He paced, wringing his hands. “I almost ended things with you tonight.”
My heart stopped. “What?”
“I talked to my mom yesterday, told her about us. She asked about the age difference, and then she asked if I’d thought about what it meant long-term. About having a family.” His voice cracked. “I’ve always wanted kids, but I thought… I assumed…”
I crossed the room in three strides and pulled him into my arms. “You assumed I wouldn’t want that because of my age.”
He nodded against my chest. “I’m sorry. I should’ve talked to you first instead of making assumptions.”
“Yes, you should have.” I kissed the top of his head. “But communication goes both ways, honey. I should have told you how I feel about having a family, but I didn’t think we were there yet. We were already moving so fast…”
He looked up at me, hope dawning in those beautiful brown eyes. “You’d want kids?”
“With you? Yes. We can use a surrogate if you want, or we can look into fostering or adopting. I’m fine with anything as long as we do it together.”
“I want that so much.”
I cupped his face, wiping away the remnants of tears with my thumbs. “I love you, Pascal Winfield. You make me want everything I never thought I’d have.”
His breath caught. “You love me?”
“I do. I know it’s fast, but I’ve never felt like this about anyone. I know it’s the real thing.”
“I love you too.” Fresh tears spilled over. “I’m sorry I almost messed this up.”
“Say it again…but without that last part.”
Pascal looked at me through misty eyes. “I love you.”
A joy unlike anything else exploded inside me, filling me to the point where my body felt too small to contain it. I pulled him close, my hands trembling as I cupped his face. “Thank you. I’ll never take that love for granted.”
His smile was brighter than any sunrise I’d ever seen, and when he kissed me, I tasted his tears—happy ones this time. We held each other close, trading soft kisses and whispered promises, and I knew with absolute certainty that this was it for me. This beautiful, sweet man was everything I’d ever wanted,and I would spend the rest of my life making him as happy as he made me.
EPILOGUE
PASCAL
Five Years Later
Forestville was packed with summer tourists, but inside the library, it was still nice and quiet. And cool, thank goodness. We’d had an unprecedented heatwave, which made me grateful for the AC in the library. Back home, we had to make do with fans, so I relished being able to spend eight hours at work.
I was shelving books in the Young Adult section when I heard familiar voices approaching. Looking up, I saw my daughters making their way through the library, their backpacks slung over their shoulders.
“Dad!” Malinda called out, rushing over to hug me. At fifteen, she was already as tall as I was. Her sister Kira followed more slowly—she was the quieter of the two.
“Hey, girls.” I hugged them both, breathing in the familiar scent of their shampoo. “What brings you in?”
Malinda rolled her eyes at me, something she was an expert at. “The AC, of course, duh. Do you have any idea how hot it is in my bedroom?”
“About as hot as in mine, I would guess,” I teased her.
Kira adjusted her glasses. “We also need new books. We finished the ones we got earlier this week.”
I chuckled. They were both voracious readers, just like Stanton and me. “Go browse and make sure to check out the cart with the new arrivals. There are a few romantasy books there that I know you’ll love.”
They headed toward the fantasy section, already deep in discussion about what to read next. My heart swelled watching them. Even after all this time, I sometimes couldn’t believe how lucky we were.
Five years had passed since that night at Safe Space when I’d almost ruined everything by making assumptions. Now, Stanton and I were married, and we had not just two but three daughters. Malinda and Kira—who were biological siblings—had started as foster kids four years ago, but it had quickly become clear they would be with us to stay. We’d gotten lucky since both girls had fully embraced us as parents after a difficult start with their biological mother. Though they still had traumas, they were doing well.
