Page 45 of Laying His Claim
They sang Happy Birthday and, when Seb made it clear he had absolutely no idea that he was meant to blow out the single candle on top of the much-too-large unicorn-shaped cake that Melanie had brought them, Justin manfully did his duty. Soon, everyone was enjoying the pastel-marbled masterpiece with their choice of ice cream.
Around seven in the evening, Sebastian conked out while sitting on the floor surrounded by toy trucks and cars, stuffed toys and bouncy balls. He literally fell forward on his face, making them all laugh. “I guess that’s our signal to say goodnight,” Kaiya said. The guests began tidying up, but Jalissa insisted that they leave the mess. Tomorrow was another day, and the clutter would still be there. So, they hugged and kissed, wishing Seb all the blessings in the world as they filed out into the driveway.
Alone once again, Justin locked the front door as Jalissa gathered up her little bundle. “Let me just put him to bed,” she offered. “Then I’ll come outside and we can–”
But her little bundle was stirring, hopped up as he was on a heady combination of excitement and sugar, and was alert and laughing in her arms again. She gasped. “I can’t believe it!”
“Believe it,” Justin replied. “We Tremblay men don’t ever quit!”
“You sure don’t,” was her saucy reply. She set Seb down on the floor and squatted beside him as Justin followed suit. Sebastian’s bright eyes swept the room, overwhelmed by the abundance of his choice of toys, until he finally settled on a large green iguana. Jalissa’s replacement for poor Cucumber, which Mean Nanny had thrown away.
“Is that the one you want? Do you want Zucchini?” Justin asked. He was about to reach for it and then froze. Sebastian had other ideas. Pushing up with his hands, the newly one-year-old boy got wobbly to his feet, wavered until he found his balance, then toddled over to Zucchini, before tumbling over onto the heap of soft green plush.
Jalissa and Justin shared a startled, delighted look. “Did you see that?”
“I did!” His face was the picture of glee. “Our baby’s a toddler now!”
Our baby.The idea of it was so awe-inspiring that it stole Jalissa’s breath. To think that she and Justin could have come together to create this miracle, to be able to create this tiny, perfect family, was more than she could imagine.
She scooted over to Justin, much as Sebastian was used to doing, and threw her arms around his neck. “This is perfect. This is a perfect night. I loved every minute of it—and I love you, Justin!”
When they both realized what she had said, they stared at each other, frozen as silence echoed throughout the room.
* * *
Justin didn’t know what to think; how to feel. Jalissa had said those words:I love you.Words he had never heard falling from her lips or, at least, not directed toward him. The idea of it filled him with two conflicting emotions - joy and fear.
He had no doubt that she meant what she said - the woman didn’t have a deceitful bone in her body - and the idea of being loved like this blew him away. He was silent for so long that a flush rose on her face. She put her hands to her lips as if hoping she could reclaim those words. But he didn’t want her to. He didn’t want to see her eyes filled with pain and embarrassment.
“I… are you okay?” she asked hesitantly.
“I’m great. It’s just… this is amazing. I didn’t expect–” What was wrong with him? Being lost for words wasn’t a predicament he often found himself in. He knew that he felt deeply for her; always had. He knew he wanted her, desired her, wanted to be with her. But the knowledge of his past deceptions scared him. This fragile love of hers. Would it last if she knew what he’d done? The lies he’d told, even if he thought they were for the greater good?
They both rose to their feet in silent agreement, while Seb snuggled down on top of his plushy and dozed happily off again. Facing each other, searching each other’s eyes. His brave Jalissa placed her hand on his and asked him again. “Are you okay, Justin?”
“I am.” His voice sounded more confident, and he was glad for that. “I just wondered, are you sure? How you feel?”
Her lips curved up. “Of course, I am. I know I am. This is the happiest I’ve been. You, me, Seb.” She waved her arm around the room. “All of this. It’s so perfect.We’reperfect. I can’t imagine a life without the two of you. I can’t imagine a home without the two of you. I love you, and I want us to be together.”
It’s time, he thought. Time to be courageous, step up, and be honest with her. It was the only way they would truly ever be happy. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “I love you too, Jalissa. You and Seb changed my life. And like you, I think that what we have now is perfect. But—”
The delight on her face dimmed a little at that final word. “But?”
“But there’s something I need to tell you. There’s stuff you need to know—”
Before he could draw another breath, Jalissa reached up on tiptoe and cut him off with a soft kiss. “Don’t. You don’t need to say anything more.” To his shock, she dropped down to one knee. “Justin Tremblay, will you marry me?”
A surprised laugh erupted from his lips. Always going against the trend. How like this wonderful woman to do something that totally awed him. Justin hauled her back to her feet and held her in an even tighter embrace, lest she take it into her head to do anything sillier.
“I will,” he said, and claimed her lips in a long, satisfying kiss, one that had his body stirring. Justin could feel her own body leaning into his in response and immediately thought of whisking her away to his room, but struggled against the urge. He had to be sure.
“Don’t you want to wait until more of your memory comes back? So, you can be certain about what you’re doing?”
Jalissa’s braids bounced as she shook her head emphatically. “Nope. Why would I? I’m safe and happy and loved. Plus, it’s been three months and I barely remember anything new. What if my memory never comes back? Would I have to wait forever for us to be a family?”
Justin nodded slowly. “What you’re saying makes sense—”
“It does! Remembering my past life couldn’t possibly change how I feel about you or Seb or everything we’ve built. And we were already engaged before my accident. So, we knew from the start that we wanted this. So please, Justin, let’s just do this.”
