“I’m so sorry, Nick. I’ve been—”
With a furrowed brow, Nick shook his head. “No, Rebecca.I’msorry. I had no idea what you must have been going through and I should have. I was so caught up in what I wanted. The night you left me could have been a cry for help. I should’ve chased you down. I should have never let you go.”
Rebecca’s face warmed as tears pooled in her eyes. Nick pushed his fingers through her thick curls and cupped the back of head. When he pulled her to his hard chest and held her tight, she’d never felt more secure.
“I love you, Nick,” Rebecca hiccupped.
“I know you do, babe.”
He kissed the top of her head and took a slight step backward. He stuffed his hand in the pocket of his jacket.
“Look what I got,” he said with the sexiest of boyish grins.
Rebecca waited with a wrinkled brow, wondering what he was pulling out of his pocket. She squinted as two small packages came into view.
One was a padlock, the other was a marker. Rebecca giggled. A feeling of girlish gleefulness washed over her. “What’s all this, Sergeant?” she asked with a raised brow.
“It’s simple. I’m locking you in. You ain’t ever leaving me again, woman.”
Rebecca threw her arms around his neck and stood on her toes. With his help, she was able to reach his lips. It was when he pressed his to hers that she knew she would never, could never leave him again.
Epilogue
“Come on, dude! Gimme something to eat!” Vince shouted from the picnic table.
“If you think you can make this meat cook faster, get your ass over here and cook it.” Nick scooped a burger from the grill and turned it over.
“Hell, I should have!”
“It’s not too late, buddy.”
Vince looked as if he were searching his brain for a witty comeback when Little Nicky tore through the patio door ass-naked with Rebecca on his heels. He was giggling as he ran full speed through the backyard.
“Nicky!” she screeched at his back while chasing him.
Nick laughed. His son definitely had a future in the NFL. He was shaking her like a running back.
It had been a year and a half since Rebecca’s heart transplant and watching her run still gave him joy. She was healthy with no complications. Vera had once told him that her heart belonged to him. In a way, she’d made sure of it.
Nick considered himself blessed. He loved Rebecca with his heart and soul, and he was still able to have a piece of the woman he’d loved before her. When old enough to understand, he planned to explain to Nicky how beautiful and special his mother was and how a special part of her now lived on in Rebecca.
“That little guy is fast,” Tanya squealed.
When Rebecca finally caught him, she threw him over her shoulder, eliciting more giggles. With his little naked ass in the air, she walked him over to the family.
“Whew! This boy is slippery.” She wheezed.
Nick laughed. “Bath time?”
“You know it.” She chuckled.
Nicky fought bath time almost every night because he knew that bedtime was to follow, and God forbid he missed something.
“Want me to put him down?” Nick asked.
“Ah, hell, no!” Vince blurted. “Don’t you move from that grill until that meat is done.”
Vince’s temper tantrum had Tanya and Rebecca laughing hysterically. He pointed the tongs at his brother-in-law.
