Page 100 of Captivating Mr. Second Chance

She swallowed, bobbing her head up and down, her brain completely empty of anything other than the way his mouth formed her name.

“Delaney Hargrove, I’ve loved you since I was eighteen years old, and there is nothing I want more than to be with you for the rest of my life.” With a flick of his wrist, he opened the box for her, a simple yet stunning solitaire diamond on a gold band nestled in the blue cushion. “I was hoping that when we meet my birth mom in person for the first time, I could introduce her to my fiancée.” He took the ring out and held it up to her in offering. “So, Lane, my love, will you marry me?”

Laney all but threw herself at Ethan, pushing him back against his door, a rush of air leaving him with an “oof.” But he only laughed. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes.” She held on to his forearms, steadying herself. “Yes, it’s yes. Yes, now. Yes, forever. Yes.” She kissed him, hysterical giggles bubbling up from her chest. “Yes, yes, yes, yes.”

Wrapping his fingers around her left wrist, he slid the ring on to her fourth finger then kissed her palm, and Laney admired the new topography of her hand. She thought her smile might crack her face right in half. “I’m gonna marry you,” she told Ethan. “I’m gonna marry you so hard.”

He grabbed her face, kissing a laugh into her mouth then tipped his head toward his door. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Outside of the car, they linked hands, the metal of her ring cool against her finger. “This is quite the day.”

“Goonies never say die,” he said, grinning, as he pointed to the townhouse with a colorful wreath on the door. Before they even stepped up to the stoop, the door opened to a woman, smiling sweetly. She held the storm door open, her dark eyes, the same shape as Ethan’s, toggling between the newly engaged couple.

“It’s so wonderful to see you both,” she said, her voice cracking, and Laney immediately grabbed a tissue from her purse, tucking it into Ethan’s hand when they let go of each other.

With Laney following behind, Ethan stepped into the house as Marcela lifted her arms in a welcoming gesture. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and Laney could see where Ethan got his thin frame from, but with his skin a few shades lighter and a full head taller than Marcela, the genes from his other half were also apparent.

Almost as if they didn’t know what to do, Ethan and Marcela stood and stared at each other.

“Finally,” she said, blinking as tears formed in her eyes, and opened her arms.

“Finally,” Ethan repeated and curled himself around her. They didn’t speak; the only sounds were muffled sniffles and short bursts of air. For her part, Laney ducked her head from the intimate scene and cleared her own eyes of tears. But it wasn’t long before they pulled away from each other.

Ethan lifted his glasses to swipe at his eyes with the tissue, stuck it in his pocket, then held his hand out to Laney. “Marcela, I’d like to introduce you to my fiancée, Delaney.”

Laney stepped up to the woman, who took Laney’s hands between her own, and Ethan pressed his hand against her lower back. “Laney, I’d like you to meet my birth mom.”

Marcela enveloped her in a hug. “I’ve been waiting so long for this day,” she said eventually, once she pulled away from Laney. “Come on, come sit down.”

Ethan and Laney followed Marcela to a comfy beige couch, where she’d set out soda, water, a fruit platter, a plate of cheese and crackers, as well as some cookies. “I didn’t know what you liked,” she explained, waving her around over the coffee table. “So I got a little of everything. Please eat.”

Laney grabbed a couple of grapes and nestled into Ethan’s side, seeing as how he and his birth mom both appeared a little too nervous to eat anything quite yet.

“So,” Marcela said, leaning forward in her chair across from them, running her hand through her hair a few times, exactly like Ethan did. “Tell me everything.”

“Everything?” Ethan laughed. “That will take a while.”

“Good,” she said with a smile, and Ethan glanced over to Laney, taking her hand in his.

“Okay, well…” He met Marcela’s gaze. “Where should we start?”

“The beginning.”

EPILOGUE

“It’s an actual log cabin,” Ethan said, parking their rental car on the gravel driveway as he peered out of the windshield up at thehugehouse.

“Pretty nice, right? Bronte’s obsessive with planning. I’m sure she has everyone in assigned rooms with monogrammed towels.”

Ethan pocketed the car keys and grabbed their coats from the back seat before meeting Laney at the hood of the car. Although it was only a few minutes past six, the sky was completely dark with the stars hidden behind clouds, and their breath fogged in front of them, but Laney shrugged away when he tried to put her coat around her shoulders. “Won’t be cold long. Come on.”

She ran up the driveway, and he rolled his eyes in exasperation at this woman. “Careful. It’s really uneven.”

“It’s fine. Hurry up, slowpoke!” She opened the big bag she’d carried on the plane and lifted the giant bottle of champagne she’d demanded they stop and get on their way to the house, before kicking open the door to the cabin, shouting out, “Honey, I’m home!”

A chorus of cheers rang out, and Ethan laughed into the night sky before following her inside their New Year’s party place for the next few days.

---