Page 27 of Born a Hero

Being held in his arms like this, as if he needed her as much as she craved to be with him, meant the world to her. How wonderful life could be if this was a normal situation.

Yet that voice from the message machine rang in her memory, and she knew she couldn’t play this game. So she pulled out of his arms, her head still a bit weak. She slid over beside him, and his groan of despair kept her from running from him altogether.

“What’s wrong, Dena?”

Deciding to be honest with him, she said, “Earlier tonight, before you left for the hospital, I heard two messages from your fiancée about how much she looked forward to the wedding next month. You never shared that bit of news with us. I guess congratulations are in order.”

“What?” He didn’t try to disguise his shock.

“Look, it’s terribly late. Time for me to crawl in beside Justin. Goodnight.” As she stood to leave, still a bit wonky on her feet, he hauled her back down beside him and made her look into his face.

Though the room was dark, the moon shone through the patio doors enough for her to see his expression clearly.

“Honey, you heard my nurse on the phone, that’s all. She asked me to walk her down the aisle when she marries my best friend. The girl is so excited, she likes to keep me up to date with all the wedding plans.”

Dena stopped struggling. “Your best friend is marrying her?”

“Yes. I hope you’ll meet them soon and come to the wedding with me.”

Dena knew exactly what he was saying. He wanted to keep her in his life. Heart bursting, she knew what she had to do. Now was the time for her to tell him about Justin. It couldn’t be put off any longer nor did she want to.

Putting her hands together, crossing her fingers, and holding them near her lips, she blinked back the tearful relief. “I have something to tell you… something I tried to share earlier but we never seemed to get the chance to be alone long enough for me to say the words.” Her eyes beseeched him to be nice to her.

As if he couldn’t help himself, Bryce gripped her arms, hands caressing, and his eyes dove deep. “Please put me out of my misery and tell me that Justin is my son.”

Filled with immense pleasure, Dena cried, “Yes. Yes, he is. That’s what I had to tell you. Oh, I’m so glad you feel this way, Bryce. That you’re not angry with me for keeping him from you. I never knew how to contact you. It’s the truth. I swear.”

“Honey, I do believe you. I tried to find you also. I even went back to the same bar as often as I could. Unfortunately, it was days after we were together because I’d been trapped in the hospital during a crisis.”

“I went back too. I looked for you there many times. I never did know what hospital you were doing your residency in, or for that matter, your real name. Finally, I accepted that I was just a one-nighter for you and gave up. By the time I found out I was pregnant with Justin, I had changed my life completely. After meeting you, I stopped drinking, something I thanked the good Lord for numerous times because of the baby. Then, I moved to Seattle to live with a friend and got a job in childcare.”

“Then you weren’t a student.”

“No. I lied. About a lot of things. I was pretty screwed up back then.” Fear seeped in until he seemed to accept her regret and move on.

“Yet you live here now.”

“I couldn’t stay away from the sunshine and the memories if the truth be told.”

“I’m so glad you made that decision, or we might have never met again. I would never have known about the boy… who I’m thrilled to have in my life. I love kids. My only frustration is that I missed out on all his early years.”

“I’m sorry about that too. We could have been together back then. Yet, I knew you were tapped out for time and working hard for your medical license. I told myself it was for the best that we didn’t interfere in your world. After all, we really didn’t know each other then.”

“In a way, we still don’t. Yet I feel as if I’ve known you for years.”

“I’m a much better person now than I was then. Could be it’s worked out for the best. Don’t think you would have liked me much in those days… me or my choices.”

“If you say so. Yet I remember being totally enchanted by the girl I’ve never been able to forget. The one every other female I’ve met since couldn’t live up to. I want you and Justin in my life so bad; it hurts to think you might not feel the same. If you’ll say the word, we can have a chance to be a family. First, we’ll get to know each other properly, and in time get married and have more little Justins. Trust me, darling. that would make me a happy man forever.”

Dena threw herself into his arms and let her lips do the accepting.

Epilogue

It was their wedding day and Bryce had never been happier. Justin joined him in the bedroom to get ready for the wedding, both males wearing identical tuxes and both as handsome and happy as the other.

With the help of Sonja and her family, they planned the wedding to take place in her newly repaired back yard. After many months and a lot of hard work by Jamie and his crew, her home and most of the others on the street were either fully repaired or close to it.

They’d spent the day before arranging the large tent, setting up the flowered altar, and organizing everything from the caterers to the music and minister. All was ready, and he couldn’t be more excited. All his life, he’d wanted to marry a woman who rocked his world, and he thought he’d lost her after their one night together.

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