“You do?” Leah asked.
“Yeah, I do. I love youmore than anything in the world.”
And he’d killed his onlyson for her.
“Marry me,” he said.
He was just full ofsurprises tonight, and she smiled at him and nodded. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marryyou.”
And with that, he kissedher.
Epilogue
Ten Years Later
“Why did we agree tothis?” Cain asked, dropping onto the blanket in his backyard.
He looked over to hiswife, who held their baby girl in her lap. She offered him a smile.
“Because we’re goodfriends, and when you want space, they have offered to do the same for us,”Leah said.
His son, Gabriel, ranaround the garden making airplane noises, with Rupert, Frank and Cameron’s son,chasing after him. Their children had become friends from birth. Cameron hadturned out to be very good for Frank. His friend finally found the happiness hedeserved.
Louisa, Frank andCameron’s daughter, was on the mat, playing with one of her many dollies. His daughter,Trudy, played with her.
Where their friends hadtwo children, he and Leah didn’t stop at two.
There was little Mark,running around, playing with the bubbles he made, and baby Michele, who hereached for and kissed the top of her little head.
Marrying Leah had been theright thing to do. Loving Leah was something he couldn’t control.
He’d been terrified ofstarting a family, but Leah had been excited. She wanted a big family. Therewas a time he thought Leah was cynical and she didn’t believe in family orexpectations. However, he had come to see that his wife did have a dream,growing up in the foster care life. She dreamed of finding a man who was goingto love her for her, and they’d have lots of children. She was constantlytrying to make memories.
Leah was there to make Christmas,birthdays, and every holiday in between, special.
Birthdays always came witha hand-baked cake, and Frank taught Leah how to decorate cakes over the lastten years, so she had gotten really good at it.
Then there was Christmas.Leah made sure the house was fully decorated. She wanted a traditionalChristmas, and she always had something cooking or baking.
He loved the change inLeah, because he knew she had finally settled down. He was the love of herlife, just as she was his.
He’d be with her till thevery end, and whatever she wanted he’d gladly give to her. He truly neverthought he could be this happy, but as long as he had Leah, he didn’t needanything else.
The End
