Page 128 of The Wrong Side Of Us

I must have stood there in shock for several minutes, I didn’t really know. All I knew was that somehow, Hannah was there, on my birthday, smiling and looking beautiful as ever.

“I was expecting more of a hug or something,” she teased, extending her arms.

My feet finally moved, and I nearly knocked her over with the strength of my embrace. She laughed, hugging me just as tight. “Happy birthday, Evie,” she whispered, pulling away briefly, placing her hands on my face. She furrowed her eyebrows, concerned. “Why are you crying?”

I wiped away my tears. Finally, after years in jail, she was free and with us. I’d known eventually she was going to get out but had no idea it would be so soon.

“I just can’t believe you’re here,” I said, hugging her again. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “Thank Nathan. We never agreed on much before, but we both knew this would be the perfect surprise for your birthday, make up for the lost time.”

I squeezed her hand before jumping back into Nathan’s arms and kissing him softly. “Thank you, thank you…thank you so much.”

“Anything for you,” he whispered, kissing me back. “Now go talk to your sister while I talk to Derek.” Nathan gestured toward Derek, who stood to the side awkwardly, hands shoved in his pockets and face drained of all color, as if he’d seen a ghost.

Hannah stared at him for a few seconds before averting his gaze, obviously wanting to say a lot.

“She’s my aunt?” Lily asked me, her eyes hopeful. She’d talked on the phone with Hannah and seen pictures, but my little girl was incredibly shy at times.

“Yes, she is,” I replied, walking her over to Hannah, who was now with Carter. Thankfully, they’d made amends, though Carter was never truly angry with her. He’d always cared for her. “Let’s go say hi to her.”

They hit it off immediately.

Hannah was nervous at first, especially since she never had interacted much with children, but then Lily started talking about her princess dresses and how her hair was so pretty.

I watched them for a moment, admiring my life.

We’d overcome many, many obstacles. We had grown and matured…our lives were much different now than they were a few years back. Despite the pain and hurt, I wouldn’t change a single thing.

***

Nathan laced his fingers with mine as we drove back home, with Lily fast asleep in the backseat. I looked back at her; she was so beautiful and peaceful.

“Did you have a good time?”

I nodded. “It was perfect.”

He kissed the back of my hand. “As are you.”

We arrived back home after a few more minutes, and Nathan carried our Lily into her princess-themed bedroom. She stirred sleepily, mumbling something under her breath. I giggled, watching him interact with her so lovingly.

He placed a kiss on her forehead and told her he loved her before walking my way and lifting me up, my legs wrapping around his waist as he closed the door behind us.

He pushed me up against the wall, a smirk playing on his lips when he heard my startled gasp.

“It’s time to keep celebrating,” he whispered, his lips falling on mine. Moaning softly, I tangled my fingers in his hair, holding him as close to me as I could. He could have bought me the most expensive diamonds or taken me on a trip throughout the world, yet at the end of the day, the one thing I would need to survive were his lips, his love, and my daughter’s smile.

His tongue slid into my mouth, teasing me gently, his kiss taking me to a world I could only dream of. “I love you,” he whispered against my lips. “I’m so happy you’re here with me another year.”

He didn’t let me reply, his mouth falling on the crook of my neck, until I remembered that I had a gift for him.

“Wait,” I breathed, feeling his warm mouth on my skin. “Hang on.”

“Why?” he murmured, grinding himself against me. As good as it felt, I held back another moan.

“Let’s go to your studio,” I panted, hoping I could keep myself in check long enough to do what I had to do.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. “What did you draw now? A five-legged lion? Five-legged turtle? Five-legged—”

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