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He placed a bracelet in Leila’s hand. It was the turquoise bracelet with dolphins on it that he purchased at the boutique a while ago. “I forgot you bought this.” She looked at him, confused.
“It’s for Skylar. One day we’ll take her to swim with real dolphins. Until then, she’ll have this one.”
He was looking into the future, and it included her and Skylar. She let out a breath. “Thank you. That is so sweet of you.” She leaned over and kissed him, then stood with Skylar in her arms. “It’s late. She needs to go to bed.” She placed the bracelet on Skylar’s dresser, then laid her in bed. They both kissed her lightly and left her room.
As soon as Skylar’s door was closed, Adler pulled her to him and wrapped his hand around her arm. “Here.” He latched the other bracelet that he’d bought from the boutique onto her wrist.
Leila touched the pink and white roses, read the plaque that now adorned her wrist.You are enough, written in cursive, and the bible verse she loved on the back. She blinked back the tearsthat threatened to fall. “Adler . . .” She glanced up at him, her vision blurry.
He wiped a tear from her cheek. “I need you to know and realize. You are enough. You are everything I never knew I wanted, and everything I didn’t know I needed.” He laughed a little. “Does that even make sense?”
It made sense. It made total sense. Her voice caught, and she nodded.
Adler placed his palms on both sides of her face and held her in an intense gaze. “The moment I saw you at the wedding, I knew you were the one.”
Leila’s hands went to his wrists. “Adler?”
He shushed her as he placed his thumbs over her lips. “I love you, Leila. I’ve never said that to anyone before, and I’ve never needed to be with anyone like I need to be with you.”
Her breath caught. He loved her. This amazingly perfect man loved her. Her heart swelled. She wrapped her arms around him and crushed her lips to his. The kiss went from zero to sixty in zero seconds flat. “I love you too,” she whispered as they pulled away. Her stomach was filled with butterflies, and her pulse was racing. “I want you to stay with me tonight,” she added breathlessly.
Adler’s gaze was intense, his breathing deep and quick. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
His smile was seductive as he pulled her into her room, and warmth flooded her. “I think your ‘melt their panties off smile’ has finally started working on me,” she said, her voice filled with desire.
“Really?” He smiled, his eyes hot.
She nodded as she undressed.
He quickly followed, and they met on the bed, wrapped in each other’s arms.
Epilogue
6 months later
It was a perfect Saturday afternoon in late February. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky allowing the sun to shine brightly. Leila climbed out of the ATV when Adler stopped in front of the small tent set up by the horse pasture and barn. “Adler. This is too much.” There were pink and silver balloons everywhere, with two very large pony balloons.
Adler held Skylar. “Ne, Ne.”
His smile filled his face. “Yes, little beauty, those are pony balloons, just for you.” He draped his free arm over Leila’s shoulders. “It’s not about you today beautiful. It’s all about this little beauty, and she loves it.” He leaned over and gave Leila a quick peck on the lips then walked ahead and placed Skylar on the ground. She batted at the balloons and squealed, then toddled on wobbly feet toward Diane and Elisha.
Leila stood back taking in the scene. The tent was set up with a buffet table on one end. They were having chicken tenders, vegetables, and macaroni and cheese. A one year old’s heavenon earth. Nico and his kitchen staff were working hard serving the guests who had already arrived. Next to the buffet was a cake table with a cake in the shape of a horse. That was not her idea, but like Adler just said, this wasn’t about her. It was all for Skylar.
“Hey.” Tom wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“Hi, Dad.” She sniffed back tears.
“It’s a lot.”
She nodded. “Yeah, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s all for her as he’s told me millions of times since we’ve started planning this. He said his girl only turns one once, and it was reason to celebrate.” Leila chuckled. “Makes me wonder what he’s going to do when she turns sixteen.”
“He’s going to love you both.” Tom squeezed her shoulders.
Leila smiled and her heart swelled. Her dad was so right. She glanced down at the ring on her left hand. The round diamond reflected the sunlight and reminded her of how much Adler loved them. Even though she tried to get him to reign in his purchases and asked him to not go overboard on her engagement ring, the ring is a total of four carats, even though as Adler pointed out, the center ring was “only two carats” the surrounding diamonds made up the rest, and according to him, they don’t count.
She laughed to herself and shook her head slightly. She knew everything he gave them both was given out of love, but how was she going to get him to realize she didn’t need big and extravagant. She just needed him, and she had that.
She gazed off in the distance where two houses were being built on the hill overlooking the stable and pastureland. One for them, and the other for Tristan and Stacey. Their house was the closest to the horse barn. Adler was adamant about Skylar loving horses, and it seemed that he was getting his wish. The houses were enormous and like her ring, a bit much, but this was herlife now, and a life with Adler would always be exciting and extravagant. She would have to get used to it.
