Page 51 of Wanting Happily Ever After

Tears slipped from her eyes before she could stop them and she nodded, unable to form the words that she needed in order to properly express to him exactly what she needed to. Instead, the tears came harder and she couldn’t seem to stop them.

“Sarah?” Brody’s voice was laced with concern, but she still couldn’t seem to stem the flow of emotion. “Is that…you don’t…” He nodded. “Okay, I understand.” He squeezed her hand one more time and released her. “I’ll keep my promise.”

What?

“If you don’t feel the same, I’ll leave you—”

“No.” His words shocked her into action. Brody stopped mid-turn and looked at her. It was such a ridiculous misunderstanding, she couldn’t help it; to her horror, she started to laugh. “No,” she said through a mixture of tears and laughter. “That’s not…”

Sarah sighed. She was making such a mess of things.

She took two steps toward him and cupped his face in her hands, feeling the scruff of his unshaved whiskers against her palms. She held him close and kissed him thoroughly. “I’m so in love with you, too.”

“Really?”

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m so sorry, Brody. About everything. I’ve been so confused and scared and on Friday, when I saw you…I don’t know. It was all too much. I hadn’t processed everything yet and…”

He put a finger to her lips. “It’s okay.”

But she shook her head. “No. It’s not, Brody. I haven’t been fair to you. I’m really, really sorry. It was all just so much to work through and to be honest, I never thought I’d be in this situation again. Or…ever.”

It still felt strange to think that what she was feeling for Brody was so different than what she had with Josh. Strange. But it no longer felt wrong.

“And I need to be honest,” she added after a moment. “I’m still absolutely terrified of losing you. Or Rory or…well…” She smiled, because it was time to let those worries go. “I can’t live my life in fear, and the one thing I’m scared of more than anything else is missing out on what we could have.”

Brody’s face split into the widest smile she’d ever seen. His eyes sparkled as he pulled her close so his lips were barely more than inches away from hers. “Baby, it’s not what wecouldhave. It’s what wewillhave. And what we’re going to have together will be magic.” He kissed her then, and itwasmagic.

The entire world fell away as they melted into each other. It had taken a lot, maybe more than she’d ever thought it would, but finally she’d gotten to the point where she could open up and be capable of this kind of love. She wasn’t going to lose anything or anyone. Shecouldhave it all and feel it all.

And more than that, she deserved it.

The wind whipped around them, but Sarah was anything but cold as Brody deepened the kiss, and Sarah willingly met his need with her own, completely in the moment with him. Together.

Until a scream that made Sarah’s blood instantly run cold shattered their bubble.

ChapterSixteen

The scream camefrom the picnic area. Before Brody could even fully comprehend what he’d heard, Sarah had torn herself from his arms and was running through the trees toward the party.

He was right on her heels as they broke through the forest into the clearing of picnic tables, parents, and kids.

Sarah’s instincts were in high gear as she scanned the group. “Rory?”

The little girl wasn’t where they’d left her, sitting with Clara, eating cupcakes.

Brody took in the scene.

The wind had come up in full force, blowing paper cups and tablecloths all around the space. Some kids were crying and some were cheering as booming thunder shook the earth and flashes of lightning appeared overhead. Parents were yelling and doing their best to gather things before the wind scattered everything, but not all the parents were working to contain the scene. Audrey was shouting and spinning in frantic circles. A small group of parents were trying to calm her down. And Sarah made a beeline directly for her.

She knew. Instinctively, sheknew.

Brody ran after her.

“They’re missing! Missing… I don’t know…” Audrey was yelling, hysterical.

Brody’s heart stopped for a moment as he realized what she was saying.

“Missing?” Sarah demanded. She grabbed Audrey by the shoulders and forced her to look at her. “What do you mean, missing? Who’s missing? Where’s Rory? Audrey!”

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