“It’s no problem.” Marco shrugged. “You’re family.”
Her eyes bugged out at me and she whispered comically, “I’m family.”
I patted her shoulder. “They’re not the Mafia, Liv. Calm down.”
“Nanna!”
My nephew William came flying at me, dangerously unsteady with momentum. I grabbed him before he made hard impact with my legs. As soon as I lifted him into my arms, Beth, Lily, and Luke were at my side. I greeted them all before bending down to kiss Lily’s silky dark hair. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
She smiled shyly and leaned into my leg.
Surrounded by the kids, I watched happily as we appeared to magnetically draw everyone else to us. Jo and Cam came over to say hello, Cam holding little Bella in his arms. Holding Bray in his, Adam came over with Ellie, who scooped William from my arms to hers. Joss and Braden sauntered over to join the pack and were quickly crowded in by Mum, Dad, Mick, Dee, Cole, Dylan, Larissa, Declan, Penny, Nate’s mum and dad, and Gio and Gabby.
Chatter sparked off all around me as I leaned against Marco, my hand resting lightly on Dylan’s head, and I didn’t feel overwhelmed.
I felt content.
I felt at peace.
I had just taken a wolflike bite of birthday cake when Gabby approached me. She smiled and I quickly tried to swallow the delicious sponge cake and buttercream icing so I could return the gesture.
“Marco says it was your last day today. You’ve got the summer now before you go back to school?”
I nodded, putting the cake down, only somewhat reluctantly, to converse with Gabby. I’d met Gabby and Gio officially a week after we took Dylan to the zoo. It had been difficult to be congenial to Gio, despite how charming he was, because I knew what a prize shit he’d been to Marco. However, Marco had moved past all the ugly stuff with his uncle and I didn’t want to constantly remind him of it, so I did my best to move past it too. Gabby was a different story. I loved her straight off the bat. She had a dry wit, a warm demeanor, and her fondness for Marco was obvious to everyone. “I’m just glad I’ve got a job to return to.”
“I heard about that.” Gio suddenly appeared, smiling warmly at me. “Congratulations on the permanent position.”
I gave him a small smile. “Thank you. And thank you both for hosting Lily’s party. It’s beautiful and the food is amazing, as per usual.”
“No problem.” Gio waved off the thanks and put an arm around his wife’s shoulder. “Lily is your family, which makes her our family.”
“She is beautiful.” Gabby looked over to where Lily was sitting on Nate’s knee and grinning up at whatever Liv was saying to her. “So well behaved too.”
“Oh, she’s an angel.” My eyes darted across the room, where I could see Beth doing what appeared to be a bad job of attempting to talk Dylan into swiping an extra piece of cake. “And some of them are angels with dirty faces.”
Dylan didn’t look convinced, so Beth reached up to the table to take another bit of cake by herself. Her little hand had just closed around it when Joss appeared. She didn’t say a word. She just held out her hand, palm up. Beth wrinkled her nose in annoyance and plopped the cake in her mother’s hand. Joss raised an eyebrow at her and nodded her head to the right. Beth followed the direction of the gesture and her shoulders slumped at the sight of Braden. He was sitting beside Adam and Ellie, holding his nephew, Bray, in his arms, but the look of rebuke on his face was leveled at his daughter. At the expression on her dad’s face, Beth’s shoulders suddenly flew back, and as if she was marching to her end, she strode across the room to her dad with the look of a martyr on her own face.
I could tell it took everything Braden had not to laugh.
My eyes went back to Dylan. Joss said something to him, smiling, and he gave her his serious-little-boy nod and began to move away. I expected him to head toward Marco, who was standing chatting with Cam, Cole, and Mick about something, but Dylan headed toward us.
I assumed he was coming over to Gabby and Gio, who were pretty much beloved grandparents to him. However, Dylan just looked up at Gabby and Gio as he walked by them, before dropping his gaze to me. Without a word he climbed onto my lap and rested his head against my chest.
He probably heard my heartbeat banging away in his ear.
I could tell by Gabby’s and Gio’s amused expressions that my face was a picture of surprise and absolute adoration. Looking down at the top of his head, I tentatively lifted my hand to stroke his soft curls. “Tired, sweetheart?”
He nodded slowly, and relaxed even deeper into me.
“Do you want to go home and I’ll read Where the Wild Things Are before bedtime?”
He nodded again.
My chest tight with emotion, I looked up from him to search out Marco. It didn’t surprise me to find his eyes were already on us, and there was such intensity in the way he was watching us that my chest tightened that little bit more until I was entirely breathless.
My mum always said it was the simplest things in life that moved you.
My mum had never been more right than she was just then.
“‘… and it was still hot.’”
I closed the picture book and looked down at Dylan, whose eyes were already closing. Carefully, I extricated myself from the bed, put the book on his bedside table, kissed his forehead, whispered good night, and walked over to the door.
Marco gave me a loving look from his place in the doorway and then strode inside to say good night to his son. I left them, giving them their time, as I had tried to a lot over the past few months. I didn’t spend every day of their alternative weekend arrangement with them because I felt it would be an easier transition for Dylan if he at least got his dad to himself sometimes. That was hard for me, not just because I missed Marco whenever he wasn’t around, but because those alternate weekends were the highlight of my month. I missed Dylan when he wasn’t with us, so I knew Marco must miss him a million times more.
This summer, however, we were getting him for two full weeks while Marco was on holiday. We’d booked into a holiday park in Cornwall, so we were praying for some of the sunny weather it was known for. I couldn’t wait to spend so much time with two of my favorite guys in the world.
I was in the sitting room, pushing my feet into my shoes, when strong arms wrapped around my waist and I found myself pulled back against Marco’s chest. “Where are you going?” his gravelly voice rumbled sexily in my ear.
A shiver chased down my spine, but I knew I had to ignore it. “Time for me to go home.” Not once had I remained overnight when Dylan was staying with Marco. We wanted to take things slow when it came to introducing me into Dylan’s life.
Marco kissed my neck as his hand coasted up my side, and over my ribs until he was cupping my left breast.
I sighed in pleasure, arching my back. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to get my girl to wrap those long fantastic legs of hers around me.”
Reluctantly, I broke the embrace to turn to look at him in question. “But Dylan —”
“We’ll be quiet,” Marco murmured hungrily against my mouth. “And I think we’re good to start introducing you as a permanent feature to his weekends with me.” His lips brushed over mine. Mine tingled in answer. Like always.
“Do you think he’ll be okay with that?” I panted, my hands already roaming over his strong chest.
“You make those great pancakes of yours in the morning, he’ll be fine.” He reached for another kiss, but I grinned, stalling it momentarily.
“Pancakes I can do.”
“Good,” he growled, crushing me against him. “Now do me.”
EPILOGUE
October
B
reathe, Hannah.
Breathe.
I sucked in a giant gulp of air and almost choked on it.
My whole body was shaking and no matter how much I tried to push back the fear, it kept surging forth, attempting to wrap its clawed hand around my th
roat. My gaze bored into the door to my flat as I waited for Marco to come home.
We’d finally decided it made more sense for him to move in with me, and thankfully Dylan had been okay with that, particularly because he had fun picking out all the stuff for his new room. That had only been six weeks ago, the weekend before I started back at school.
It was fast. We knew that. We’d been together less than a year, but considering our history and the fact that we loved each other to pieces, it was the right move for us.
It didn’t feel fast.
This… this was fast.
And this… this was…
Terrifying.
I didn’t know if I could do it.
The key turned in the lock.
Marco walked in, his head came up, and as soon as he saw me standing there, with the petrified expression on my face, he closed the door. “What’s going on?” he asked, his eyes dark with concern.
I was so close to upchucking where I stood.
Pale, feeling the tingles of nausea on my cheeks, I fought for some control. “My period is really late.” I held up the pregnancy test, my hand visibly shaking.
Marco’s eyes flew from the test to my face, and then suddenly I was in his arms. He could feel me trembling hard and his muscles tightened around me. “It’s going to be okay,” he told me in his quiet, controlled voice. “Baby, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I fought the burn of tears in my throat. “It must have been when I went off the pill to take those tablets for the sickness bug I caught on holiday. I knew we shouldn’t have had sex when I was feeling better,” I murmured absentmindedly.
“We don’t know anything yet, right?” He pulled back to look into my face, and what he saw there made his features taut. “Hannah, don’t look like that. It kills me.”
My lips quivered as I tried to smile. I didn’t pull it off. “I’m scared. I’m trying not to be.”
He cupped my face in his hands. “It’s understandable, but I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. You know that.”
Nodding my head again, I clutched him more tightly. “I should take the test so we know for sure.”
“Hannah, what’s going on in there?” Marco rapped impatiently on the bathroom door.
I’d flushed the toilet seconds before I’d thrown up so he wouldn’t hear me being sick. I flushed the toilet again and stood on shaky legs. Marco rapped on the door once more while I brushed my teeth, avoiding the strained, pale face in the mirror that I didn’t recognize.
Finally, once I looked as good as I could, I opened the door. He forced it open all the way so he could yank me out of the bathroom and into his arms. “Well?” he asked, his voice deeper, rougher than usual as he stroked my hair off my face.
My lips felt numb. “Test says I’m pregnant,” I whispered.
He didn’t even blink. “We’ll get you in to see the doctor tomorrow, we’ll get it confirmed, and then we’ll get it all checked out to make sure everything is okay.”
I looked away, fighting the panic that was rising again swiftly on the heels of the last wave of it. “I don’t know if I’m brave enough.”
The little shake he gave me brought my gaze back to his. “You are. You know you are.”
“This is too fast.”
He gave me a reassuring smile. “You think Dylan wasn’t? But Leah and I dealt with it. You and I have dealt with it. You don’t think we can handle another kid?” He squeezed my waist and through my panic I sensed his quiet excitement. “This is our kid, Hannah.”
I raised my shaking hands and laid them on his chest. “If our kid doesn’t kill me, we’re getting married.”
Marco scowled. “You have a sick sense of humor.”
“I either joke and get through this or I start to cry.”
He considered the ultimatum and gave a sharp nod. “Sick sense of humor it is, then.”
I tried my best at a brave nod in acknowledgment of his acquiescence and I pulled away. “Do you want a coffee? I need tea.” I began to make my way slowly down the hallway.
I was just at the kitchen door when he called my name.
“Yeah?” I turned around, feeling exhausted. I quickly grew alert, however, at the dark intensity in Marco’s eyes. He often looked at me like that when we were making love.
He took a step toward me. “Kid or no kid… this is us forever, and you’re right, we should make that official.” Another step closer. “Marry me.”
The panic retreated along with my breath. “Is that a request or a demand?” I asked breathlessly, laughter in the words.
Marco’s lips curled up at the corners. “A little of both.”
I cocked my head to the side, contemplating him with mischief in my eyes. That he could make me feel this way when I also felt so worried about the future was one of the reasons I loved him. “If you’d asked me when I was seventeen I would have given my parents both a heart attack by saying yes.”
“And now?”
I shrugged and began to turn away. “I’ll think about it.”
Two seconds later I was hauled into his arms, laughing as he growled, “I’ll think about it?” against my mouth.
I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck to hold on to him.
“Think fast.” He nipped at my lip.
“Okay, okay…”
“Hannah,” Marco warned.
Standing on my tiptoes, I brushed my lips against his ear and whispered, “I’ll say yes. I promise.”
“Then say it now,” he whispered back.
“You’re my best friend.”
“Hannah.”
“Always have been. Always will be.” I pulled back to hold his handsome face in my hands.
“I’ll take that as your yes,” he replied, his voice hoarse with emotion.
Letting all my feelings of tender affection and love shine out of my eyes, I grinned. “You always were good at reading me.”
He kissed me, pulling back only to look me deep in the eyes. Understanding passed silently between us. We could do this.
It hadn’t been an easy journey to here. We’d tried to fly numerous times since meeting each other, and we’d fallen more times than we liked to count. That was life.
Flying and falling.
Next week, for all we knew, we could very well fall, but in that moment, we were happy because we knew with certainty that if we fell… together, we’d get back up to try again.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Hannah and Marco’s story made it into readers’ hands because of my wonderful, determined, and amazingly supportive agent, Lauren Abramo. As always, thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty, Lauren!
Moreover, I have to thank my awesome editor, Kerry Donovan, for not only loving the ODS world as much as I do, but for helping to make it so much better than I ever thought possible. Working on this series with you, Kerry, is a dream.
I must say a big thank-you to Erin Galloway and the team at New American Library for all their hard work on this series, too. You guys are phenomenal!
Thank you to Anna Boatman and the team at Piatkus for believing in this series and bringing Hannah and Marco’s story to the UK readers. Your enthusiasm means the absolute world to me.
To Georgia Cates, thank you so much, not only for being a great friend and part of the amazing support system we call the Hellcats, but for sharing your wisdom from fifteen years as a delivery nurse and for providing me with invaluable advice on the medical information in Hannah’s story.
And to Shanine Christoffersen and Kate McJennett, thank you for being such wonderful teachers and such an inspiration. The kids you teach have no idea how lucky they are to have you, and how much it matters that you care so deeply for what you do. Kate, thank you for all your advice as a high school English teacher. Hannah came alive as a teacher as I was writing, and a lot of that came from you. Also, thanks for letting me steal your Dark Knight Rises lesson plan. Very cool.
Finally, a massive thank-you
to you, my reader.
You know why.