Page 163 of Before I Loved You

As we sit at a corner table, I look around the room. “Where’d Ray go?” I ask Paul.

He glances around. “He should be back any minute. He just, umm, had to make a call.”

Just as I place a piece of bruschetta in my mouth, I hear my name called.

“Ms. Fleur!”

I spin in my seat, seeing a young woman quickly striding toward the table. “I have amazing news for you! An anonymous buyer just bought all of your pieces!” she exclaims, holding paperwork in her hand.

I nearly choke on my food. “W-what?”

She nods enthusiastically. “He said he’s having a house built for his family and thought these pieces would be the finishing touches needed.”

I blink a couple of times, taking in her words.

Someone bought all of my pieces.

“Once the show is finished, the pieces will be sent to the buyer, so if you need any last-minute photos of them, I would suggest doing it before then. But your pieces have been all everyone has been talking about. They love them!” She flashes a beautiful smile, handing me a business card and the receipt for my work. “We would love to have you back, so if you ever have any more pieces you’d like to show, please don’t hesitate to call. Congratulations!” She walks away, leaving me reeling from the news.

“Wow…I can’t believe…” I’m at a loss for words.

“That’s incredible!” Natalie squeezes an arm around my shoulders. “Your first sale!”

“Congratulations, Sarah!” Nate lifts his drink in the air.

While in a haze, Paul lifts me off my seat and pulls me onto his lap. “Congratulations, baby girl.”

“People like my pieces,” I murmur.

“No.” He shakes his head, gripping my chin. “They love your pieces.”

A smile blooms on my face. “I did it. I actually did it.”

“You did.” He pushes a piece of hair behind my ear, letting his fingers linger. “There’s nothing you can’t do, Sarah.”

I rest my hand on my stomach, thinking about how drastically my life has changed in the past six months.

How beautifully colorful my life has become.

“He was right,” I murmur.

Paul arches a brow. “Who was right?”

“Your dad.” I smile. “He said to me, ‘One day, everything will fall into place as it was meant to be.’” I gaze into Paul’s chocolate brown eyes, softening before me. “When I found out I was pregnant, I thought my life was over when it was only just beginning. Because of one night, I gained so much more than I could have ever imagined.” My chest squeezes as warmth spreads through me when I say, “Everything fell into place as it was meant to be.”

Epilogue

SARAH

ONE AND A HALF YEARS LATER

“Put your hands together for the Boston Celtics!”

The lights dance around the arena as the players run out onto the basketball court, jumping right into their warm-ups. “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses vibrates throughout the stadium as it does at the beginning of every home game.

“Look, Lily, there’s your daddy!” I point at Paul, running toward the middle of the court. With no surprise to any, he was the NBA’s number-one draft pick and has proven his worth the entire season.

He’s all serious. Ready and focused for the first game of the NBA finals. That is until he sees his little girl wearing a baby-sized jersey with his last name on it, and that heartbreaking, beautiful smile appears on his face as he waves to his little princess, jogging over.

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