Page 96 of The Man I Love

She choked on a sob. “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you.”

Their baby yawned and stretched at that moment, making Sam realize they weren’t alone.

“What did you name her?” Samantha asked, glancing down at their daughter, who squinted at them both.

“Sawyer,” he replied. “Like you asked me to.”

Tristan met her eyes, and she realized she’d missed so much while she was sleeping. “Did you pick out a middle name?” she whispered.

He shook his head. “No, but I was thinking about Grace,” he whispered softly.

She placed one hand on his jaw and nodded. “Sawyer Grace Montgomery.” The name was perfect. Because for the nine months Sawyer grew in her belly, it was grace that she’d needed the whole time.

Tristan climbed into the bed beside her, as she nursed Sawyer again. Tristan’s head rested on her shoulder as they both stared down at the tiny human they’d created. Her tiny hand was wrapped around his finger, and he pulled it to his lips. “I’m going to love you so hard that no man will ever be good enough for you,” he said to her, his voice gruff and full of emotion.

Samantha smiled, as she remembered her own father saying the same thing. She’d held him up on a pedestal her whole life, only to later realize that everybody made mistakes—even amazing fathers.

She touched her daughter’s cheek, causing Sawyer to stir in her arms. “Then one day…” she whispered quietly to them both. “You’ll meet a boy…” She pulled in a deep breath, as every moment between them flashed before her eyes. “At first you might think you hate him.”

Her voice was low and reflective as she thought about their first kiss at the lake when she was sixteen years old. “But then you’ll wake up—and realize”—she turned to look at Tristan again—“that one day, when you least expected it, he turned into the man you’ll love for the rest of your life.”

35

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

February

Five months later

Samantha tooka deep breath as she came to a stop at the edge of the dock. Everyone was waiting for her: Tristan, Renee, and their entire family.

For some reason, her body was shaking. Not out of fear or worry, but excitement. Today she and Tristan would be married in the very spot their romance first began. The Montgomery family cabin, in front of the lake where they’d shared their first kiss over ten years earlier.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” her dad whispered in her ear. His breath smelled of bourbon and tobacco, and she smiled, imagining the pre-wedding celebration he had likely been pulled into against his will.

Her eyes then locked on Tristan, who waited at the other end of the dock, holding their daughter. He was watching her, his expression serious and full of emotion, like nothing in the world could distract him from this day. Like he’d been waiting hiswhole life for this moment, and he didn’t want to miss a single second of it.

Sawyer appeared to be sleeping in his arms, scrunched up and face down like a football. Samantha watched the pair with reverence, because fatherhood came so easily to Tristan. No other person could get her to sleep like that, but she was always comfortable in his arms, falling asleep within minutes.

Often, she would keep herself awake for hours, only to fall asleep in his arms the second he came home forlunch. They both joked that it was her plan to keep him from leaving her, and Samantha couldn’t blame the girl.

She looked over at her father now, and a peace like she’d never known before washed over her body. She couldn’t imagine her life any other way.With any other people.

“I’m beyond okay,” she whispered, then rested her head on his shoulder the way she did as a child. He kissed her hair, then slowly took a deep breath and began to walk with her down the dock. Each side was flanked by members of their family. Her mom and Tristan’s parents—his stepmom, little Liam, and, of course, Phin and Renee. Tristan wore a dove gray suit, and his ivory-colored shirt was left open at his throat.

He swallowed, and even from a distance she could see him fighting back tears. His jaw was tense, his eyes slightly squinted. For some reason it warmed her heart, and a single tear ran down her cheek.

Her dress was simple, made of ivory lace which swept the ground with a long train. The bodice was V-necked, with delicate straps that criss-crossed at her back. Her hair was down, curled in beachy waves that made her feel like a princess.

She’d dreamed of this moment when she was a little girl. She’d cut images from endless magazines and pasted them tirelessly inside of her and Renee’s dream book. In all those fantasies she’d never imagined she’d already have a child, butshe wouldn’t have it any other way. She couldn’t explain it, but this was exactly how it was meant to be. If they’d gotten married at another time, Tristan’s father wouldn’t have been there, and neither would his little brother. Two people who’d become irreplaceable in their lives over this past year. If they had gotten married earlier, Sawyer wouldn’t be here either. Despite it being untraditional, Samantha wanted their daughter to see this. Even though she would have to be reminded of it later, she knew exactly what she would tell her.

She would say that sometimes love didn’t come in traditional packages. Sometimes relationships weren’t perfect, and sometimes you struggled. Sometimes there were misunderstandings, and sometimes things hurt. What was important is that you kept choosing each other.

That you chose each other when things were easy.

And you choose each other when things are hard.

Overand over and over again.

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