands indignantly on her hips, just like Joshua when he was upset. It took everything she could do not to laugh at her daughter. Beside her trying to imitate her were her twin three-and-a-half-year-old sisters, Mary and Penelope.
“How could I, what RoseAnn?”
The little girl pointed to the newly born member of the Bryce family. “How could you give us a brother?? We don’t want a stinky boy here. We wanted another sister. Penny and Mary are getting too big to play baby with. We wanted another sister we could dress up and play baby. Not a stinky boy in our house!”
“RoseAnn, I don’t get to choose what kind of baby God is going to give us. He gives us the baby he wants us to have. Besides, while you may have wanted another sister, Papa was praying for God to give him a son that he could do boy things with.”
RoseAnn stomped her little foot, and her sister’s mimicked her. “Papa don’t need a son he has me to do things with!”
Hattie now knew what the real issue here was. “Come her little one.” She held out her arms and RoseAnn crawled up in the bed beside her Hattie motioned and the twins climbed up in the bed on her other side.
Hattie wrapped her arm around her fierce little girl. “RoseAnn, you don’t have to be upset. Papa is still going to do all the things he has always done with you. Jarrod won’t make Papa love you any less or stop wanting to do the things he does with you. Besides, it will be years before Jarrod is as big as you are.”
“But he’s a boy.”
“Oh baby, that will not change how Papa loves you. Did Papa’s or my love change when Mary Elizabeth or Penelope Jean joined our family?”
“No, but theys sisters.”
“Yes, they are, but that isn’t why Papa still loves you. Look little one, you are our very special baby, do you know why?”
The little girl nodded her head. “Papa says cause you and him got to choose me.”
“That’s right, your first mama got sick and couldn’t take care of you and of all the places in the world, that happened right here in Sanctuary. Your Papa knew nothing about being a Papa or taking care of a baby, but he came and got me and we decided to make you our little girl.