by McLean, Jay
I physically can’t stop crying as we make our way back. Three generations of a family stand before me, their expressions concerned as they take in my state. I can see that Leo wants to approach me, but he does what he’s always done. He waits for me. I stop in front of them, my focus on my father. “I’m sorry,” I cry out.
“Mia, what’s—” He breaks off when Tammy shakes her head, guiding him into letting me speak.
Through strained breaths, I add, “I don’t want you to feel like I don’t appreciate everything you’ve done for me. You’ve been everything I needed and more, and you’ve given me a life where I didn’t have to worry about a single thing besides raising my son. Your support for me has been limitless. These past five years…” I break off on a sob.
Dad’s eyes widen as he looks between Tammy and me, and I can see the exact moment it clicks for him.
“Mia,” he whispers, cupping my face in his hands. His red, raw eyes hold mine. “It’s my fault I only got five real years with you. But even with everything we went through, they’ve been the best five years of my life.” He kisses my forehead before pulling away. “We’ll be back in two weeks to visit you and make sure you have everything you need.”
I nod, my heart in my throat as he and Tammy say goodbye to Benny with the promise of video calls. Dad shakes Leo’s hand, saying, “Take care of them, okay?”
Leo nods but doesn’t say a word. Not during the conversation, and not even as we watch them walk through security and toward the gate. When I can no longer see them, I turn to Leo and our son, still sitting on his dad’s shoulders. And then I wipe at my eyes, at the tears caused by the pain of my world being split in two. Only now, I know I’m standing on the right side of it.
I can feel it.
Because I have faith.
“Let’s go home.”
Epilogue
Mia
“I can’t believe your dad’s sending his private jet!” Lincoln says.
Liam adds, “Yeah. This is insane.”
“He’s just showing off,” I mutter, watching through the window as the plane taxis into our hanger. We’re at a local airfield, where Dad flies in and out of whenever he comes to visit us.
The first time he came, it was to look at office space for us.
He bought the whole building.
The second time he visited, we took him to Sunday Family Breakfast, where he and Mr. Preston, who insists I call him either Tom or Dad, got to talking about a development Preston, Gordon and Sons was building in the next town over.
Dad invested in it.
On the third visit, he tried to convince me to let him buy our house for us. I groaned, believing Leo would hate the idea. When I told Leo about it, he shrugged and said, “It’s not a bad offer. As you say, he’ll barely feel it, and we could get a head start financially. You know, for all the other kids we’re going to have.”
“How many are you planning to have?” I almost scoffed.
“Lucas wants eight to beat our parents, so I’m going for nine to beat him,” he jokes.
“You want me to physically birth another nine babies?”
He shook his head and widened his eyes as if what he was about to say was obvious. “Just eight. We already have one, or did you forget about Benny?”
“Who forgot about me?” Benny shouted from the tire swing in the front yard.
“Besides,” Leo said, “I kind of dumped all my savings into this.” And then he held out a ring for me. The ring. It was a Tuesday morning, and he was off work. We were sitting on the porch steps watching Benny play, and there was nothing at all remarkable about the day or the way he told me we were getting married. We just were, and that was that, and that was… perfect. That was a couple of weeks ago, and we haven’t told anyone. We’re not big on celebrating love. We’re big on living in it.
“I love weddings!” Aubrey sings.
“Me, too!” says Laney.
“Settle down,” Lucas and Logan say simultaneously, and I crack a smile, glancing at the twins, who are snapping picture after picture of the plane. Probably to post on social media. I don’t know how it never came up before, but the twins are famous. Like, YouTube, social media, influencer famous. For two little shits, they sure are business smart. They’re also big believers in clean living. They don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t do drugs, are both virgins, and feel strongly that all teenagers should be able to live the same life without being peer-pressured or teased. They’re currently working with Dad on an app that connects parents with teens. Basically, it’s an app that looks different every time you load it, so the people around you don’t know what it is, and there are quick message options to communicate back and forth so that if, say, you’re at a party and you’re uncomfortable and want to leave, you can send something super quick without your friends knowing. See? Smart.
Everyone is here, all the Prestons, their girlfriends. Dad said to invite anyone we wanted, so we did. The plane is at max capacity. Even Benny’s best friend, Preston, and his parents are here.
Bennett Preston—yes, we changed his last name—and Preston Sanders are going to start school together come fall. Leo and I did a tour of the elementary school, and even though it’s the same one he attended, he wanted me to be sure. I was sure the moment I walked in and could still smell the fresh grass from outside through all the open windows. Benny needs to run, to play, and not be restricted to small rooms and concrete playgrounds. He needs to touch things, to lift, and push and pull things. We learned all this through Benny’s therapist, who he calls his girlfriend, Amanda. Amanda is the same therapist who Logan sees, and she’s been amazing. She understands my fears, and she works with Leo and me through all of them.
As for my therapy, once a month Dad sends his plane during Leo’s days off and we all go to New York for a few days. I see my therapists there, and the come back home. If I need them, they’re just a phone call or text message away. Eventually, I might look into some counseling closer to me, but for now, it works. Besides, it gives us a reason to visit Dad and Tammy.
“Daddy!” Benny laughs out. “Look at Princess!”
I watch Leo squat down to the kids’ level. “What am I looking at?”
Benny reaches behind Katie’s ear and pulls out a penny. “Magic,” he says.
Logan high-fives him. “You’re a champ, Benny. You got that so quick.” Logan and I are... better. There’s still a small level of discomfort when I’m around him and Lucas, but it’s getting easier to manage it. Logan is great with Benny, and Lucas is always around the house, helping Leo with odd jobs—his way of showing he loves us and that he’s sorry without ever saying the words.
Benny gives Logan a megawatt smile. “Mama says I’m smart.”
“Yeah?” he says. “You must get that from her, because your dad—”
“Hey!” Benny growls. “My daddy’s the bestest, biggest, and strongest man in my world!”
Leo crosses his arms, jerks his head at his little brother. “See? I’ve been telling you since we were kids, man. I’m the best.”
* * *
Dad and Tammy’s wedding at the farm is both beautiful and completely over the top. The guest list is in the mid-hundreds, thanks to Dad, but the ceremony itself is played down. There are flowers everywhere, thanks to Big H, Holden’s dad. The money my dad dropped on the flowers alone was enough to keep Big H’s nursery going for the next few years, which is a relief to Holden because, according to him, they were one season away from shutting down.
Holden quit his job at Dad’s company to come home and run the family business. He says that the only thing he misses from Boston and New York is the endless p—synonym: cat—word.
The wedding was held in the field to accommodate all the guests. There are decorated tables upon tables beneath white tents. The economy in this town and the surroundings will be booming. There are more people in this field alone than the people who reside here.
As soon as the meals start arriving at the tab
les, Leo catches my gaze, blue eyes on brown, and he smirks that smirk that I love, love, love.
“Let’s go,” he mouths, and I nod, making an excuse to use the restroom. He grabs Benny, dressed in his little ring-bearer suit, and catches up with me just before we hit the driveway. I’m already laughing, giddy with excitement as he takes my hand and leads me, in a rush, around the house and to Papa’s garden where Gloria—the priest from back home—is waiting for us as requested. Beside her is Miss Sandra, who still works at the diner where she and Leo met. For years now, they’ve kept in touch, mainly through email. He says that during that first summer he was here—the summer when he was filled with so much hate and darkness, Miss Sandra was often the one to shine a little light into his soul. She was the first to see how much I meant to him. So for him, it made sense that she be our witness.
“Are you ready?” Gloria asks.
“I’m ready,” Benny shouts, standing between us.
Leo sucks in a breath, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’ve been ready for ten years.”
Within minutes, we’re saying I do.
And just like that:
I am Mia Mackenzie Preston.
I am the granddaughter of an immigrant dairy farmer, who grew up in pigtails, wearing overalls and rubber boots. My favorite place on earth is exactly 130 feet in the air.
I am mother.
And now, I am a wife.
“Congratulations!” Miss Sandra squeals.
And then Leo kisses me, and it’s a kiss that holds so many promises, so many hopes and dreams for a future. Together. And sure, this may not be the wedding most girls dream of, but this is the one I wanted.
Besides, we fell in love in secret.
And held on to that love in private.
It only seems fitting to seal that love in the same way.
Want MORE?
Read the previous books in the series:
Lucas
Logan
More Than Series
Want more of Cameron and Lucy’s story? You can find out all about them in the More Than Series, particular More Than Forever (can be read as a standalone).
More Than This
More Than Her
More Than Him
More Than Forever
More Than Enough
Also by Jay McLean
More Than Series
More Than This
More Than Her
More Than Him
More Than Forever
More Than Enough
Preston Brothers Novel
Lucas
Logan
Leo
The Road Series
Where the Road Takes Me
Kick Push
Coast
Combative Trilogy
Combative
Redemptive
Destructive
Darkness Matters
Darkness Matters
The Heartache Duet
Heartache and Hope
First and Forever
About the Author
Jay McLean is an international best-selling author and full-time reader, writer of New Adult Romance, and skilled procrastinator. When she's not doing any of those things, she can be found running after her two little boys, playing house and binge watching Netflix.
She writes what she loves to read, which are books that can make her laugh, make her hurt and make her feel.
Jay lives in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, in a forever half-done home where music is loud and laughter is louder.
For publishing rights (Foreign & Domestic) Film, or television, please contact her agent Erica Spellman-Silverman, at Trident Media Group.
Connect With Jay
www.jaymcleanauthor.com
[email protected]
