He wanted to tell her he loved her, too, but his words caught in his chest when her orgasm overtook her. She tightened around him, and her head fell against his chest.
Using the last bit of strength he had, he pushed up off the bed to release as deeply into her as he could.
It still wasn’t enough.
He wrapped his arms around her and smiled. Her heart hammered against his, a little faster than his own. As they relaxed, there were a few times when their heart rate synched up. He thought that was a good analogy for life. Sometimes they would be in harmony, and sometimes they would disagree. But they would always be there for each other.
Together.
“I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you,” he said, and pulled her closer.
Okay, maybe he should have started with telling her how much he loved her, but he was focused on the next step in their future.
She looked at him in surprise. Not bad surprise, just…uncertainty. “But you hardly know me. The real me. You only know the unstoppable force I become when my child is in danger.”
He nestled closer. “I’m pretty sure you face even the minor things with that same unstoppable force.”
She made a wry face. “Maybe.”
He kissed her temple. “I’m not saying we should run off this instant and seal the deal. I’m saying I love you, and I’d like the chance to marry you after I move into your fancy new house.” He winked at her and grinned.
She looked up at him and smiled back, but uncertainty still clouded her beautiful features. “It’s not going to be like it was before. I have a child.”
“I know. She’s great, and I promise to care for her as my own.” He swallowed down a twinge of pain for the child he wasn’t able to have in his life. “I know what it means to be a parent. I know it’s a lot of peanut butter sandwiches, and sex only when they’re sleeping. I know it’s sometimes chaos and stress, but it’s also joy and happiness. And best of all, it’s family.”
Tears of happiness glistened in her kaleidoscope eyes, making them appear green. “That’s…perfect.”
He knew he had almost won, so he said, “I love you, Lena. I love Kenzie. Give us a chance to be a family.”
The missing piece of their happy future slipped into place when he pulled her close and kissed her neck. Their lives had been completely upturned, only to fall perfectly into place again.
As he kissed along her jaw, there was only one thing left to do to set them on the path to their forever.
She looked up at him and he knew he’d do anything to protect her and her child, and make them happy. With a smile she whispered, “Yes.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
Nerves got the best of Dane as the soccer game began. His leg swayed with anxious motion, needing an escape. It wasn’t that Kenzie was in danger. At least not from anyone but herself.
She wasn’t the most graceful of athletes, despite the hours they’d spent practicing in the backyard. She was, however, as determined as her mother, who was now patting his knee in a calming manner.
Giving up her place, Kenzie ran after the ball and stole it from a frail-looking boy who was shorter than her. Dane clapped and cheered as she dribbled it between her tiny feet down the field. She was quick. He knew the effort was taking every ounce of concentration, as evidenced by the way her tongue was sticking out.
God, please don’t let her fall and bite off her tongue.
As if by some kind of magic spell, she glided right up to the net and kicked it past the goalie, scoring like an Olympic star. The look of shock on her face was priceless.
Without a thought, Dane jumped down from the bleachers and ran to scoop her up on the sideline in celebration.
“Did you see that? I got a goal!” she squealed, panting.
“I saw.”
Other kids piled around, chattering and patting her on the back when he released her. “Great job!”
“How did you do that?” one of her team members asked.
“My dad’s been practicing with me.” She looked up at him with wide eyes. “I mean Dane.”
He swallowed and smiled to reassure her the slip-up was fine with him.
It was the second time she’d called him dad. The first time, he hadn’t known how to handle it. He hadn’t really handled it, which was why she probably thought he didn’t like it.
In a sense, he was her dad. When he’d married her mother four months ago, it had made him officially her stepdad. But they hadn’t taken the next step yet to straight dadhood.
He had never wanted to use another child to fill the empty space in his heart he kept for Tobey. But over time, he realized the space wasn’t empty.
His son was happy, safe, and loved by three parents. And Tobey knew it.
As much as Dane loved his son, he found he still had plenty of love left for Kenzie, Lena, and however many more children they might have in the future.
The team ran off as Lena fixed her daughter’s loose braid. He remembered the stress Tobey felt over using the title Dad with Randy. Dane couldn’t let Kenzie go through the same dilemma. He didn’t want another moment to go by without making sure she was completely happy.
He bent down to her level and pulled her close. “Know what? I like when you call me Dad.”
She looked to her mother, who had tears in her eyes. He hadn’t meant to make the soccer game into something so dramatic.
“Go on. Your team is waiting for you. Remember to have fun,” he added, sounding very fatherly.
She grinned. “It was fun making a goal.”
“Well, good. Then keep doing that.” He winked at her.
She tore off, only to run back and hug him. “I will, Dad.”
“I love you, sweetie,” he whispered into her hair.
“Love you, too.” She was gone in a flash.
He wrapped his arm around his wife to lead her back to their seats.
“So… What would you think about having someone else call you Dad?” she asked.
He stopped walking and darted a look at her. “You want to have a baby?”
They’d discussed it once, and Lena said she wasn’t ready. She’d been anxious about what could happen if her attention was divided.
She tilted her head coyly. “Yes, I’m ready now. I think we should start trying.”
He wiggled his brows. “I’ll give it my best effort.”
She snuggled into his arms.
He brushed a stray hair back from her face and kissed her right there in front of all the other parents. “I love you.”
She smiled up at him, joy filling her beautiful eyes. “When Kenzie was taken, I thought my life was over. I never in a million years expected to have a happy ending like this.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “This isn’t the ending, sweetheart. We’re just beginning.”
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About the Author
One very early morning, Allison B. Hanson woke up with a conversation going on in her head. It wasn’t so much a dream as being forced awake by her imagination. Unable to go back to sleep, she gave in, went to the computer, and began writing. Years later it still hasn’t stopped. Allison lives near Hershey, Pennsylvania. Her contemporary romances include paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery suspense. She enjoys candy immensely, as well as long motorcycle rides, running, and reading.
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