Page 72 of Wrapped Around My Heart
I was nodding the second he said my name. “Yes.”
Without thinking it through, I launch myself down at him. Pulling him in for a kiss that is mixed with happy tears. His padded arm catches me around the waist, and how he keeps us both upright is beyond me.
“I love you,” I mumble against his lips.
“I love you too, Freckles. Now let me get this ring on your finger,” he demands and I laugh, pulling away enough to give him space to do just that.
With the ring in place, I finally remember where we are. My cheeks flush as the sound of everyone’s cheers meets my ears, which Dean notices. He pushes to stand on his skates, keepingme close as he does. Once standing at full height, he leans down to whisper in my ear.
“I can’t wait to see you wear that pretty blush later tonight, with nothing else but my ring on your finger.”
“Dean!” I gasp, shoving him away as my face flames hotter, doing nothing to hide just how much I also love that idea too.
Bonus Epilogue
DEAN
3 years later…
“Mama! It’s a princess dinosaur!” Clara yells, darting away from me and flying into the backyard.
Keeping her from going outside while we set up was not an easy task and took multiple grown men, plus an almost two-year-old and a ten-year-old. Our daughter is nothing if not determined when she sets her mind to something. Plus, the fact that sheknewour backyard was being set up for her birthday party didn’t help dampen her excitement.
She told us repeatedly how she just wanted a peek, but I knew the second she saw how over the top my mother and Dean went with the princess dinosaur theme, there would be no corralling her away.
Her excited squeals as she runs around, calling out everything she spots, tells me I made the right call in having everyone distract her.
Dean steps up beside me and places a kiss on my cheek as we watch our daughter hug the giant inflatable T-Rex that is dressed up in a tutu and tiara.
“I don’t even want to know how you managed to find all this,” I say, shaking my head as I fully take in the decorations that I just spent hours putting together.
“I’m an adult with Internet access and money. It wasn’t actually that hard. Plus”—he points to where my mom and Tristan are helping Clara pick out her tiara—“Nana went crazier than me.”
He makes a valid case. My mom has no self-control where her granddaughter is concerned.
We both laugh as we watch Clara put a fuzzy pink crown on her uncle Tristan’s head, followed immediately by her holding out a neon pink feather skirt to match. Just like every adult here, he doesn’t say no.
Looking around at everyone who’s gathered to celebrate our daughter, my heart swells with how lucky we are.
My parents have been a blessing over the past four years, showing up to help as much as we allowed them to during the newborn phase, without overstepping, to stepping in during hockey season to fill in support whenever Dean is away.
Landon and Tristan are the absolute best uncles. Neither afraid of pink feathers or glitter and both willing to crawl around on any floor.
Watching Tristan come to life and be around his brother has been a long journey. It took months to find the right therapist for him to help him work through his trauma, and he was not happy to be placed into my parents’ custody during that time. Just as I had predicted, the second my mom learned what was going on and what Tristan had been through, she’d demanded to meet him and help. Things didn’t click into place easily, and there were plenty of bumps along the way. It even took me until last year to be able to be alone with him, but he eventually got on track. Tristan was welcomed into the life Dean had built and no one even batted an eye. He even managed to get his GED and gotaccepted into a local community college while working part time at SweetHeart arena.
Tristan catches my eye just as he fits the feather skirt into place and does a dramatic courtesy, making me laugh and shake my head.
“I’m gonna run to the bathroom before all her friends start showing up,” I murmur to Dean before crossing the yard.
On my way inside, I pass by Greyson, Stella, Harper, and their youngest daughter, Andie. She’s just over a year younger than Clara, but they are absolute besties. As if to prove my point, Clara runs up, grabs Andie’s hand, and asks her to go in the bounce house with her. Harper follows them, either ready to supervise or join them remains to be seen since the bounce house that Dean found looks like it could hold a couple of hockey players.
Next come Dominik and a very pregnant Lilly. My heart clenches at the sight of my friend, knowing all they went through to get to this point of starting a family. Lilly catches my eye, and she winks, caressing her stomach like the blessing it is. Before I can pause to find her a seat, Vivian steps up, her new boyfriend, AJ, hot on her heels with a chair for Lilly. I grin at how easily my best friend fits in with those closest to me, even though she’s not around as much.
I got excited after she dumped her douche bag ex, Dylan, because I was so ready for her to move back here and be close again. Then she met AJ, and I can’t be upset with her for staying with him.
Cora weaves happily between everyone, bouncing from person to person and soaking up the attention from everyone. Anytime someone stops petting her, she simply moves on to the next person.
Once inside, I take a second to bask in the silence. I haven’t had a moment alone since waking up today, so I decide to takeadvantage of this time. Heading upstairs, I go into Dean’s and my bedroom, shutting the door behind me and not rushing.
