Bella never wanted this moment to end. She was with the man she loved, who loved her back. And their infant son was sleeping in her arms. Nothing could be more perfect than this, she was sure.
“I love you, James,” she whispered to her son.
“I love him too. And I love you,” Luke said, kissing her cheek.
The baby didn’t say anything, just slept on, but Bella knew James loved them too.
For the first time in her life, she was part of a family that loved each other. A family she could rely on. As Bella relaxed back into Luke’s arms, baby James curled against her chest, she felt more complete than ever before.
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
Bella smiled down at James, who was sitting in his high chair with his one-year-old smash cake on the tray table in front of him. Bella had made the cake herself, using baby-friendly ingredients and flavors she thought James might like.
For his part, James was grinning a huge grin, showing his tiny teeth, his green eyes glowing with happiness. His round pink cheeks were smudged with vanilla cake and frosting — even his truck-patterned onesie was covered in more frosting. Not much of the cake appeared to have made it into his mouth, but he didn’t seem to care.
Bella didn’t care either.
“He looks happy.” Luke came up behind her and put an arm around her waist.
“He does. But we’d better get him cleaned up in time for presents.”
“Let me.” Luke lifted James out of his high chair. “Hey, little man. Shall we go wash up?”
“Ba ga,” James babbled, rubbing frosting into Luke’s face. Luke grinned at his son.
“Thanks, little man. Now I look even more handsome.”
James chortled as though he understood the joke, and Luke carried him into the next room. Bella watched them go, her heart full. Since James had been born, Luke had proven himself to be a wonderful parent. He was calm, confident, and easygoing, even when he was covered in spit-up or running on three hours of sleep. If it were possible, Bella had fallen more in love with him every day.
“You look happy.”
Bella turned to see Stacy standing beside her. Her friend was grinning and holding hands with her now-husband, Michael. Her stomach showed the curve of six months of pregnancy with her own son, who would be arriving in early fall.
“Iamhappy.” Bella smiled at her friend. “I have a wonderful one-year-old baby boy, a great guy who I love, and a flourishing business.”
“The business does look great,” Stacy said, looking around the space. “I can’t believe how great your new location is.”
“Ican’t believe I can afford to have a location at all,” Bella mused. It had turned out that taking a step back was the best thing she could have done for her business. She’d hired new staff and trained them to take over for her on maternity leave. When she’d come back, she’d kept them on. Now, with help, Bella was able to cater bigger events and more of them, since she didn’t need to be there, doing everything, all the time. The Cherry on Top had become one of the most sought-after catering companies in Portland. It was an amazing feeling. Bella hadeven purchased this space to host small events and function as a staging area and office space for her small but very effective team of employees.
“Hey!” Callie hurried over from the far side of the room. She was practically skipping. “I just saw James. He’s adorable! How’s he getting so big?”
“I don’t know.” Bella shrugged, still smiling. “Luke and I keep telling him to slow down, but he doesn’t seem to listen. I think he’s about to start walking.”
“It’s like he’s a real little person now,” Callie mused. Bella and Stacy chuckled.
“True,” Bella said.
“And how about Luke, anyway?” Callie asked. From a nearby table, she picked up one of the mini cakes Bella had prepared for the event and popped it into her mouth.
“What do you mean?” Bella asked, grinning already.
“Well, you guys have a baby together,” Callie ticked off on her fingers. “You have a house together. You’re clearly super in love. So, like, aren’t you going to get married?”
Bella laughed. “Well, maybe someday. But right now, we’re too focused on the baby to be thinking about that. Caring for a child takes a lot of time, as does being a surgeon and a caterer.”
“So, you don’t want him to ask?” Stacy inquired.
