“I know, right? But she came over, and we talked. And when we arrived here and learned that you were going to be OK, we talked some more. She loves you like crazy as if that weren’t obvious. And all this time she’s been looking out for you, keeping me at arm’s length because she wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to hurt you.”
“Yeah. When my wife, er, her mother died, she and I both realized we were all we had. That kind of thing makes you really, really protective of people.”
She nodded, then went on. “She wanted to know if I was going to hurt you. And to find out, she asked me a simple question – do I love you?”
“And?”
She smiled. “I do. I love you so damn much, Noah. And I love the little family we have together, as strange as it might be.”
“Then you’d better get over here and kiss me, gorgeous.”
Tears in her eyes, she did. We kissed slowly, deeply, her taste heaven to me.
“Now,” I said as she took her lips away. “Let’s get that whole, strange family in here. What do you say?”
“Sounds perfect.”
Sadie left, returning moments later with Camilla, Jack, Annette, Andy, and Emmy with her. They handed me my babies and as I held them, I felt so much love in my heart I worried it might burst.
But it didn’t. As much as it all felt too good to be true, it wasn’t.
And I felt like the luckiest man who’d ever walked this earth.