Page 56 of Secret Baby for the Bad Boy

And with those words, I realize just how lucky I am to have Lark in my life.

After dinner, we move to the deck, and sit down in the same lounge chair we’d enjoyed the last time we were here. My cheeks sting as I remember exactly what we did.

Lark wraps a blanket around us as we settle in, the cool evening breeze brushing against our skin. We sit in comfortable silence for a while, watching the stars appear one by one in the darkening sky.

“Do you ever think about the future?” I ask, my head resting on his shoulder.

“All the time,” he replies, his voice thoughtful. “Especially now, with you.”

I smile, feeling a warmth spread through me. But I also caution myself not to read too much into his comment. I’m the mother of his child; our lives will be intertwined forever now, and that might be what he’s talking about. “What do you see?”

He turns to look at me, his eyes filled with a heat that takes my breath away. “I see us, together. Building a life, making more memories. Maybe even starting a family.”

My heart skips a beat at his words. “A family?” Well, there’s no misunderstanding that. Clearly he’s put thought into more than just me being the mother of his child and all that entails. But the excitement building within me is almost too much to bear.

“Yes,” he says, his gaze unwavering. “I want it all with you, Lara.”

Tears prickle in my eyes, and I blink them away, overwhelmed by the depth of his words. “I want that, too,” I whisper, my throat mostly blocked by emotion.

He pulls me closer, his arms wrapping around me in a protective hug. “Then that’s what we’ll have,” he says against my hair. “A future filled with love and happiness.”

As I snuggle into his warmth, I find myself loving the idea and also afraid, because again, what if things don’t work out? What if, along the way, we discover we’re not a good match? How would the fallout of that affect our lives?

As I worry, my mind wanders to our little boy. Is he giggling now, caught up in some game with grandma? A pang of longing, sweet and soft, tugs at my heart. I miss our times together, and make a mental note to make sure we have more of them. Just because his life is fuller now doesn’t mean I have to be lees of a part of it.

“You’re thinking about Winston,” Lark says, reading my mind as we sit together, warm and cozy under a blanket as the night continues to darken the skies.

I nod. “Grandma's probably letting him stay up past bedtime,” I say, not a hint of upset in my voice or heart.

“They’re building memories,” Lark says, and I know he’s right. It won’t hurt Win to have his schedule thrown off once in a while. And at grandma’s, the rules are a little different. I don’t mind that one bit, and he’s always so happy to come home and go there.

“She’s so good to him.” I love how effortlessly they’ve become family. She welcomed her grandson in without question and holds back none of her heart when he’s around.

I can’t help but believe this is where I’m meant to be. And while there’s that lingering doubt in the back of my mind, I plan to keep it back there.

“You know, my mother believes fate brought us together,” Lark says.

I lift both shoulders, watching the stars twinkle and shine. “I never believed in fate,” I say softly, mostly to myself.

“Neither did I,” he says, squeezing my hand. “But here we are, so maybe she’s on to something.”

I can’t help but laugh softly. “Here we are,” I say, thinking about what a wild ride it’s been. Who would have thought that the fling I met on vacation and never planned to see again would be the same man who came to work for me years later and fell for me? Because I’m pretty sure he’s in love with me, and that thought makes my heart do a happy dance.

I do worry that I’m being selfish, enjoying these moments of freedom. But Lark was right; his mother is fantastic with him, and I don’t want to steal their moments – those are precious. It’s okay for me to enjoy life outside being a mom or a career-driven woman. Besides, it’s easy to tell that Win loves his grandmother and they already share an amazing bond.

“Hey,” Lark says, his hand leaving mine to point toward the heavens. “Look.” He gestures toward the first stars daring to shine.

“The first star of the night. Make a wish,” he says in a low voice that has my heart fluttering and heat gathering low in my core. His hand comes down to rest on my thigh and I place my hand on his forearm, loving the sinewy shift of the muscles under his skin.

What could I possibly wish for?

My life is right where I want it to be. I have an amazing son. A man who loves me. A family I care deeply for. I have everything I could need or want, and things are only getting better by the day. As the contentment I feel rises, I glance at Lark, wondering how I got so lucky.

He sees me looking at him and gestures toward the stars as if telling me the view is up there. But I don’t agree. In this moment between light and darkness, he’s more handsome than he’s ever been, and the thought of losing him, of him ever walking away leaves me aching inside.

So maybe that’s my wish – something to do with never losing him.

This man I’d run away from all those years ago out of fear he’d only complicate my life more… he’s become the man I want to run to when there’s a problem – even the ones I can solve myself.

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