I hold her hand as he shows her pictures of the man from the Target footage, a man who did chase after her as she ran from the store, and a man the cops know, judging by the mug shots they have of him. They also show her the photos of two other men he was closely associated with, and after she confirms they’re the men who were with him that day, the sheriff assures us that the three of them will soon be dealt with.
After the sheriff leaves, Maisie and Jade take Cybil outside to the back deck, and the three of them curl up on the couch to watch a movie, while Bernard sprawls out in the living room with a beer in front of the TV.
Knowing everyone needs to eat, I gather orders and head into town to pick up dinner from a local Chinese place and stop at a drugstore to buy a couple of pregnancy tests. It’s obvious that Cybil has been worried about possibly being pregnant, and I want her to know that we’re a team, no matter what happens. When I get home, I place the tests in the bathroom, then sit down with everyone to eat dinner. By the time we’re all ready for bed, Cybil is exhausted, and I don’t blame her—it’s been a very busy day, with lots of excitement.
“You bought tests?” She picks up one of the boxes off the counter and flips it over to read the back.
“You don’t have to take it now.” I wrap my arms around her from behind and rest my jaw against the side of her head. “But before you take it, sunshine, I want you to know that a positive or negative result doesn’t change anything. Okay?”
“Okay,” she agrees, and I kiss her cheek. She steps away from me without another word, then heads into the room where the toilet is. A few minutes later, when she comes out, she sets the test on top of the box on the counter, then washes her hands. “We have to wait three minutes.”
“Come here,” I order, dragging her toward me and holding her against my chest. As I watch the time on the clock tick away, a sense of hopefulness comes over me. I’ve never really put much consideration into my future or what it might look like, but with Cybil in my life, I’m looking forward to making her my wife, starting a family together—whether that happens now or down the road—and becoming the best father I can be. I might not have had the best examples growing up, but I do know I want to be better than my parents were, and I have no doubt the people who love me now will help if I ever need it.
“The time’s up,” she says quietly, tucking her face against my chest while wrapping her arms around my waist. “You look.”
My heart pounds like it’s trying to escape my chest as I reach around her to pick up the thin piece of plastic and see the large plus sign on the screen.
“Tanner.”
“We’re having a baby.” I grasp her tightly and drop my lips to the top of her head, completely overwhelmed by the idea of our baby, my baby, growing inside her.
“I’m pregnant?” Her whispered question is filled with awe, and I drop to my knees in front of her and lift the tank top she went to sleep in last night.
“Marry me.” I look up at her, watching her eyes fill with tears.
“Tanner, you don’t have to—”
“Stop,” I growl, cutting her off before she can piss me off by saying something ridiculous like I don’t have to marry her just because she’s pregnant with my child. “I love you. I want to spend forever with you.”
I place a kiss against her flat stomach, then stand up and grab her hand to lead her from the bathroom into the closet. I let her hand go so I can grab a bag from one of the high shelves and then dig into it until I find the box I’m looking for.
“The day I got back home from Oregon, I went to a local jeweler and picked this out for you.” I open the box, and her eyes widen. “Even before that, I knew I would ask you to be my wife, ask you to share your life with me.”
“Tanner.” Her fingers cover her lips.
“I love you, sunshine. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Okay,” she says quietly, fingering the ring in the box before meeting my gaze.
“So you’ll marry me?”
“Yes.” She nods, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
“Thank fuck.” I slide the ring onto her finger, then curl my arms around her.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” I grasp her face and tip her head back so I can kiss her. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re happy, baby.”
“You already make me happier than I’ve ever been.” She leans up on her tiptoes while grasping on to my shirt, and I drop my face down to hers and groan as her tongue touches my bottom lip.
As I take over the kiss, I lead her back into the bedroom, then take my time stripping her out of her tank top and panties. Once she’s laid out for me, her hair spilling across my pillows, her lips swollen, her nipples harden and the space between her legs becomes wet. I make love to her, understanding for the first time in my life what love, real love, really is.
And after we’ve both finished and she’s fallen asleep, I hold my hand against her stomach, promising my child that I’ll do everything within my power to make sure that he or she and their mother are always happy.
Epilogue
CYBIL
I pull up and park in front of the lodge and unhook my seat belt before grabbing my purse from the passenger seat. It takes me a minute to maneuver myself and my giant belly out from behind the steering wheel, but I manage with only a little huffing and puffing. Once my feet are on the ground, I slam the door and head up the stairs toward the front door, smiling when Janet steps outside to greet me with a warm hug and a wide smile. The moment reminds me of the day Tanner and I got married six months ago here at the lodge.
“Look at how beautiful you are.” She takes a moment to rub my belly. The belly rubbing is something that has definitely taken some getting used to. “How is she doing?”
“He’s good, healthy, normal.” I listen to her laugh as I rest my hand on my eight-month bump. Tanner and I decided that we would wait until our baby was born to find out the sex, but that doesn’t mean everyone doesn’t have a preference. I for one want a boy who looks like his daddy, while Tanner wants a little girl. More than anything, we just want him or her to be healthy.
“Tanner and Mav are in the office with Everly.” She opens the door for me, and I slip off my jacket. A couple of months ago, Tanner, Mav, and Blake all agreed that they needed to hire someone to help run the office, especially with Tanner wanting to take some time off to be home with the baby and me after I give birth. But even with them all agreeing, Blake dragged his feet on actually choosing someone, so Mav took it upon himself to hire Everly, a cute little brunette with a ten-month-old son who just moved to town.
“How’s that going—is Blake coming around to the idea of having Everly around?” I ask, following her through the lodge.
“Blake is avoiding the office and Everly as much as possible.” She gives me a look over her shoulder with a knowing glint in her eyes, and I laugh.
“I thought I heard your laugh.” Tanner steps out of the office and makes a beeline for me. “Hey, sunshine.”
“Hey.” I lean up for a kiss when he bends down to brush his lips across mine.