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As often as not, she was not aware of who they were when they visited, but with any luck, she’d be aware and happy for them when they saw her next. She’d been taking a new medicine that seemed to be bringing her more and more clear days.
They arrived a bit late, finding everyone else was already there. Out on the patio—watching Maddie and Ella play in the grass—sat Kelly, Samantha, Jill, and Jesse. Samantha was grinning and PJ listened to the conversation as she settled into a seat.
Gabe took off to join the other men who were hovering over a table where Mrs. Poole was unwrapping dishes. PJ didn’t know how that woman kept up with feeding this group when they came over.
Jill rocked a car seat with one of their twins in it, though PJ couldn’t say whether it was Nicholas or Mark. The other baby lay on a blanket next to Kelly, who was patting his back. Jill and Andrew had named the boys Nicholas Conner Weston and Mark Christopher Weston and they were adorable.
“We’ll be releasing a new version next month to work out some bugs and add two new levels for the game,” Samantha was saying and PJ knew she was talking about Tangled Legacy, the online game Sam had designed that was quickly taking on some of the biggest games in the industry.
Kelly beamed at Sam. “I’m so excited for you, Samantha! This is amazing.”
Sam bit her lip. “I’ve got an offer from a company that wants to sell Tangled Legacy action figures and another one who wants to create a boardgame based on the game.”
There was a lot of squealing to that and PJ couldn’t help but grin as Samantha blushed. Samantha wasn’t the kind of woman who loved attention, but she had to be feeling really good about what she’d accomplished. It wasn’t the same kind of thing as PJ had gone through when she was discovered and her fame came hard and fast, but if Sam needed someone to talk to about that kind of life change, PJ would be there for her.
She looked at her friends and was grateful for the way her world had changed. If not for someone stealing her journal, she thought again.
She looked down at the now sleeping infant in the car seat.
“I swear, I think they get more beautiful each day,” she said to Jill, who smiled back at her.
Jill looked tired, but there was likely nothing that could take that smile off her face. Even exhaustion. Motherhood looked so good on Jill, PJ began to wonder if she was ready to begin her own family now with Gabe. To have a baby she didn’t have to give up.
A pang of guilt stabbed at her as she wondered how Matthew would feel if she had children of her own after giving him up, but she knew her aunt and uncle would help him get through it. They’d work through it together as a family.
Kelly leaned in and whispered to the group. “Don’t look now, guys, but I think Mrs. Poole is finally giving into Roark.”
They, of course, all turned at once making it more than obvious where they were looking. The couple standing by the table of food didn’t seem to notice.
“What’s that about?” PJ asked.
“That’s Roark, Jack’s lawyer,” Kelly said. “He’s a widow and he’s been trying to get Mrs. Poole to go on a date with him for years.”
“Years?” PJ asked, smiling as she looked at the older couple. Mrs. Poole was blushing, one hand resting on Roark’s arm as he leaned in to say something to her.
“Years!” Kelly emphasized. “He took her out to dinner the other night and it was super cute. She was so nervous and he brought her flowers.”
Jesse laughed. “It’s weird that we call him Roark but we all still call Mrs. Poole Mrs. Poole.”
Kelly laughed at that. “I know, right? I think I was living here a month before I even found out her first name. It’s Greta, but she’s always been Mrs. Poole.”
“Let’s hope that’s not what Roark calls her in bed,” Jesse said, earning an elbow from Kelly.
“PJ!” Jill said with a start, “What is that?”
PJ glanced down to her hand where Jill’s round eyes were focused and where, thanks to Jill’s not so subtle outburst, all eyes were now glued. PJ smiled at her friends, her heart kicking in her chest at the happiness that surrounded her.
“Gabe asked me to marry him,” she said, her eyes finding Gabe’s as the men approached.
They each leaned in to congratulate Gabe with one-armed hugs and manly slaps to his back, while the women surrounded her with hugs.
As PJ listened to the chatter of good friends around her, and watched as Kelly swung a laughing Maddie over her head and Jill and Andrew each patted a tiny baby’s back, she knew she finally had everything she’d ever need in life.
A family, love, and good friends who would support her no matter the choices she’d made. She needed absolutely nothing else.
The End
Thank you so much for reading! Gabe and Pru were so fun to write and their story let me sink back into the Sutton family. One person whose story I've been DYING to write is Samantha. Listen, you know she needs a strong man, right? One who loves her quirks and accepts her for who she is. It turns out, her hero needs her just as much as she needs him. He's a Navy SEAL struggling to come home and settle back into a world he isn't sure he fits into anymore. And through all the sexy heartwarming moments, there's going to be a ton of heart-stopping action! I'll tell you a secret. This book is my favorite of all the books I've ever written. Like, EVER.
