CHAPTER 35
Valentina
A s I pull into the driveway, Jason and the kids amble back from the yard, all dressed in swimsuits. The boys spot me and burst into a sprint. The radiant smile transforming Jason’s face penetrates straight into my heart. This is home. This feeling, this moment, is where I belong, in a family of my own.
When I push the car door open, I all but jump out with a tumble. I’m driven by the magnetic pull of my new family, and I don’t even close the door since it would slow me down. My pace quickens, my heart pounding, as the distance between us closes. Then I’m enveloped in hugs as the twins collide with me. Their arms wrap around my waist. Their joyful assault would’ve knocked me off-balance, but Jason’s steady hands are there, supporting me.
“You’re here!” Atticus jolts back, clapping.
Felix grips my wrist, holding on tightly.
Bending to their level, I inhale the faint smell of chlorine, and I pepper the tops of their heads with kisses.
Atticus jumps up and down. “Can you swim with us?”
“Can you play the racing car game with me on TV?” Felix speaks over his brother.
Their requests tumble over each other, and Jason winks with a smile so sweet and tender my breath stalls. With the boys tugging at me, I can’t hug him as I long to, but his understanding gaze tells me he feels the same.
Then Eden rushes into the house, her head low and arms crossed in stark contrast to her brothers’ joy.
“Why is your sister so upset?”
Atticus’s shoulders sag. “She’s sad because you’re leaving.”
“She’ll be okay.” Jason attempts to gloss over the underlying issues.
Felix tugs at my hand, his somber face searching for reassurance. “Are we never going to see you again?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I reassure him, and that earns me another flurry of hugs, their small arms tighten around me and my heart overflows.
But then Jason touches my shoulder. His head tilts. “You knocked them dead at the interview?” His voice crackles. He’s wearing a swim shirt today, probably to avoid sunburn, and my hands itch to ruffle through his rumpled hair.
“Let me first go and talk to Eden.” Perhaps making things straight with his kids will allow us time to talk freely. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”
He nods, then ushers the boys toward the house. “Okay, boys, let’s go play some video games.”
Felix lets out a squeal and dashes ahead, Atticus at his heel. Then Jason volunteers to close my car door, and I request he bring my handbag.
In the hallway, daylight streams from the window at the end. I knock on Eden’s door before entering her room.
She’s seated on her bed, legs crossed, her giant stuffed pink giraffe with its hot-pink spots in her lap. She’s still in her swimsuit. She glances at me, then at the candle and bottle of essential oils I gave her the first time I braided her hair. “You don’t have to say goodbye to me.”
I sit at the edge of her bed and touch her messy wet hair where it dampens her shoulders.
Her eyes meet mine again, frazzled and blotchy. My chest squeezes. Am I the reason for her tears? “You said you won’t leave.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“You’re not leaving?” She tosses the stuffed animal on the rug, then scoots closer. Scared blue eyes search my face.
“As long as I’m alive and things work out, I’ll be here for you.” I spread my arms wide, and she falls into my embrace, squeezing me tight. I laugh and shift to the center of the bed to prevent us from falling. I’m glad I wore flats today.
“You’re going to stay here with us?” Her breath tickles my neck, and her hair smells like chlorine and the subtle scent of her lavender conditioner. “Will you marry Daddy?”
I tug a hunk of her hair, caught off guard. Did Jason say anything of the sort to his kids? “Who says I’m marrying your dad?”
She moves out of the embrace. “I thought you like him.” She looks at me frazzled. “He likes you a lot.”
“There’s a possibility I’ll marry your dad.” I don’t want to give her false hope if Jason still needs to build trust to love again. “I like him a lot.” I tap the emerging freckles on her nose. “For now, how about you keep an eye on your brothers for a few minutes? I haven’t even greeted your dad yet.”
She nods and leaps off the bed. She literally skips ahead in the hallway and shouts before we make it to the living room. “Daddy, Val wants to greet you.”
Jason stands and hands Eden the remote to take his place. His eyes meet mine, and he doesn’t tear his gaze away when he reaches me. He takes my hand. Then, with long strides, he leads me past his and my bedroom until we enter his office. He closes the door behind us, clicks the lock, then turns me around, and edges me against the door.
My heart thuds. Before I can ask or say anything, his lips are on mine, kissing me tenderly, and he thrusts his hands in my hair. I automatically kiss him with all I can.
“That was quite a greeting,” I say after we tear apart, still breathless.
He braces his arm above my head by the door. “That’s how I wanted to greet you the moment you stepped out of your car.” He taps my nose with his finger. “How’d the interview go?”
“I ran into Austin—interviewing for the same job.”
His jaw tenses. “I’ll call and tell them what a jerk he is.”
I shake my head and rest my hand on his thudding chest. “You shouldn’t have fired him.”
“He hurt you.” He looks at me like it was the obvious thing to do. “I didn’t trust myself being around him without wanting to hurt him.”
“I don’t want your company to get in trouble.”
The light streaming in the window highlights his calm expression. “He wouldn’t be the first to claim a lawsuit, and he doesn’t have the money to take it to court. Things got ugly with his past relationship. His lover’s husband sued him over—” He shakes his head. “Can I not be reminded of having had a snake working under me?”
He kisses my cheek. “I’ll see to it he doesn’t get hired by the networks I trust.”
He nuzzles my neck, my ear, and I giggle. “You are so vengeful.”
“I’m a work in progress if you didn’t already know.” His fingers trace over my cheek ever so lightly. His proximity and intensity send my heart into hyperdrive. I can’t think straight. “You told the kids you’re not leaving, but if you’re just planning to stay in town as my neighbor, it won’t work out.”
I let out a mock gasp. “You won’t let me into your town?”
“I want you in my life, my house, and my family. You belong here.” He cups a hand over his heart as he says it—and I know that’s where I belong. “What do you want out of this relationship?”
“Marriage.” My response is automatic. He must know it since I’ve said as much before. “A big family. Perhaps we can give Eden and the boys more siblings.”
“Yes.” His voice hoarse, he cups my face. “I’m still figuring out that perfect father role.”
“Being you is all it takes. You’re caring, loving, present, and protective.”
“How could I not want to wake up each day with that kind of positivity and a stunning woman?” He catches my left hand and places a kiss where a groom would place a ring. “But about starting a family... How do you think we’ll do that? We’re both in our thirties.”
“We better get started on that marriage soon, then?”
He beams, then kisses the top of my head. “Is tomorrow too soon to get married?”
“Perhaps this fall.”
The look he gives me quickens my heartbeat. “You’d like to marry me?”
“If it involves waking up each morning next to the most handsome man in the world... We probably need to look into details about a marriage license and whatnot.”
He’s kissing me again with a tenderness that melts my insides.
When we separate again, I tell him about Ethan’s job offer. “I’m considering taking that instead.”
“You’re going to work at the church?”
“And still watch the kids. The job’s flexible. And it’s probably best if I move out of the house since we can’t keep our hands off each other.”
He laughs, tossing his head back. “Ethan said the same thing.” He then shares about his meeting with Ethan earlier. “I made a commitment today. To let God be in my life. I can’t remember what Ethan called it.”
“You gave your life to Christ?” My arms encircle his waist. I knew he wasn’t against God, so it was only a matter of time. “I’m so happy.”
“Not as happy as I am.”
He tugs at my sleeve. “How about you move into the annex? Mom and Phil can stay in the house when they visit. Perhaps that could solve our temptation problem.”
“You’ve thought through this already.”
“I’m always thinking of you. Us.” He then looks at me. “If you get hired at the network, we can commute together. Ethan will help me find a nanny.”
“I belong here with you, and—”
“Oh, Valentina.” His fingers trace along my jaw. His tenderness warms my whole soul. “You’ve changed my life in the best way possible.”
“So have you.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I’m glad for the life changes. I can live with knowing I’m married to a man with a heart of gold who loves God and will be the best father to our kids. The finality and completeness of the moment wraps around us, a perfect end to an episode and a beautiful beginning to the rest of our lives.