Page 32 of The Cloud Catcher

‘We’ve certainly weathered some storms together, haven’t we?’ Jay reached up to brush away a tear that had escaped down her cheek. ‘And every single one has only brought us closer and made us more determined to make it to the end.’

‘I really do adore you, with all of me, Jay Maverick.’

‘Ditto, Za.’ His smile met with her lips in a quick kiss. ‘And what’s more, I still can’t believe we’re pregnant again.’

‘I know.’ She breathed a happy sigh. ‘I wonder if it will be a boy this time?’

‘I honestly don’t care either way, my darling wife,’ he said, pulling her close. ‘I only care that he or she is healthy and happy when they come into this world.’

‘Me too,’ she replied, happily envisioning them as four instead of three.

And as they basked in the peacefulness of the night, their bodies intertwined as intimately as their fates, Zara was filled with wonder and amazement at the miracle of life blooming within her, embracing the joy that came from creating a family from two souls bound by an unbreakable love.

‘Imagine,’ Jay began, his voice carrying a reverence reserved for sacred things, ‘all the adventures that still lie ahead of us.’ He placed his hand ever so tenderly on her belly. ‘This little one’s first words, first steps, and then we have Amy and this one’s first days of school.’

‘Yes, and then there’ll also be their first heartbreak,’ Zara added softly. ‘Where we’ll be there to pick up the pieces, and to show both of them that even the strongest branches can bend in the storm.’

‘We sure will, because that’s what love does,’ Jay agreed, pulling her closer until they could feel each other’s heartbeat. ‘It holds on through absolutely everything.’

‘No matter what comes our way, I know we’ll always face it together, as a family should,’ Zara murmured, her mind obstinately flashing back to the doorway that had shown her things a young child should never bear witness to — the blood, her parents’ lifeless bodies. ‘Like we Mavericks do,’ she added, shaking off the unwanted feeling of grief.

‘Every trial, every triumph,’ Jay echoed, his unwavering tone enveloping them like a warm blanket. ‘I love you, Za, sweet sleep.’

‘Sweet dreams, love of my life.’ She kissed his lips then nestled against him, ready to float into the land of dreams.

With hearts full and spirits intertwined, they drifted into dreamland, as Zara looked forward to a future filled with unknown wonders. Together, as long as everything went well, they’d get to navigate parenthood a second time around, fortified by their love and guided by their littlest star, Amy Nadine Maverick.