“Holly, I am so sorry. I didn’t know that Trevor had called a reporter. I told him to turn down the captain position. Besides, I can’t commit to it the way I intended to originally. I found something much more valuable. I want you, Holly. I want you and Sophie and a houseful of other children. I want you to finish school and kick ass as a social worker, helping other kids so that they can have a better future. I love you so much, Holly. You are everything I never knew I wanted.” I tried to make her understand how sincere I was. “You have managed to creep your way into every corner of my heart and mind. When I am not with you, all I do is think about you. When I am with you, it’s like you have made all my dreams come true. You are so amazing, Holly, please don’t give up on me.” I reached into my pocket and took out a simple diamond ring. It wasn’t anything extravagant and I could afford something so much bigger, but the second I saw it in the store, it reminded me of Holly. It had a quiet beauty that shone brighter than all the other outrageous rings around it. Like her. I opened the box, and I heard her gasp, putting her hands over her mouth.
“I would give my life for you, Holly. And a life without you isn’t worth living. You are everything to me. Will you marry me?”
Holly
I looked at him on his knees before me. I couldn’t deny that I loved him. I loved him so much that it hurt. He was a good man; I knew he was. The fact that he gave up the position he’d been working toward his whole life for me, to prove to me that I was more important than anything else, was unbelievable.
“Yes,” I whispered. “I love you, Bryant Sommers. I was so used to being hurt and lied to my whole life, and I let that bleed into us. I promise I will never doubt or run away from you again.”
He looked at me and smiled, a smile that brightened all the dark places in my heart. He placed the ring on my finger, then leaned in and kissed me. Within that kiss, we let go of all our hurt, our pasts, the loneliness, and the fear we’d surrounded ourselves with.
In that moment, we were whole and united as one.
Epilogue
Five years later
Bryant
“Santa is here! Santa is here!” My two beautiful daughters jumped up and down by the side of our bed. Sophie and Annabelle had been counting down for the past twenty-four days. Christmas was always a big deal in our house. The whole month of December was, in fact.
My beautiful wife went all out for the holidays every year. The house was decorated so completely that it gave those department store North Pole setups a run for their money. Not only was my wife perfect in every way, she was also kindhearted. Holly volunteered at several places every year, and we all took part in her charity.
“We’re coming. Why don’t you two go and attack your aunt Rachel first?”
“She’s been up since five, Daddy. We asked if she saw Santa, and she told me she is one of his helpers,” Annabelle said as she pulled the covers off of her mother and me.
“Hey, nugget. How about the two of you go downstairs and open one present each? We will be down in a flash,” Holly said as she started getting out of bed. I smiled at her huge belly and how she was trying to level herself. She looked at me and gave me the evil eye, and I started laughing.
“You know, carrying three babies is pretty hard. I wish you could know what this was like.”
I kissed the top of her head and put my arms around her, resting my hands on her giant belly. “Sweetheart, if I could carry these babies, I would. I know how much pressure it is for you. Thank you for giving me Sophie, Annabelle, and these three little ones.” I kissed her head again, and she smiled. She got out of bed, putting on a robe, and looked over her shoulder at me, winking.
“Let’s go open presents,” I said as I slapped her sexy ass.
Holly
The girls opened their presents, squealing with excitement. I loved seeing how happy they were. I looked at my handsome husband as he started assembling all the toys for Annabelle and getting a bunch of hugs from Sophie for the grand piano he’d bought her. Bryant was the one who’d noticed how talented she was when he saw her playing the piano at his old house one day. He insisted she be put in classes right away, and ever since then, the piano had become her passion.