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“I remember coming up to Charleston with you every summer as kids. I have all these fond memories of the place. I’d love to be able to give us that again. To give … our kids that someday,” he said, his voice going soft.
Tears came to my eyes at that admission. “I’ve always wanted that too.”
“So, let’s make it happen. Walk around. See if you like it. Because I want a life with you, Mia. I want this to only be the first step of a long list.”
“You have a list?” I teased as I stepped up to him.
“With you? I want everything.”
Then, he kissed me. The world slipped away in what would be our Charleston house. The place I’d stay when I had to work for the business. The place he’d stay when he came to see me when I got bogged down in work. The place we’d stay when we came up with the kids for the summer.
Because that was the ultimate goal.
Waiting for always was so worth it.
Epilogue
Christmas Eve, Four Years Later
It was a mild Christmas Eve, and the store was closing early.
“Go home,” I told Jessica, the new Savannah store manager. “I’ll lock up.”
“Okay,” she said excitedly. “I was supposed to meet my boyfriend anyway.”
I waved her off and finished up. I had a missed call from Ash, but we’d agreed to meet at Leopold’s when I was done. The office was closed on Christmas Eve, so he’d had the kids all day. I was certain he was dying for me to get there.
I locked the door up and then strolled down Broughton Street toward the ice cream parlor we’d been going to all our lives. I was almost to the door when I recognized faces. Marley, Josie … and Cole Davis. My heart sped up. Oh dear, I knew what that meant.
I picked up my pace, nearly running right into Lila Greer. I didn’t falter or miss a step or say a word to her. Though Lila clearly saw me and smiled softly. I hurried past and straight into Leopold’s. Ash stood with our two kids, James and Katie.
“Sorry I’m late,” I said in a rush as I threw myself into his arms.
“Glad you made it.”
“Mommy!” James cried.
I gave him a big kiss and then lifted little Katie into my arms. James was the mirror image of his father. Even named James Asheford Talmadge V. In the end, we’d gone with tradition.
“Happy birthday, beautiful boy!” I called. “How does it feel to be three?”
“Excellent,” he said with a cheeky smile that was so like his father.
“Mommy, when am I three?” Katie asked.
She was my mini me. Just two years old and already talking more than James ever had at that age. A girl was so different than a boy, and I loved having one of each. Just like me and Derek.
“You’ll be three next year.”
Katie stuck out her bottom lip. “I want to be three today too.”
I laughed. “That’s not how birthdays work. But you both get ice cream. What flavor are you picking out?”
We all grabbed our cones. Mine butter pecan and pistachio, of course. Ash had gone for chocolate chip. James and Katie fought over the various versions of chocolate before deciding on the standard flavor. Katie would do anything to get what James was eating. Or anything James was doing ever.
I waited until we had the kids safely at an outdoor table before looking to Ash. “Well, how was that?”
“How was what?”
“I saw Lila walk out of here and Cole Davis on the street with Mars and Josie.”
“It was fine,” he admitted. Then, he reached for my hand and kissed my fingers. “It was nothing at all actually. We talked about the kids and said good-bye.”
Relief flooded through me. “Good. I like to hear that.”
It wasn’t the first time we’d seen Lila since being together, but it was the first time we’d all been that close together. The town was too small to completely avoid them. I knew that he was over her, but it was good to know that it was all really over. Just me and Ash against the world.
Ash had proposed a few months after the Charleston boutique had opened, and we were married at the start of the next year. We had gotten pregnant with James almost immediately, and it was the best moment of my entire life when Ash held our child for the first time.
“James, don’t get ice cream on your suit,” Ash said, leaning forward to wipe chocolate off of his suit coat.
The little man was already dressed for Mass, where we’d meet our respective families.
Ash’s father had recently passed from a second massive heart attack. Ash had inherited the entire company and fallen into the CEO position, as he’d always been groomed to do. We missed having his father around, but his mom was already dating again. I was happy for her, but Ash thought it was a lot.
