Page 146 of Passed Ball

"At your parents?"

"Yeah." A lot of healing has happened over the last year and when Harlowe suggested it the other day it just felt right. "It's what I always imagined. It's beautiful, and it's where I feel closest to Erica. I'll marry you anywhere, but my heart is leading me home on this one."

"California it is," he says.

There's a loud squeal from the floor and Holland pushes up, dropping her sippy cup, narrowly missing Jarrett's head and takes off in a run.

"Tenny!" she screams, darting towards the doors.

Xavier spins me around to see my niece standing behind me. His lips brush my favorite spot, the one below my ear that always takes my breath away. "Surprise."

The tears flow freely as she walks over with Holland in her arms.

"You smell like an airplane," I tell her, burying my nose in her strawberry hair as I wrap my arms around both of my girls.

She scoffs like she's offended, but I know she's not. "Has that baby stolen your filter?"

"Shhh . . ." I hiss, still holding her close.

"They're going to figure it out. Your boobs are huge."

"They've always been big."

"True," she admits.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, stunned to see her. Spain captured her heart during her study abroad and she came home for one semester before she transferred to school there to finish out her degree. I miss her every single day, but knowing she's living her life the way she wants to more than make up for it.

She shrugs. "I just wanted to see you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm here for a week and then going back home to see Dad for a week," she says. "Ginger Daddy." She releases me, wrapping her arms around my fiancé's waist.

"Don't call me that," he groans.

"But you paid for my flights."

He rolls his eyes. "It's an advance for the babysitting you're going to do while you're here, so I can take little momma out on a proper date."

"Damn, a date night sounds perfect." I light up at the suggestion. I love Holland. Like really, truly, with all my heart, but chasing around a toddler in my first trimester while Xavier played baseball and I worked was exhausting. A night alone sounds blissful.

His voice is low, so only I can hear. "You're really going to like this one. I got us a hotel room and I'm going to do that thing you've been begging me for."

I clench everywhere because I know exactly what thing he's talking about and now that I'm in the second trimester and feeling better, I've been craving it.

"So glad to have you here," I say, extra thankful for her now that I know what Xavier has planned for me.

Bonus Epilogue

Vivienne

Eight Months Later

"Stop fidgeting with your dress. You look gorgeous." Xavier, peels my fingers off the straps, smoothing out the fabric.

"I want today to be perfect."

"It already is. You could show up at the courthouse in a plastic bag and Holland would still love you."

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