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I inhaled, and tears pricked the back of my eyes. “Where’s your mom?”
Ron drew back and took my hand in his. I picked my bag up off the ground and let him lead me back the way I came, to the other side of the beach where a lone figure sat, away from the gathering crowd. She had her knees drawn up to her chest, and her head tilted back. The late afternoon sun shone down on her, bathing her in a warm halo of light.
Ron released my hand when we were a few feet away. “Mommy, look what I found.”
Rachel opened her eyes and twisted to face him. “Ron, what….”
I covered the distance between us and looked into her eyes. “Hi.”
Rachel jumped to her feet and brushed the sand off of her dress. “Hi, how did you get here?”
“I took a plane.”
Rachel blinked. “I meant, how did you find us?”
“Don’t be mad at Taylor,” I began, tucking one hand in my pocket and using the other to reach for her hand. “I wouldn’t leave her alone until she told me.”
Rachel cleared her throat. “Bernie, I—”
“I know you think that you don’t belong in my life, but you do. I’ve known it since the moment I met you. I know it’s taken me a while to get here, but I’m not going anywhere, Rachel.”
Rachel stared at me. “What about Carla?”
“Carla is my past. You’re my future, Rachel. You and Ron. I don’t ever want to let either of you go.”
Rachel’s breath hitched in her throat, and her eyes filled with tears. “What about your reputation and the company?”
“I don’t care about any of that. I was going to make an announcement when I got back. I already told my dad.”
“I—you what?”
“He knows about us,” I told her with a smile. “And I’ve made it clear to him that you’re the one I want to be with, not Carla. I’m sorry that I screwed up, Rachel. I was trying to protect you and Ron, but I didn’t realize how much it was going to hurt you.”
Rachel released a breath.
I shifted closer and took both of her hands in mine. “I love you, Rachel Booth. I’ve always loved you. I want us to be a real family, all three of us. If I have to spend the rest of my life making it up to you, I will.”
Tears spilled out of Rachel’s eyes. “I love you too, Bernard Shaw.”
I released her hands, got down on both knees, and reached into my pocket. When I took the box out of my coat pocket and propped it open, Rachel’s hands flew to her mouth, and she gasped.
“I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side, Rachel. Will you marry me?”
Ron nudged Rachel and beamed at me. “You’re supposed to say yes, mommy.”
Rachel made a low choking sound and fell to her knees. “Yes, yes, I’ll marry you.”
She threw her arms around me, and I held her to me. A moment later, I held an arm out and pulled Ron to us. For a while, the three of us sat there, clutching each other, while the waves crashed against the shore. When my knees grew stiff, I pulled back and drew Rachel up to her feet. With a smile, I slid the ring onto her finger and kissed the inside of her wrist.
“Thank you for coming for us.”
“I will always come for you. I can’t wait to start a life with you.”
Rachel buried her face against my chest and sniffed. “Me neither.”
Chapter 28: All’s well
Bernard
