Page 253 of The Sweetest Return

Back then, forever had sounded easy.

It wasn’t.

I knew that now.

I knew it standing in the same place with his ring on my finger and his child beneath my heart.

Dre stepped behind me and wrapped both arms around my waist. His palms settled low over me, and I leaned back against his chest.

“You thinking about that night?” he asked.

“Yes.”

His mouth brushed my temple. “You smiled so hard when you said yes.”

“I did not.”

“You did. Whole face gave you away.”

“You picked me up like a caveman.”

“You liked it.”

“I loved it.”

His arms tightened.

For a while, we stood there in front of the old building while Homecoming carried on a few blocks away. A group of students passed on the other side of the street, laughing too loud, young enough to believe time was something they could spend without counting.

Dre’s hand shifted, covering mine when it settled over my belly.

“You tired?” he asked.

“A little.”

“Hungry?”

“Always now, apparently.”

“Our child is serious about snacks.”

I laughed softly, then turned in his arms.

The streetlight touched his face, and for one second, I saw both versions of him at once. The boy who promised me forever before he knew what forever would ask. The man who found his way back to me and learned how to build it for real.

“I love you,” I said.

His dark brown eyes warmed.

“I love you too, Mrs. Jones.”

“That still does something to me.”

“Good.”

“You enjoy that too much.”

“I enjoy you too much.”