Page 58 of The Fake Family Deal

“I didn’t know if you would wantme.”

He takes my hand and holds it to his heart. “I meant every word I said when we were together. I want you, Marina. You’re stunning, and your heart is so big it’s terrifying. I want to be in your life, and your family. I want to watch Lila grow. I want to be there for our baby.”

His voice cracks at that, and I can’t do anything except fall into his arms.

Lila watches from the floor, babbling away as she paints. I’m going to keep that one too, and I’m going to call itMiscommunication and Reunion.

The Ellis I loved was always there. He’s just proved that to me. He’s standing here in front of me.

He wraps his around me, and I look up at him. “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, Ellis, but I love you.”

He just holds me for a while, cradling me against his chest like I’m something precious that he lost and has only just found again. This is the man I’ve been pining for; the one with the sensitive blue eyes and the arms that feel so safe I never want to move.

It could just be empty promises, but we’ve already done enough doubting to last us a lifetime. He wants me just like I want him. There is nothing to question. The love is there. It’s just a fact.

And this time, I’m not going to let fear get in the way.

“No, Marina,” he says quietly, at last. “You’ve done something to me. Something so wonderful that it’s going to take my whole life to make it up to you. I love you. Will you let me?”

I reach up and kiss him, savoring the feeling of his lips against mine. “Yes,” I whisper. “Yes. Be mine.”

EPILOGUE

TWENTY MONTHS LATER: MARINA

“Mommy, up now, please,” Lila says, tugging on my pants.

I reach down to stroke her head. “Hang on, baby girl. Mommy’s just busy icing the cake.”

“I help!” Lila says.

Grinning, I turn to her, “You did such a good job stirring the mix, baby. You’ve helped plenty.”

“Hungry,” she whines.

This is pretty much how every conversation with Lila goes. She wants all the attention in the world, and it’s only getting worse since Levi was born. She’s good with her brother, though, even if she thinks he’s annoying.

In fairness to her, he does cry. A lot.

I am glad she can string enough of a sentence together now that I can understand her. It makes everything so much easier when she can communicate at least most of what she wants and needs. Even if she doesn’t like it when she can’t get her way.

“Daddy want to eat cake,” she huffs, tugging at my leg again.

“Did he tell you that, or doyouwant to eat cake?”

“Cake,” she echoes grumpily.

Ellis might not be Lila’s biological father, but she’s certainly getting enough of his personality that he might as well be. I dread to think how Levi is going to be, raised not only with Ellis’s parenting but also his genes.

Not that I would in any way call Ellis a bad father.

The very next day, after we made up, he helped us all move into his place. He stayed the night in my awful, tiny bed, then made a deal with the landlord the next day so we didn’t have to pay exit fees. I tried to talk him out of it, but by the time we went to bed that evening, I was free from my rental agreement and all my stuff was boxed and ready to be unpacked in my new home.

Now, our son is turning one and Lila has the father I always wanted her to have.

On the day he signed the adoption paperwork, he stepped down as CEO from Ellis Inc.

He told me he had called Priscilla into his office the day before and asked her how she felt about being the new boss. She had said yes, of course, and he had happily handed over the business to her. It’s going to be in safe hands.

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