All of You

by Jasmine Stevens

  He grinned. ‘That was some speech.’ He moved into her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

  ‘Ah, but do you believe me?’ She searched his eyes for the truth, and she found it as he lowered his head to hers. ‘Yes.’ He kissed her then, his hand coming up behind her neck to deepen the kiss.

  Breaking away from the kiss, he took a deep breath. ‘Will you and Zoe move in with me? I want to wake up with you every morning, cook tea together, sit on the lounge and watch TV. I want us to be a family.’

  ‘Yes. We’ll move in with you.’ She knew they had only known each other for a few months, but it felt right. They saw each other every day anyway, and she wanted to feel his arms around her every night too. ‘On one condition, though.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘We plant a tree that we can hang a swing from.’

  ‘A jacaranda tree?’

  ‘Perfect.’

  He kissed her, and she knew he’d move heaven and earth not to only get her a jacaranda tree but to give Zoe and her the best possible life he could as a family.

  Pink and purple balloons and streamers hung intermittently over Ben’s verandah. He had moved into his house a couple of weeks ago, and it was the perfect place to host Zoe’s second birthday party. It was a beautiful summer day, and Emma was ecstatic all her family had made the trip north for the party and even a couple of her old friends from the force had come up for the celebrations. With all her family and friends as well as Ben’s, there was quite a crowd, many of whom were gathered around new parents, Lottie and Will. They’re daughter, Harper Rose, was only a few weeks old, and the parents were absolutely besotted with her as was her uncle, aunt, and grandparents. Lucy had even come home for the birth and Zoe’s birthday party. She had been a godsend arranging some of the finer details of Zoe’s party. She was a natural party planner. Funny, though, Emma couldn’t find her now. She hoped Lucy hadn’t left before she had a chance to thank her for all her help.

  Emma was happy Reg was here, too. He spent more time with Zoe now since Daphne had passed, and Zoe loved her granddad. She’d miss him while he travelled. He had bought a campervan and was heading around Australia for six months. Emma was happy for him, for although he missed Daphne terribly, he was making the most of his life, doing the things he and Daphne had planned to do before she had become sick.

  Emma watched as Zoe bounced on the princess jumping castle in her blue Cinderella party dress. She hadn’t taken it off since Ben had given it to her that morning, and Emma suspected she’d sleep in it as well tonight.

  Ben came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, dragging her back against him, planting a kiss on her cheek. ‘She’s having the best time.’

  ‘She is, isn’t she.’ She watched as Zoe fell onto her bottom giggling. ‘Wait until she sees the unicorn cake. She’s going to have a fit.’

  ‘Speaking of cake, can I borrow you and Zoe for a little while after she’s blown out her candles?’ he whispered in her ear, and it sent tingles of delight through her. It always did, and she had a feeling those flutters of desire would never leave her.

  She twisted in his arms and laid a kiss on his lips. ‘Of course.’

  Later, when everyone had sung happy birthday to the birthday girl, and most of the guests had left, Emma watched as Ben placed Zoe into her car seat in his new four-wheel drive. He still had his motorbike which he used occasionally, but he had bought the Prado 4WD to show Emma how much she and Zoe meant to him and how invested he was in being in their lives.

  He opened the passenger door for Emma to climb in and closed the door as she buckled in. He ran around the front of the car and clambered into the driver’s seat with a puff of air. He was nervous. She wondered why.

  She turned to him askance, ‘Are you going to tell me where we’re going?’

  ‘Nope. It will spoil the surprise.’ He leaned over and opened the glove box and took out an eye mask. ‘Put this on.’

  Emma’s eyes narrowed as she took the mask out of his hands. ‘What are you up to?’

  Ben pretended to zip his lips and threw the key out the window. He winked at her. ‘Put the mask on, babe.’

  She did as he requested, and he took off. She had no idea where they were headed, but they stopped a couple of times for him to open gates, and she knew when she began getting jostled about that they had gone off-road. She put her hand on his thigh and squeezed tightly. ‘Where are you taking me?’

  He grasped her hand in his and squeezed. ‘My lips are sealed. You’ll know soon enough.’

  They came to a stop, and she heard him get out of the car and get Zoe out of her car seat. Then her door was opened, and he guided her out. His hand, still in hers, he walked her carefully along. She could feel the grass brushing up against her bare legs tickling her, and a gentle breeze stirred her hair. They stopped, and he whispered in her ear, ‘You can take the mask off now.’

  Emma lifted the mask, blinking several times as her eyes adjusted to the light. She couldn’t believe the sight before her. They were standing at the tree on the hill of Ben’s parents’ property. The sun was setting over the mountains casting the sky in colours of pink and purple, but what captured her attention was the swing, or should she say swings. The rope of the wooden swing where Ben and she often sat on their horse rides was interlaced with pink dahlias and white gardenias with sprays of green fernery. Alongside their swing was a child’s swing decorated with pink and purple streamers like the ones at Zoe’s party. Under the tree sat a picnic rug with an ice bucket holding champagne. Two wine flutes sat on a cheese board along with a child’s sipper cup and sparkling apple juice. Hundreds of battery-operated tea lights flickered on the grass in the dimming light. The whole scene was spectacularly beautiful. Emma moved forward, placing her hand over her mouth as she took in the two purple jewellery boxes with white ribbon sitting on the seats of the swings.

  Emma turned around to face Ben. ‘I… it’s beautiful. You did all this?’

  ‘I had some help from Lucy,’ Ben said as he handed Zoe over to her. ‘There’s something I need to say to you.’ He walked over to the swings and picked up the jewellery boxes and indicated with a sweep of his hand that Emma and Zoe should take a seat on the swing. They did with Zoe sitting on Emma’s lap.

  As he knelt in front of them, tears stung Emma’s eyes. Things like this, moments like this didn’t happen to someone like her. This was like a scene from a movie, not real life. She felt the need to pinch herself.

  He looked at Zoe who clapped her hands chanting ‘Ben, Ben, Ben.’ He took her little hands in his. ‘You probably won’t understand anything I’m about to say to you, possum, but I’m going to say it because one day when your mum and I tell you about today, it will mean something to you.’

  His eyes were glassy with tears as he spoke, his voice unsteady with emotion. ‘I know I have only known you and your mummy for a little while, but I love you both so much. I can’t imagine a life without either one of you in it. You two have come into my life and turned it upside down, for the better.’ He looked at Zoe. ‘I want nothing more than to be your dad. I already feel like your daddy in every way. You’re my whole world.’

  Emma brushed away a tear that trickled down his cheek and then brushed away her own.

  ‘If you will let me be your daddy, I promise to love you unconditionally, to devote my life to you and your mummy and protect you. I promise lots of piggybacks, cuddles, pushes on the swing, and I promise to be there at every birthday, every Christmas, and every important day in your life for as long as I live.’ Ben reached up and wiped his eyes. ‘Zoe, your mummy might have to answer this for you, but will you please let me adopt you and become my daughter?’

  Zoe surprised them both by squealing happily. Emma said, ‘I think that’s a yes.’

  Emma stood and knelt in front of Ben placing her hand against his cheek that was wet with tears. She brought her forehead to his and whispered through her tears, ‘Yes, you beautiful man.
Yes. Let’s make it official, let’s try and adopt our daughter.’ Zoe was crushed in between them as they embraced and becoming restless, she tried to squeeze out of their hold.

  Ben broke away. ‘Wait. I have something for Zoe to make it official.’ He reached down on the grass and picked up one of the jewellery boxes. He undid the satiny white ribbon and took out of the box, a sterling silver bracelet. As Emma took the bracelet in her hand, she read Zoe’s name engraved in a heart-shaped charm. On the inside of the bracelet was inscribed, The love between a father and his daughter is forever xxx.

  ‘Ben, it’s gorgeous.’ They looked over to Zoe who was toddling over to the picnic rug. Emma raced over and scooped her up. She lifted Zoe’s hand and held it out to Ben. ‘Here, I think you should do the honours.’

  Ben clipped the bracelet around Zoe‘s hand and exhaled. ‘I have something for you, too.’ He looked at Emma.

  ‘Okay how about Zoe has a play in her swing,’ Emma said as she strapped Zoe into the swing and gave it a little push, so it swung gently back and forth. She walked back over to Ben where he took her hand and led her back to their swing. He sat her down and then sat beside her.

  Rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand, he looked into her eyes. ‘You and Zoe are my whole world. You’re everything to me, and I’m the richest man on earth because I have you and Zoe in my life. I’m sorry I can never give you a child of our own.’ He bit down on his lip, and Emma laid her other hand over the top of his hand that was still rubbing her own.

  ‘I’ve told you. All I need is you and Zoe and nothing else. Zoe and I might be your whole world, but you and Zoe are my whole world, and as long as I have you both in it, I’m the happiest woman alive. Do you believe me?’

  Ben nodded. ‘Yeah, I do. It’s taken me a while to get to this point, but I’m here now. I can see my love for you and Zoe is enough. I’m good enough.’

  Emma took his head in her hands and kissed his lips gently and passionately. ‘You’re more than enough, and I’ll tell you that every day for the rest of my life.’

  Ben grinned at her. ‘You will, I know you will, and that’s one of the reasons I love you so much.’

  ‘I love you.’ She kissed him again only breaking until they heard Zoe screaming from the swing at the lack of attention focused on her and the fact that the swing had stopped moving.

  Ben placed one finger in the air. ‘Hold on one sec.’ He jumped up and pushed the swing for a little bit, getting the momentum happening before returning to Emma, but this time instead of sitting next to her on the swing he knelt in front of her.

  He reached down to the grass and picked up the second jewellery box. Untying the ribbon, he opened the box to reveal a beautiful white gold ring with an amethyst jewel cradled in the middle. Emma gasped, purple like a jacaranda tree. It was her favourite colour, and the ring was simplistic and stunning. She reached out and ran a finger over the coolness of the jewel. ‘It’s gorgeous.’

  ‘Em, I love you with all my heart. You have given me so much, but in return, I can give you something special that I have not given another woman, my love. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m yours as much as you’re mine. I promise to protect, love, and devote myself to you and Zoe forever. Will you marry me?’

  Tears streamed down Emma’s face. ‘Yes. I’ll marry you. I love you so much.’

  She sobbed when Ben placed the ring on her finger, and he kissed the tears away from her cheeks. ‘You and Zoe make me so happy.’

  ‘That goes for us, too.’ Emma looked over to Zoe, who had fallen asleep in the swing. ‘It’s been a big day.’ Ben stood and lifted Zoe into his arms, and the little girl snuggled into his chest, still fast asleep. Emma smiled at the two loves in her life. ‘I think I should pop this champagne. We have a lot to celebrate.’

  Yes, Emma thought, they had so much to celebrate. So much had happened in the past year and a half, and she was grateful for the life she now had. Reg had told her recently that life was a journey built upon a series of moments. Moments that make us laugh with joy, cry with sadness, tremble with anger, and wallow with disappointment. Today Emma cried with joy. Today she has everything. Each moment that brought her here to this point in her life was part of her incredible journey. Each moment was a page in her story. Not all her pages were filled with happiness, but sadness and betrayal tainted her pages also and would continue to do so. But right now, in her life, her story, her pages were filled with sheer bliss and happiness. This was her story, her journey, her moment, and she relished it because she got to share it with her loves—her fiancé and daughter. What more could she possibly want?

  Thank you to all my readers for picking up my second book and reading it. I was blown away, especially by all the support from my family and friends after the release of the first book in this series Waiting for You. I hope you enjoyed reading Ben and Emma’s story and finding out more about Lottie and Will’s life too.

  I need to give a huge shout out to all my beta readers—Kay, Anna, Belinda, Jenny, Kelly, and Sue. Your feedback and advice were greatly appreciated. This book wouldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for the writing advice from my sister and author, Maggie Kay, and my editors, Kaylene Osborn and Nicki Kuzn of Swish Design and Editing. You two amazing women help me more than you know.

  Special thanks must go to Jim, Rae, and Mick for their guidance and insight into police procedures. Any mistakes made in this book are mine and mine alone.

  Last but certainly not least, thanks to my husband and children, Steve, Jayden, and Mia. I know there must be times when you think is she ever going to get off that darn computer, but you always support me and give me the time I need to write. Hopefully, one day writing will become my full-time career, and I will have you three special people to thank for that.

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  Jasmine Stevens is a romance author based in beautiful Newcastle, Australia, where she lives with her husband, two children, and their spoilt Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The natural beauty of the serene beaches and the tranquil countryside of the Hunter Valley influences her when writing her rural fiction novels. Jasmine is an avid reader, lover of tea, and enjoys photography. Waiting for You is her debut novel which is part of The Holbrook Series. Jasmine hopes her readers fall in love with the characters in her novels and that her stories give her readers an escape from life, make them laugh, and make them smile.