He nodded. “The Spanish monks finally agreed to let us have a go at making them germinate. I figure you’ll know what sort of tending it will take to give them a healthy start.”

“I do,” she confirmed. “I don’t know if these are past hope, but I’ll provide them with the ideal conditions to give them a chance.”

It was the best they could do, and the rest would be in God’s hands. It was the same with raising a family. There were no guarantees in life, but he and Gwen would build the foundation of a loving, faith-filled home that welcomed friends, family, and community.

He hopped out onto the fire escape and cupped his hands around his mouth to bellow out the good news to the people in the street. “She said yes!”

His mother’s shrieks of delight came from next door, while people from the pub raised their glasses in a toast.

He grinned and stepped back inside. “I figure we have about two minutes before they all come charging in here,” he said as he took her into his arms.

“More like thirty seconds, since your mother is next door.”

“Let’s not waste it, then,” he said, leaning down for a long and deep kiss.

Gwen returned it, and he lifted her off the ground, loving every moment of this. Only seconds later, Birdie and Mrs. O’Shea were rattling the doorknob, pestering to be let inside, but he wanted this moment to last forever. He set Gwen down and cradled her face between his hands, smiling down into her eyes.

“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Mrs. K, but I think we’re out of time.”

Soon Liam was pounding on the door too, wanting to congratulate his new brother. Gwen gave him a radiant smile, then unlocked the bolt and threw the door open. The apartment flooded with friends and family, both from his side and from hers. Father Doyle said a blessing, and the rejoicing began.

Historical Note

Oscar Blackstone is a fictional character loosely based on J.P. Morgan, the financier famous for his ability to merge companies into huge corporations. Morgan cooperated with several New York banks to buy Carnegie Steel and merge it with other large steel companies to create the United States Steel Corporation. When U.S. Steel was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in March of 1901, it was valued at 1.4 billion dollars, the first company in the world to be valued at more than a billion dollars. During its first year, U.S. Steel produced almost seventy percent of the steel in the United States, eventually leading to charges that it violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, which prohibited unfair monopolies. By the time the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, the company’s market share had decreased, and the court sided with U.S. Steel, allowing it to continue in its present form.