Three pairs of eyes turned to me. I prayed I wasn’t misinterpreting this, that he wasn’t just playing with my heart.
“My opinion isn’t really important,” I managed. “I’ll only be here a little while longer.”
Then Logan stepped in front of me, taking both my hands in his and looking directly into my eyes.
It was a low blow. I could no longer hold back the tears.
“Evy,” he began, his voice steady and sure. “When will you understand that we don’t want you to leave?”
“I don’t know if you’re speaking for the girls or for yourself, Logan.”
“I know I speak for all three of us when I say we want you to stay. But I speak for myself—only for myself—when I tell you I am completely and utterly in love with you.”
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out, my voice choked by a sob.
And then he made it impossible to hold myself together. He knelt right there on the grass, still holding my hands. As if that wasn't enough to shatter mecompletely, Anna and Aurora exchanged a gleeful look, then mimicked their father, until all three of them were kneeling before me.
“Evelyn García…” he began, his voice thick with emotion. “I know we started on completely the wrong foot. But… it was the best mistake I’ve ever made. You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever known. And when I asked if you wanted to come back to New York with us, I needed you to understand that our agreement means nothing to me now. I want you with me because… hell, I’ve never said this to anyone before… I love you.”
“Logan…” I whispered, my voice trembling.
He continued, his gaze never leaving mine. “I know it might be too soon to ask you to move in with us permanently—even though I want that more than anything. So what I’m asking is: stay in New York. And, more importantly… stay withme.”
“And with me!” Anna chimed in.
Aurora nodded fervently, her hands signing,‘Me too!’
“Stay withus, Evy,” Logan reinforced, his voice steady and sure. “Be my girlfriend. And when you’re ready, be my fiancée, and then my wife. Be a second mother to my daughters.”
If I had been afraid of misreading his signals before, I was now terrified I would wake up at any second and find this was all a dream.
The most beautiful dream imaginable.
When I let go of Logan’s hands and took a small step back, I saw the smile fade from his face, replaced by a flicker of heartbreaking uncertainty.
But he understood a moment later when I raised my own hands and began to speak, my words flowing through signs, my eyes shining with tears as I looked at him, then at Anna, and finally at Aurora.
I
Love
All
Three
Of
You
Very
Much.
The smiles on Rory and Anna’s faces widened into pure, radiant joy. And Logan’s smile returned, deeper and more certain this time, showing he understood every word.
“I had a feeling, Evy…” he teased, in that smug, confident Dr. Turner tone I’d come to adore. “So, just to be perfectly clear… does that meanyes?”
I made the sign for ‘yes’ with one hand, while nodding fervently and letting the word spill from my lips in a breathless, joyful rush.
