Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76541 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76541 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Hannah slaps lightly at my chest. “You know what I mean.”
I grab her hand, tug her into me. She tries to pull back, but I bring my other hand to her lower back to hold her against me. “If I wasn’t clear with your daughter, let me be now with you. I love you. More than anything I’ve ever loved before or will ever love again. If you say yes, I’d marry you today. I would relish practicing making babies with you. When you’re ready, I’d love to make as many as you want. I have a feeling Hope would be even happier with more than two. And although I didn’t say it to her just then, I’ll say it to you now so you have no fucking doubt about it—I’ll love Hope as my own, too. Now, I’ve done a fuck of a lot of talking and laid my entire soul bare to you. Yet, I have no clue what you’re thinking or if you even have a slight fondness for me. So I’m going to leave, head back to my motel, and if you—”
It’s as far as I get before Hannah is throwing her arms around my neck and pulling me down for a hard, bruising kiss. I’ve never felt such utter relief in my entire life.
I kiss her back, bringing a hand to her neck and bending her backward. My gaze cuts to the window to see her mom, both brothers, and her daughter watching us.
I hastily pull her upright, sadly taking my mouth from hers.
Hannah’s eyes are sparkling, incandescent with something I’ve never quite seen before.
Then she says the words that make me understand what I’m seeing. “I love you, Asher. And while you hurt me terribly, I can understand where your fear was coming from.”
“Thank fuck,” I mutter. I kiss her again, except this time gently and much more chastely since we’re being watched. I pull back again. “I love you so much, Hannah.”
Then I’m pulling her into an embrace once more. As I hold her, I make a vow I will never, ever let her go. I choose to let go of the worry and doubt over our future, knowing that each day I have with her in the future will be the best day I’ve ever had, and that’s not something I could ever turn my back on. It’s the greatest kind of risk.
“Come on inside and let’s get you a plate,” she says as she takes my hand and leads me to the door. “Then you have cleanup duty with my brothers while Mom and I relax since we did all the cooking.”
“Deal,” I say with a broad smile as we both see her family scramble away from the window.
Her family that is soon to be my family as well—I’m sure of it.
EPILOGUE
Hannah
The grand ballroom at the Mandarin Oriental is sparkling with wealth and glamour this evening. Round tables that seat ten are overflowing with fine china, crystal, and silver. I thought Hope would be bored to death, but she seems to be enjoying it, I think as dazzled as I’ve been from all the diamonds flashing on the women and their fancy ballgowns.
The Dorothy Knight Charity Extravaganza for the Benefit of Children’s Hospital is wrapping up, once again having raised thousands and thousands of dollars from all these wealthy people in attendance.
It was important to Asher that both Hope and I attend with him. He still feels guilty for missing it last year when he and I were… well, going through our thing. Of course, I wouldn’t miss it, and Hope was more than willing to go when Asher bought her the pink satin and tulle gown she’s wearing tonight.
Even in first grade, pink is still her signature color.
This evening, we dined on Kobe beef and Maine lobster with lots of expensive champagne. Not sure how she pulled it off, but Christina managed to have pizza served to Hope, which totally made her night.
Asher is now striding on stage to give the closing remarks, a spotlight following him. In addition to the thousand-dollar-a-plate ticket the people paid to get in, an all-night auctioneer has been showcasing expensive donated items while managing the excitement of competing bids as the numbers raised to staggering numbers.
At one point, Christina leaned over to whisper to me, “You know that Chihuly vase you broke of Asher’s?”
I nodded, trying not to fondly smile over it since my breaking it is what led me to the love of my life.
“He bought it at the gala the year before,” she said with a smirk.
“Money well spent,” I replied with a grin. It also explained why his starkly barren interior of an apartment was graced with such a colorful object. It seemed so “anti” Asher.
Over the past year, we’ve been on a few shopping trips where he’s let me pick out some stuff to brighten up his place. A few pieces of artwork, some colorful pillows, and even a pretty green-and-blue duvet cover for the master bedroom. I don’t get to sleep there except the nights Nelson has Hope, but it made me feel good he wanted my touch there.