Page 91 of Stick Play

“They sure are,” he agrees, and puts his hand on my shoulder. “Congratulations.” I hug him and then we pull Gina and Zoe into the embrace.

When we break apart, Zoe picks up her wishing stones, and I take a closer look at her picture, to see that she added Maria, Elena, Lucas and Josh.

“Zoe why do you need your stones? All your wishes have come true. A daddy, a grandpa and brothers. Are you wishing for more brothers?”

“Daddy,” she begins, and my heart nearly jumps from my chest. Gina puts her hand on my back, a small noise catching in her throat as my vision once again blurs. “I have enough brothers. Now I want a sister.”

“And a dog,” Dad pipes in. “Don’t forget about the dog.”

I laugh. “Thanks, Dad.”

“I didn’t, Grandpa, it’s right here.” She points to the dog in her picture then slides her finger to the basket. “This is for my sister. Mommy, you have a ring, and you kissed and now all you have to do is sleep in the same bed…and then?—”

Jesus.

“Okay, Zoe,” I say and pick her up. When she gets older and realizes what she said, she’s going to be mortified. Redirecting, I ask, “How about that dog?”

She cups my cheeks and squeezes. “How about Grandpa and I pick the dog out? You and Mommy need to sleep in the same bed so I can get a sister.”

Lord, my daughter is going to be the death of me.

Zoe…my daughter.

Gina…my wife.

My new found family.

How did I ever get so lucky?

The front door opens and voices as well as the smell of pizza fill the house and as Zoe and Dad run to the other room, excited to share in the good news, I pull my fiancée close.

“I love you, Gina.”

“I love you, Ash.”

I glance around her kitchen, and think about the first time I made love to her. “I don’t ever want to stop meeting like this,” I tease.

“We never will, Ash. We never will.”

Epilogue

Gina

Summer Break

* * *

We didn’t want to wait to get married, so we tied the knot as soon as the NHL season was over—the Bucks made playoffs but were eliminated after losing to Florida in game six. Zoe, of course was our flower girl while Brady stood for Ash, and Melanie was my maid of honor. We also involved Lucas and Josh, giving them the roles as ushers, and they loved it. Well, Josh loved it. Lucas is still a moody teenager, in need of a male influence.

As the warm Caribbean sun shines down on me, I lift myself up to see my husband swimming to shore. He pulls himself upright and I sigh. I will never get used to the fact that I married such a handsome man. As I look at him now, my fingers itch to touch him, but that will have to wait. He has something secret planned for us, and while we agreed no more secrets, he assured me I was going to enjoy this. What he doesn’t know is that I have a little surprise for him too.

He holds his hand out to me when he approaches, and I can’t take my eyes off the beads of water sliding down his beautiful, muscular body.

“Hey, babe, you ready?”

“I am.” I push up from my seat and go up on my toes to kiss him. He snatches my bag from the sand and tosses it over his shoulder. “I love it here,” I murmur. “Maybe one day we can all come back, Zoe, your dad, Maria, Elena and the boys.”

“I bet they’d love that, but right now, I want you all to myself.”

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