Page 146 of If Only In Our Dreams

“Yes,” I agreed, because I had.

“Oh.” She obviously hadn’t expected me to admit that.

“Thank you for coming,” I hummed, pressing a kiss to her head, my eyes burning.

“You came tomyplay,” she countered, twisting back to stare up at me. “I wanted to come to yours.”

Right. Because that’s what this was to her. A play. I cracked a grin, unable to help myself.

“You sounded beautiful, sweetheart,” Ben’s voice was a welcome, quiet rumble. I heard him over the crowd, my heart thudding unsteadily as I twisted to find his voice. “I’m so proud of you.”

Jane was sitting on his shoulders, staring at me awestruck, her little eyes wide. She was wearing the same delightful black ensemble that Rosie was. I squeezed her twin tighter, flashing her a smile of her own, before turning my attention to Ben.

“I…” I didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what to do—now that he was here—now that he’d made my life into a Hallmark movie. “I was coming home for good,” I blurted, voice cracking right down the middle.

“I know,” Ben said, voice just as hoarse.

Like hehadknown.

Even though I hadn’t.

My heart fluttered.

“I love you,” I said, because it was true—and because he deserved to hear it first, after being so patient, for so long.

“I know,” Ben replied, making me laugh hard enough Rosie made a grumpy sound and decided that being snuggled by me was no longer comfortable. She pulled out of my arms and I let her go, watching in amusement as she flopped onto her butt, her little black Mary Janes thudding against the lip of the stage as she turned her attention back to the woman I was certain now was her mother.

I stood up after I double-checked that Trixie had Rosie handled. This was the first and only time I’d ever been taller than Ben Montgomery. Grinning down at him, I couldn’t help it as a few hot tears slipped down my cheeks.

I’d been crying a lot lately.

But that was okay.

I figured after living my life as repressed as I had, it was okay to let loose every once in a while.

“I love you too,” Ben hummed, making sure I was listening. “I have?—”

“Since the day we met, pretty much,” I finished for him, leaning down, our breath mingling as Jane eyed us eagerly and Rosie’s face pinched. “I know.”

Ben grinned, wide and unrepentant. I wanted to taste it, so I did.

He tasted like home. Like new dreams. Like peppermint gum.

Like Christmases, the way they should be. Like trust, warmth, and solid foundations.

His lips were soft, just like I’d remembered. He kept his tongue to himself for the most part, which was a shame—but something I totally understood. We were in front of the girls,after all, and the fact that he was a dad at all times was something I loved about him.

When we parted, I felt better than I had in years.

“Give me Jane,” Trixie demanded—surprisingly sassy for a woman with the energy of a willow tree.

Ben laughed, but didn’t argue, passing their daughter down so she was sitting next to Rosie on the lip of the stage. Trixie smiled at the both of them, flashing me a wink, before distracting them to give us some semblance of privacy. The crowd had left us alone, probably because Nancy had redirected their attention—she was a badass like that.

Ben held his arms out, and I toed the edge of the stage, leaning down to curl my arms around his neck.

“C’mon,” he urged.

“Your back—” I protested.

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