Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
“The reason it had to be here,” I go on, feeling my heart drumming against the ring box. “It’s because….”
Her mouth falls open. “This is the spot. The place it happened, where you lost them.”
“Where I lost Anna,” I say. “But yeah, where her mom died too. But it had to be here because….”
I clear my throat.
“You have to know, Lucy. It’s only going to be you and our children now. I’m not saying I won’t always miss my daughter. She will always have a special place in my heart. But you need to know…I will never put her memory before our children. I’ll never give their attention to somebody else.”
“You can still remember her,” she says.
“I know. And I will. But…This, us, it’s it. Before that day, I felt like this is where my life ended when my daughter left me but now I feel like this is the first day of the rest of our lives. And I know how that sounds.”
“But it’s true,” she murmurs, her voice trembling. “Oh, Logan.”
I smile. “You know, don’t you?”
She returns my smile as happy tears slide down her cheeks. “I’m hoping.”
“I would’ve done this a week ago,” I told her.
“But the planning permission….”
Hopefully, I smile – in a mysterious way – and then kneel.
She steps back, more happy tears flowing.
“Lucy Jacobs…” I take the ring box from my pocket and open it, displaying the diamond, a big one, shining, set within an elegant band. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she yells at once. “Oh my God. Yes, Logan. Yes.”
I reach over, take her hand, slide the ring onto her finger, then stand and take her into my arms.
Our lips magnetize like they did that first time when we couldn’t stop.
And then something starts thundering in the air.
We break off the kiss, looking up.
The helicopter cuts across the sky, then slows down and starts descending toward the tallest building in this neighborhood…which isn’t very tall, hence the permission.
“Are we going somewhere?” she asks.
“Yeah.” I hold her tighter. “We’ve got a whole weekend ahead of us. A spa, a room….”
She moves closer to me. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” I say fiercely, and we kiss again.
EPILOGUE
NINE DAYS LATER
Lucy
I stare down at the pregnancy test, so much love flowing through me that I can hardly take it.
It’s not the most romantic setting, with me sitting on the toilet, my underwear tangled around my ankles, but I know I’ll remember it forever.
Those two lines staring up at me.
Climbing from the toilet, I flush and get myself together. Washing my hands, I catch sight of myself in the mirror.
I look wide-eyed, almost like how I did when the police officers showed up at my door with the news about Dad before I even knew who Logan was.
But then a smile touches my lips, and I let it happen.
It’s like Logan said when he proposed. We can’t bury the past, ignore it. But this is a new chapter, and I don’t give a hecking heck how cheesy it sounds. Because it’s ours, it’s beautiful and it’s ours.
I wipe the tears from my cheeks and walk from the ensuite into the bedroom.
Logan is lying on the bed with Rusty clambering all over him. The Jack Russell terrier was hanging around in the alleyway near my old apartment – Jane’s old apartment too since she’s moving to a nicer neighborhood. I’m so happy she let Logan help her, let us help her.
Logan walked across the street when he saw the dog, knelt, then turned to me with that we-can-do-anything-together smile.
“Why don’t we save him? Take a piece of this place, your old life, and make it better.”
“What if he belongs to somebody?” I asked, as the Jack Russell slowly crept toward Logan.
“Look at him. Somebody’s abandoned him.”
Logan was right.
We checked at the vet, ran the chip, and it turns out the old owners were trying to sell him online. When nobody bought him, they moved to the West Coast anyway, leaving him behind.
Now, I walk to the edge of the bed.
Rusty spins and pads over to me. His fur still looks a little patchy, and his ribs are showing a little. But he’s already the most playful, enthusiastic dog ever, despite everything.
I reach down, stroking him behind the ear as Logan leans forward. He’s wearing his gym shorts, nothing else, his legs sprawled and his abs tight as he looks over at me.
“Lucy.” He glances at my hand, looks at me, then returns to my hand. He stares. “Lucy is it….”
“Yes,” I whisper. “It’s positive. We’re going to have a baby.”
Logan whoops and leaps, springing across the bed.
Rusty barks and starts spinning around, jumping at Logan. He sweeps us both up, pulling me into his arms and holding Rusty so the little doggie can lick happily at our faces.