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Hannah’s breath was stuck in her chest and, for what felt like the millionth time that day, tears slid down her cheeks.
‘Yes,’ she croaked out. ‘Yes,’ she said, stronger this time. ‘A million times yes!’
Matt beamed at her as he slid the ring onto her finger—somewhat awkwardly, because he refused to put Oliver in the bassinet—and kissed her fingers.
This day had gone from incredible, to anxious, to devastating, to scary only to end more spectacularly than Hannah could have ever imagined. She wiggled her fingers, admiring the emerald-cut stone in the middle of her ring.
Matt was watching her closely and she could see him pondering something.
‘What is it?’ she asked.
He smiled shyly, as though whatever he was about to reveal was a closely guarded secret. Which only made Hannah more curious. ‘In light of our complete honesty, I should tell you, the red stone is not a ruby.’
Hannah laughed. ‘Is it some sort of semi-precious stone?’ She gasped dramatically. ‘Is it coloured glass?’ She was enjoying teasing him immensely, especially as his ears had gone slightly pink.
Matt rolled his eyes, but his lips curled in a smile. ‘It’s a diamond.’
Hannah’s teasing smile fell off her face. ‘Matt!’ His name came out all strangled. It was a guarded secret because he’d remembered. Even though she thought their engagement had just been a formality, Matt had bought her this ring. He really had loved her all along.
Matt took her hand while she tried not to cry again today. Really, she was going to dehydrate from happiness. ‘Three diamonds for the three of us. We’re indestructible together.’
They really were. When she thought of all they had been through together and apart, she couldn’t help but feel they were meant to be. Everything had just been a lead-up to this. Maybe she needed to know real pain to understand true joy.
‘Before I forget, I got you something else,’ Matt said, reaching into his pocket.
‘You mean other than everything?’
He smiled another of those shy smiles that she was starting to think was more devastating than the others, and handed Hannah a box.
She lifted the lid and burst out laughing. Tissue paper was roughly pushed away so she could remove a vintage cartridge video game.
‘I love it!’ She was still chuckling. ‘But you know we have nothing to play this on, right?’
‘Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong.’ Matt smiled. ‘I believe you were meant to show me your appreciation of vintage games. A woman has layers, after all,’ he teased.
Hannah plastered a dark smile on her face, covering up just how much this meant to her. ‘I’m going to whip your butt, Mr Taylor.’
‘I look forward to it.’
EPILOGUE
Five years later
HANNAH SAT AT the patio table, listening to the sound of splashing coming from the indoor pool. Outside the sun baked the lush garden. They had spent five wonderful summers in this house. No longer did it look staged. It was an actual home. There were pictures of friends and family on the walls. Every room reflected Matt’s and Hannah’s personalities. And, no matter how much they tidied up, there always seemed to be a toy to be found. Hannah loved it.
She looked down at her baby girl, Daphne, who was happily drinking from her bottle. After several years, and with no luck in getting another miracle, Hannah and Matt had adopted their second child.
‘What time is Sarah coming over?’ Emma asked from beside Hannah. Her own baby boy—born just weeks before Daphne—was asleep in her arms.
‘Any time now.’
Hannah had grown attached to Matt’s sister, the women becoming close friends. And, when Emma and Alex had moved back to London, the three ladies had become almost inseparable.
‘They really are having fun, aren’t they?’
Hannah followed Emma’s gaze to the pool where Matt and Alex were playing with their little boys, looking far too much like catalogue models.
‘I’ll always be grateful to Matt—he brought my best friend back to me,’ Emma said, her voice sounding far away. She had been there when Hannah’s heart had been broken, changing her, and then had seen her friend heal with Matt.
