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Grant let out a frustrated noise and lowered to his knees in front of me. “No more apologies, either.” He took a deep breath and forced a brave smile, leaning away from me slightly. “And no obligations. If you don’t feel the same, just say so—”
Oh, god, no.
“I do!” I exclaimed. I lurched forward and grabbed his face, kissing his forced smile hard enough to wipe it from my memory. “I love you,” I blurted into our kiss. “I love you, and I want to be married to you… and I was scared you didn’t want me like that. That you were just trying to make the best of an awkward situation. Thatyoufelt obligated tome.”
“Oh, god.” Grant squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled shakily. “It didn’t even occur to me that you could have those same fears until today. I’m afraid I’m a bad bet when it comes to relationships, Brody—”
“You keep saying that,” I said sharply. “It’s not true. You just laid your heart out for me, and it wasperfect. You’re kind, and thoughtful, and so damn generous, always. You give so much to your sister, and your mother, and your daughters, and your patients. You spend your whole day saving lives, Grant, and then you come home and devote yourself to your family. So don’t ever tell me again that you’re not good at emotions or good at supporting people. Because maybe you weren’t what someone else needed, but you areexactlythe man I need. The man I want.”
Grant frowned like the words were painful… but the emotion shining in his eyes let me know it was the sweetest kind of pain.
He pulled me down onto the floor with him until I was straddling his lap and his arms were wrapped tightly around me again. “I love you, too. So much. I think maybe I’ve been in love with you all along, ever since you walked into this office four years ago and informed me that you were a—”
“Full-time childcare specialist,” we finished together. I laughed, and Grant grinned.
“You make me so damn happy,” he said wonderingly. “I feel…” He took a moment to search for the right words. “…unaccountably lucky. Like fate has chosen me as some kind of special winner by having you walk into my life. And I don’t ever want to let you go.”
I’d never believed I’d find someone who’d say those things to me, and my eyes burned with unshed tears. “I was scared,” I admitted, finding that it wasn’t difficult at all to tell the truth now that I knew how Grant felt. “Scared you’d change your mind now that Liza’s back. Scared I’d lose another family—”
“Ah, baby—” Grant shook his head sympathetically.
“—and scared that I’d get in the way of her relationship with the girls. They deserve to have as much family love as they can.”
“But Brody,youare their family, too,” Grant said, sounding so much like Fen that I knew she’d never let me live it down. “They can’t do without you, and neither can I. Besides, Liza and the girls are responsible for their own relationships. You haven’t gotten in the way of anything. You’ve simply loved the girls unconditionally from day one. They know that, and deep down, Liza does, too. She made a hard choice when she left, and even though she’s done a decent job of keeping up a relationship with the girls despite the distance, she can’t simply come back and expect things to be the way they were before. Jacey, Cleo, and Mia will decide what place they want her to have in their lives. We can guide them, as their dads, but we can’t own that for them.”
“Dads,” I repeated, letting the word sink burrow inside me, filling up all the places that had been hollow since the day I lost my parents and my brother.
“Yeah.” Grant smiled knowingly. “What we do have to work on, though, is establishing boundaries. And one of the first ones I’m erecting is a giant wall around you and me, this house,our home. No one is allowed to make you feel unwelcome here, ever. And no amount of derision or opinion from Liza or anyone else is allowed to get between you and the girls. The girls wouldn’t stand for it, frankly.”
His words washed over me, gifting me with everything I’d ever wanted. Family. Love. Acceptance.
“Thank you for telling me to come home,” I said softly before pressing another kiss to his lips. “Thank you for loving me and fighting for me.”
“Brody Kelly,” Grant said, oddly formally. “Will you do me the honor of marrying me? Of spending the rest of your life by my side and allowing me to love, support, and honor you the rest of my days?”
“Didn’t we already do this part?” I asked, feeling my cheeks stretch wide with a happy grin.
“I need you to know it’s real this time.” His smile was softer… affectionate and endearing. I wanted him to take me to bed right this minute.
“I will,” I said before leaning in to seal my promise with a kiss.
“Maybe we can have a real wedding this time,” he said against my mouth. “Make it a giant party and invite everyone. The girls will love it.”
“A dance party?” I grinned. “Absolutely. I agree.”
“But no more thantwoTaylor Swift songs,” Grant informed me in his best Cleo impression.
“Do I get to play theloveones this time?” I teased.
“Always,” he said softly, brushing his lips over mine. “As long as you dance with me.”
EPILOGUE 1
GRANT
“Baby, why are you shaking?” Brody asked as he pulled off my shirt later that night.
The house was quiet, the girls all asleep in their beds, and I’d called Liza and Gwen half an hour ago to assure them that Cleo was resting comfortably, but when Brody had wrapped an arm around my waist and led me upstairs to my room—our room—I’d begun trembling, and I couldn’t seem to stop.
