Page 33 of Always a Fake Bridesmaid
“Okay, give me a moment.”
And then Ewan was running down the front steps as I threw myself out of the car.
“You’re here!” He gasped.
I looked up at him, staring into his gorgeous gray eyes. He hadn’t changed at all since I had last seen him. That made sense since it hadn’t been that long. But it felt as if it had been ages.
A lifetime.
“I am.”
He cupped my face, brushing my hair back. “And you brought the kid,” he said, letting out a rough chuckle as if he couldn’t quite believe it. Frankly I couldn’t either.
“Mr. Ewan! I’m here!”
“I see that, Ames.” He stared at me then, shaking his head. “You came.”
I cleared my throat. “We should probably get Amelia out of the backseat before she gnaws through the door.”
Ewan threw his head back and laughed, and then we moved around the car to let Amelia out. She threw herself into his arms, and as he clutched her to his chest, holding the back of her little head with his large hand, my heart squeezed. It felt as if a rope pulled around my chest and soul, tying it up into this moment, this perfection, this love.
“I’ve missed you, Ames,” Ewan whispered as he rocked my daughter back and forth.
I had expected Amelia to start talking a million miles a minute about horses and missing him, but instead her little shoulders were shaking as she sobbed into his neck.
“Don’t go. I missed you.”
Ewan opened his watery eyes and looked over at me. “I’ve got you, Amelia. You’re going to be okay.”
When Ewan shifted to move his other arm, I went to his side, clinging to him. He held Amelia on one hip as he kissed the top of my head, a slightly chaotic laugh abruptly coming from my chest.
“I know I should have called, but that would have given me an excuse not to come.”
“I’m glad you’re here, Livvy.” He looked over at my daughter. “You too, Amelia.”
I let out a shaky breath. “I know we have a lot to talk about, a lot to do with what’s next. But we wanted to see you.”
“And horses.”
Ewan grinned so widely, I fell in love once again in his arms. “We can do that.” He looked into my eyes again, his face serious. “I’d have come back. I was just here trying to figure out how to make it work. Because walking away from you was the hardest thing I have ever done.” He paused. “And the most moronic.”
I gave a rough laugh as I reached out to cup his bearded cheek. “I don’t know what we have in store, or what will happen next, but I’m here.”
“Just let me love you,” he whispered against my lips, and I nodded.
“As long as you teach me how to do it, because I’m so afraid I’ll mess this up. I’m so scared by how much I love you.”
“Well it’s a good thing we have time to figure it out.”
And then he kissed me, and I couldn’t think of much else—even as Amelia clapped beside us in Ewan’s arms.
“I can’t wait to introduce you to my family, because I’m pretty sure they think I made you up.”
I tensed, even though I was excited. “I should warn you that the Montgomerys will be here en masse. Mostly because they can’t stay away.”
Laughter danced in his eyes. “Thankfully we have the acreage. At least I hope so.”
Then he walked us into his home, and we took the next steps into whatever future we carved out for ourselves.
Even if it was too swift, too outrageous, too scary. It was all too real, and exactly what we needed.
* * *
