Kane lifts my fingers to his mouth and kisses the backs of my knuckles. “I get it, Holly. I swear I do. I’m never going to pretend I like the guy, but I can see he loves Dylan.”
I nod. “And I’ll do everything I can to make sure he stays in Dylan’s life. I don’t want Dylan to turn around to me one day andaccuse me of not doing enough. And I don’t want him to ever feel like his father didn’t love him enough to want to be around him. Just the thought of that breaks my heart.”
“Hey, it’s okay.” He reaches out and rubs my back. “I get it, and I’m sorry. But you know I’m here, too, and I know I haven’t been in your life for long—in either of your lives—but that doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere. And I want all of this. Not just you, but both of you. I’ve loved spending time with Dylan. He’s a great kid.”
I sniff. “It’s not all about playing football in the park, Kane. It’s about staying up all night with him when he’s sick and having to take time off work when it’s inconvenient to go and see school plays. It’s trying to sort out fights with his friends, which puts you in a difficult position with the other parents. It’s trying to get him to eat his dinner, or go to bed, and stay in bed.” I sniff again. “As you learnt from tonight, it’s not all fun.”
He takes my hand. “No, but it’s real. And it’s important. And it’s what I want.”
My heart swells with emotion. “You do?”
“Of course. I love you, Holly McCarty. I’m not going anywhere.”
I lean in and kiss him, and suddenly realise tears wet my cheeks. I give a small laugh and nod. “I love you, too.”
“And we’re going to be a family, okay. You, me, Dylan, even goddamned Mike.”
I laugh again. “A family.”
He kisses me. “Yes. Our family.”
THE END
