Page 81 of Make Your Save

“What about my job? They’re expecting me.”

My heart clenches and I tilt my head to the side, my thumb drifting across her skin. “Do you want to go?”

“No, not really.” She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as she shakes her head. “I never wanted to go.”

“Tell them you can’t make it.” I let out a ragged breath, my heart crawling into my throat. “Plans can change, outlaw.”

“Isn’t that the truth, because falling in love with you was never a part of mine, but you made it inevitable. There was no way to stop this from happening and I wouldn’t have wanted to even if I could,” she says softly, her hands reaching up to drag my face down to hers. “I love you, Rowan. I’ve loved you for a long time,” she breathes against my lips, her mouth capturing me in the softest kiss. “You made your save, now take me home.”

I pull back from her, my eyes getting lost in the brown and green hues. I can’t believe I almost let her get away. She stares back at me with a ferocity that rocks me to my core. She’s nestled in my heart, seeping into my soul, and I know that’s exactly where she belongs.

Hadley Reed everywhere and everything . . .

And I know I’ll never let her go.

EPILOGUE

ROWAN

EIGHT MONTHS LATER

“Happy birthday, dear Lucy. Happy birthday to you!”

Everyone starts to clap their hands and Lucy claps along, a high-pitched squeal coming from her before she lets out a string of laughter. Hadley stands beside me, sliding closer as she slips an arm around my back. She presses her side into me and I dip my head down, pressing a kiss against the top of her head.

“Are you ready for cake, Luce?” Hadley asks my daughter as she pulls away from me and takes a step toward her. “Aunt Rae has the pretty princess one and then we have a special one just for you.”

We decided to have a small party for her at home with our friends, my parents, and Raven. Beau recently got a new job that he’s been traveling for, so he wasn’table to stop by. He’s been doing really well in life and we’ve all just been watching in amazement, offering our support from the sidelines as he finally gets his life on track.

Hadley passes my sister Raven just as she comes into the dining room with my mother hot on her heels. One of the nurses Hadley works with has a bakery business on the side and she offered to make the cakes for us. After deciding to stay in Aston, Hadley’s been working her dream job at a neighboring maternity center.

She’s been talking about wanting to eventually cut back her hours for more time with Lucy, but I just want her to do what she wants to do. Mia has stepped in more as our regular babysitter, so we have a plan in place, regardless of what Hadley decides she wants to do.

Her co-worker made two cakes, one for everyone to eat and one for Lucy to smash, since that is apparently a tradition or something. The bigger cake immediately catches Posey’s attention. It’s shaped like a castle, looking more like a model than something you can eat, with a princess standing outside of the front door.

“A pretty princess!” Posey calls out as she comes jogging over to the high chair. She reaches for the tray, lifting herself on her tiptoes as she tries to get a better look. Lucy plants her palm against the side of Posey’s face, her eyebrows pulling together in annoyance as she tries to push her away from her cake.

“Lucy, that’s not very nice,” I tell her, half scoldingher as I try to bite back my grin. Posey sticks her tongue out at Lucy as she drops back down onto her feet. She tucks her stuffed hockey player under her arm, before crossing them over her chest. Crouching down, I get to Poe’s level. “I’m sorry, Poe. Lucy needs to take her nap and she doesn’t understand what’s going on today.”

Posey pouts. “I just wanted to see the cake.”

“Look,” Raven says, lifting the cake from the tray on the high chair, and lowers it so Posey can see it. “Isn’t it super pretty? Look at all the pinks!”

“Pink is my favorite color,” Posey tells her with a grin spreading across her little face.

“Well, then I’ll make sure you get a piece with all the pink icing!”

Posey claps her hands in excitement, bouncing up and down as she stays in place and watches Raven take it over to the table. Hadley appears back beside Lucy, lowering a circular cake down onto the high chair for her to inspect herself.

Lucy wastes no time, digging her hands into the cake and icing immediately as everyone snaps pictures and takes videos of her. She fucking loves the spotlight and she literally has everyone eating out the palm of her hand.

No, seriously...She holds out handfuls of cake to Hadley and me before offering them to anyone who makes eye contact with her. No one has the heart to tell her no and it becomes quite a messy ordeal.

My mother and Raven fawn over Lucy as everyone falls into a cake coma, settling into the living room.Raven pulls Lucy from her high chair, cleaning her up before my mother takes her out toward the couch where my father’s sitting.

Hadley picks up the cake, taking it into the kitchen, and I follow after her, dragging the high chair on its wheels across the wood floor. Wiping down the surface, I clean what I can as Hadley gets the cake and everything else sorted.

I strip the cloth material from the high chair, setting it with the bib she was wearing, but Hadley picks it up immediately. She gives me a grin and a soft laugh. “I’ll throw it in the wash now. I don’t know if the pink icing is going to end up staining anything.”

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