Page 88 of Almost True
“I love you so much,” she said, voice shaky.
“Guess I better get on with it, huh?” Our breaths swirled white between us. “I want our lives to be more than the fantasy we shared years ago. I want us to work together, to struggle and succeed, to love each other and Luca and whoever else comes along like crazy. Will you marry me?”
She was smiling, crying, and nodding before I finished. “Yes. Of course. Yes.” She dropped my hands and cupped my face, stepping close, and bent to press a kiss.
The frozen deck bit at my knee where I kneeled and the snow underneath was melting through, but I wouldn’t trade this moment. I kissed her back, elation and relief and a shudder of nerves washing through me. She broke away and pulled me to standing.
“Can we go inside now?” she whispered against my lips.
We laughed together again. “Yes, please. I think my toes are numb.”
EPILOGUE
Three Years Later
Aidan
Jessica Juliet was born on December twenty-second at twelve minutes after two. A day later, the last of our visitors were filtering through, sneaking in a visit before we were discharged. We’d told them all they could see us back home, but when asked if we wanted them to come, we’d both said a resounding yes.
Martha and Rich had brought Luca first thing yesterday afternoon. Once he’d had a moment, Martha peeked her head in, claiming she just wanted to see. But Maddie had waved her in, insisted she and Rich come all the way in, and had set the new baby in Martha’s arms. “Meet Jessica Juliet Wallace.”
I don’t think anyone had a dry eye. Well, except Luca and Jess. Because as fate would have it, Maddie had always wanted to name her daughter after her best friend, and it just so happened she shared a name with Viv. Vivienne Juliet Templeton had been honored in the name, too. When Maddie realized the connection, she’d worried I would be upset, but it felt like a tribute. A way to fold in Viv’s memory with this little girl who would never know her, but would, in this small way, still carry a piece of her.
Rich had looked up from my daughter’s tiny face and said, “Beautiful.”
And Maddie had glanced at me before saying, “Thank you. She’s excited to meet her Grandma and Grandpa.”
Martha’s soft, “Oh,” and Rich’s throat clearing told us how much that gesture meant. But how could they have doubted? They’d accepted Maddie immediately. And as they’d assured me, they considered me their son.
Only family visited, but we had messages from all Maddie’s friends. Juliet had Facetimed from some far reach and John was waiting until we were out of the hospital before he and his wife met Jess.
But today, we had a few more visitors while we waited to be discharged.
“Well, I’d say this is an excellent product.” Nate Reynolds, Maddie’s brother, grinned down at Jess and ran a just-washed finger over her eyebrow.
Maddie chuckled quietly. “I agree. I think her market value’s going to be incredible.”
Nate nodded sagely. “Definitely. Real growth potential here.”
They kept up like this while Ariel and I listened and laughed. I’d met them at our wedding a year after she’d first arrived back in Silverton. I liked them both immensely, and watching Nate and Maddie banter back and forth about nonsense was always supremely entertaining. It gave me insight into her in a way hearing about Nate never could’ve.
After a few more minutes, he whispered something in Jess’s ear that no one but she could hear, then returned her to my arms.
“What’d you say?” I asked, knowing he did this with his own daughters, too. Ariel had told us at some point that Nate had snuggled their newborn girls on his bare chest, bonding with them as Ariel recovered, and she’d seen him talking, whispering. When she asked him what he said, he’d claimed he was sharing promises with them, mostly about doing whatever he could to love them and care for them.
I’d taken the note, and Jess and I had had a similar conversation hours ago.
Nate grinned. “I told her how lucky she is to have a mom and dad like you two, a big brother like Luca, and an uncle like me.” His smile flashed larger and everyone laughed.
“Pardon me but it’s my turn and I believe you’re supposed to relieve the sitter soon, aren’t you?” Annette Reynolds marched into the room like she owned the place—her usual approach.
“Yes, Mother. We’ll get going.” He rattled off something in Italian, to which she snapped back just as quickly. Ariel’s bright blue eyes caught mine, and we shared a look we often did. Something to the effect of, “What can you do with these people?”
Maddie chuckled low behind me as I adjusted into the seat next to her bed. “He said she has to be nice to us and not pester you about Luca.”
I stifled a laugh. “He’s a good man.”
She pressed her lips together, likely staving off tears. She’d been frustrated with how easily she cried lately, not because she didn’t want to cryever, but because, as she’d put it, “all this blubbering makes it hard to say what I’m trying to say.”
