Page 44 of Hold My Heart

“You came to get me?” Renee asked tearfully.

“You bet I did.”

Then she noticed Reggie. “Hey, pumpkin!”

Renee smiled but clung shyly to her new mother, arms wrapped around her neck and face pressed tight to her shoulder. Olympia looked from Reggie to Harlan, her eyes were soft with gratitude. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you both for everything.”

“Hell of a storm we had to weather,” Harlan said, resting his cheek on the top of Renee’s head. “But it’s over.”

“For now. I’m sure there will be others.” Olympia reached for him.

He grasped her hand, kissed her knuckles, and just looked at her. “With the immediate crisis over, can we please talk about this attraction you feel for me? Because frankly it’s overpowering and it’s making me uncomfortable,” he joked.

Her smile drew him forward. “It is a little intense, isn’t it?”

“I’ll say. You can barely keep your hands off me.”

He glanced down when she twined her free hand with his. “Oh, Harlan. I didn’t think I had any room in my life for love.”

“There’s always room for love.”

“I wasn’t prepared when I was given custody of Renee. I wasn’t equipped to handle a child when I had given up on the thought of ever having one. And I certainly didn’t know how to handle you when you came waltzing through my door. But I love you, Harlan, I really do, and I’m going to make you the happiest man in the world even when I’m irritating and nagging and bossy.”

“Those are the things I love about you,” he said. “No question.”

“I know. And I appreciate you. I know how lucky I am to have found love twice in my life. And to find it with such a good, good man the second time around.”

“Wow, you finally said it.”

“What?”

“That I’m a good man! I’ve been trying to convince you of that since the moment we met. I didn’t waste any time in falling for you. But the wait was killing me.”

“It might have taken me a little bit, but I’m there. I’m solidly there.”

His heart fluttered. “Tell me more.”

She cupped his face, shifting Renee on her hip. “I’m so excited to see where we go from here. To watch our little family bloom. And I know I was wrong to push you away. I couldn’t have done this without you, Harlan. I guess...I guess it’s okay to lean sometimes. Especially when I can lean on someone like you.”

“Being vulnerable isn’t a weakness, my love,” he commented.

Her eyes began to water. “I was wrong about that. I was wrong about you. I’m ready to finally admit it to myself. You were perfect for me all along. Perfect for us.”

Reggie cleared his throat. “A time and place for everything, but this ain’t it. Let’s go home, shall we?”

She cradled Renee in one arm and wrapped the other around Harlan. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around them like the precious cargo they were. With his arm around her shoulder, they walked toward the car together. Ready to start their new life.

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