“No,” she said. “No, I want to have our date, Grayson. I do.”

  “Tell me what I can do to make you feel better,” he urged, feeling anxious.

  She sighed. “I have to tell you something,” she said. “And it isn’t going to be easy.”

  “You can tell me anything, Halle. You know that.”

  She bit her lip and looked away.

  “What are you afraid of?”

  “I’m afraid this is going to be too much for you,” she said. “I know how hard it’s been for you to open yourself up to me. I know how difficult it is for you to embark on a new relationship.”

  “But I’m ready,” Grayson said. “Whatever might happen in a relationship with you, Halle, it couldn’t possibly be as painful as losing you altogether. I didn’t realize I thought so until you threatened to leave your job and I had to face the possibility of never seeing you again.”

  “You might change your mind,” she said quietly.

  “No,” he said. “I could never.”

  “After what I have to tell you—”

  “Listen to me. There is nothing you could tell me that would change the way I’ve come to feel about you, okay? Absolutely nothing. So don’t be afraid. Say what you need to say.”

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m pregnant, Grayson.”

  For a moment, Grayson felt as if he hadn’t understood what she’d said.

  Pregnant?

  Her hand was shaking in his.

  God. She’s really afraid of what I’m going to say.

  He couldn’t find words yet. He didn’t know how to respond to what she had told him. But he knew one thing with absolute certainty. She had nothing to fear. He was in this with her.

  He gripped her hand tightly.

  She looked up at him.

  “You just found out?” he asked quietly.

  She nodded. “And it’s yours,” she added, as if she wasn’t sure that had been obvious.

  “I assumed that was why you were telling me.”

  “I know we just steadied things between us,” she said, her voice breaking slightly. “This is the last thing we needed right now. And I know you weren’t counting on something like this.”

  “Halle, stop,” Grayson said. “Stop talking.”

  She fell silent and looked at him.

  “This is what you were so worried about telling me?”

  She nodded.

  Happiness was swelling within him now. He had never expected that the news she had given him could make him feel so elated. He’d never thought of having a child. He had never especially wanted one.

  But knowing Halle had opened him up to all kinds of things he had never thought about in the past.

  The love I feel for her could be bigger than the two of us.

  Still on his knees, he now unfolded the hand that held his grandmother’s ring and held it up. “Halle, will you marry me?”

  She stared. “How did you do that?”

  Grayson laughed. “I was going to ask you tonight anyway,” he admitted. “I was worried you might think it was a bit soon. And maybe it is. But doesn’t this seem like the universe is sending us a sign? I’m ready, and maybe you are too. Maybe we can raise this baby together.”

  “Do you really want that?” Her eyes were wide.

  “I wouldn’t have expected that I’d want it when I met you,” Grayson said. “But actually, I want it more than anything, Halle. I can’t imagine not being a part of this.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” she breathed.

  “Say yes,” he urged. “Say you’ll marry me. You’d be making me the happiest man in the world.”

  She smiled through her tears. “Of course I will,” she said. “You must have known I would.”

  “You don’t think we’re rushing into it?”

  “I think you and I have never done anything conventionally,” Halle said. “I don’t know why we would start now.”

  “That’s a good point,” Grayson said, smiling back.

  He took her hand in his and carefully slid the ring onto her finger. He was pleased to find that it was a perfect fit. He’d anticipated needing to have it resized for her, but it looked like that wasn’t going to be necessary.

  Maybe that’s a sign too.

  He got to his feet and pulled her up with him, then wrapped his arms around her.

  “I love you,” he whispered. “I can’t wait to spend my life with you.”

  She leaned in, rising up on her toes to kiss him, and as their lips met, Grayson allowed himself to revel in his marvelous good fortune.

  He had done nothing in his life to deserve the gift of a woman like Halle, to deserve a child with her. But he was so thankful, and forever would be, that she had chosen to be with him.

  “I love you,” he murmured once more, as the server brought the bottle of champagne over to their table, and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

  Epilogue

  Two Years Later: Halle

  The sound of Annabelle’s laughter lit up the whole house, just as it always did. Halle closed her eyes and listened to the sound of her daughter’s happiness, knowing that nothing in the world would ever fill her with as much pure joy as that sound did.

  “Halle,” Dina scolded. “Open your eyes. You’re supposed to be looking.”

  Halle laughed herself, opened her eyes, and took in her reflection. Her wedding dress was simple and delicate, falling in soft waves of tulle around her hips. Dina had pinned her hair up on top of her head, working flowers into her braids in a sort of crown. Her makeup was light, accentuating her eyes without standing out too strongly.

  “You look beautiful,” Dina said admiringly. “Grayson’s going to love it.”

  “You think?”

  “He won’t be able to resist you,” Dina said confidently. “He’s the luckiest guy in the world to be marrying you today, and the moment he gets a look at you, he’s going to know it.”

  “Thanks for helping me get ready,” Halle said. “And for agreeing to be my bridesmaid, of course.”

  “Please! It was my pleasure, Halle. I’m just honored that you asked me.”

  “Do you know who’s watching Annabelle right now?”

  “I think your dad is with her,” Dina said. “But don’t worry. She’s thoroughly charmed everybody. No matter who’s with her right now, I know they want to make sure she’s well tended to and enjoying herself.

  Halle nodded. “I can’t believe this day is finally here.”

  “It was a really long engagement,” Dina agreed. “When you told me he’d asked you to marry him, I expected the two of you to tie the knot right away. I had no idea you’d be waiting so long.”

  “I didn’t want to do it while I was still pregnant,” Halle explained.

  Dina nodded sagely. “You didn’t want to be pregnant in all your wedding pictures? I totally get it.”

  “No, it isn’t that,” Halle said. “I’m fine with pictures of me while I was pregnant. There are some really lovely ones. But…” She picked up her bouquet and showed Dina the photo of herself at her parents’ wedding that she had tucked in among the blooms.

  “What is this?” Dina asked.

  “It’s me,” Halle said. “It’s me attending my parents’ wedding. And I wanted there to be a picture of Annabelle like this at our wedding. I wanted her to be a part of things. We put the wedding off because I wanted to wait until my baby could be here for it.”

  “Wow,” Dina said. “That’s really sweet, Halle. And it’s sweet that Grayson was willing to do that too. Of course, Grayson would do anything to make you happy, wouldn’t he?”

  “He’d do a lot,” Halle said. “I think I’m the one who’s lucky.”

  “Oh, I’m just so glad this worked out for the two of you,” Dina said, smoothing the skirt of her pale pink bridesmaid’s dress. “And Halle…I know I’ve said it before, but I really can’t thank you enough for recommending me to be Grayson’s new flight attendant when you left the job.”

  “I couldn’t think of anyone better,” Halle said, smiling. “And now that he’s learned to be a little more understanding as a boss, it’s probably the best job you could have.”

  “I like how he lets me wear whatever I want to work,” Dina said. “No more uncomfortable skirts and tights.”

  “Yeah,” Halle said, laughing. “That definitely wasn’t always the case. I wish I’d been able to work in sweats when I first got the job.”

  “Are you ready?” Dina asked, holding Halle at arm’s length and looking her up and down.

  “I don’t know,” Halle said, feeling suddenly and unaccountably nervous. “Do you think I am?”

  “You’re perfect,” Dina said. “You’ve never looked more beautiful in your life.”

  There was a knock at the door. “It’s me,” Halle’s father called. “Is the bride ready? We’re ready for her downstairs.”

  “I’m ready, Dad,” Halle, answered, trying not to let her voice shake.

  Her father opened the door. He looked dapper in his tuxedo, and tiny, dark-haired Annabelle was a frosted cupcake in his arms.

  She reached out for Halle as soon as she saw her. “Mama!” she cried.

  Halle’s father held onto her. “Give Mama a kiss on the cheek, okay, Belly? We don’t want to mess up her pretty dress, do we?”

  Annabelle shook her head solemnly. She leaned in and kissed her mother gently. “Pretty,” she said, patting Halle on the cheek.

  “Is Daddy waiting for us downstairs?” Halle asked.

  Annabelle nodded.

  “Then we’d better get going,” Halle said.

  Her father handed Annabelle off to Dina, who set her on the floor and took her by the hand. “Ready to go throw some flowers, kiddo?”

  “Yeah!”

  Dina carried Annabelle down the stairs and toward the open doors that led out to the garden. Halle could already hear strains of music making their way in from outside.

  Her father looked at her. “How about you, Halle? Ready to do this?”

  “I’ve never been more ready,” Halle said.

  Her father took her arm. “You know how proud I am of you, right?”

  She kissed his cheek. “Thank you so much for being here for me through everything,” she said. “I really couldn’t have gotten through it all without you.”

  “Yes, you could,” her father said. “You can do anything you set your mind to. But as long as I’m alive, you’ll never have to do anything without me. I hope you know that.”

  “I know,” she said. “And you’ll never have to be without me either. I might have a family of my own now, but you’ll always be our family.”

  “My family’s just gotten bigger,” he said. “I’m excited to have Grayson for a son.”

  They headed down the stairs. Halle heard the music swell. She thought about the fact that this house was theirs forever now—her father would never have to leave it. She had briefly considered buying him a nicer place, now that she had so much more money to spend, but he had put a quick stop to that idea, and Halle understood. This house was his home. It was where he had raised her, and where he had lived with his wife. Of course he didn’t want anything else.

  They stepped out into the garden. All the flowers were in bloom. White wooden chairs had been arranged in rows for the guests. Ahead of her, Halle could see Dina walking right behind Annabelle, who was flinging flower petals onto the ground with gusto and making all the guests laugh at her antics.

  And at the end of the aisle stood Grayson, beaming at her, looking happier than she had ever seen him in all the time she had known him. His blue eyes were positively shining at her. Halle felt full of a kind of happiness she had never experienced before in her life. She had grown used to feeling love for him, and she was accustomed to the pleasure of knowing he loved her back. But now she felt something altogether new.

  We’re family.

  We belong to each other.

  They had become family when their daughter was born, but today cemented it in a whole new way. She would pledge herself to him and take his name, and the world would recognize them as belonging to each other.

  And it would be forever.

  She couldn’t imagine anything better.

  Her father walked her down the aisle and transferred her arm to Grayson's. Halle had imagined that she would cry when this moment came, that she would be overwhelmed with emotion, but no tears came. She felt nothing but pure joy.

  “You look beautiful,” Grayson said softly.

  She had no words. She just beamed up at him, her heart feeling utterly full.

  They turned to the officiant, who invited them to say their vows to one another. Halle’s heart beat madly. She and Grayson had been in agreement about the need to write their own vows for the ceremony, both of them feeling that their relationship had been so unconventional that it would just be wrong to try to tie the knot with words they had gotten out of a book.

  Still, it made her nervous to be here, about to deliver the words she had chosen. How could she possibly convey everything she felt for Grayson in a short speech? Nothing she could say would be enough.

  “Grayson,” she said, “you’ve changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. Every day, you challenge me. Every day, you teach me something new about myself. And I couldn’t be more grateful for it. It’s hard for me to believe now that I spent thirty years not knowing that you and I were on our way to each other. I believe this was meant to be, and I’m so glad I found you.”

  He smiled and touched her cheek gently.

  “You say I’ve changed your life,” he said. “But Halle, you’ve changed who I am. You’ve made me realize that I wasn’t taking advantage of all the opportunities life had to offer me. I would have lived a cold and empty life if I had never met you, and because of you, I found happiness. I can never thank you enough for showing that to me.”

  “Oh Grayson,” she said softly.

  “I’ve always seen myself as a success,” he said. “I’ve always thought I had everything that life had to offer me. But until I met you, I had almost nothing. My world has gotten so much bigger, and I am so much happier, because you’re in my life. You and Annabelle are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

  She couldn’t help it. She knew it wasn’t yet time, but she stood on her toes and kissed him.

  There was friendly laughter from the assembled guests. Sheepishly, Halle and Grayson broke apart and looked at their officiant.

  “You’re not the first,” he said, smiling at them. “And you’ve waited a long time. I’m happy to tell you that your wait is over.” He looked from one of them to the other. “You may kiss the bride.”

  Grayson took Halle in his arms, dipped her back, and kissed her passionately, to cheers from their guests and squeals of laughter and delight from Annabelle.

  He stood her back on her feet. “I love you,” he said, taking her hands in his.

  “I love you too,” Halle said, beaming up at him.

  She couldn’t wait to see where their future would take them.

  The End

  I hope you’ve enjoyed Halle and Grayson’s story! Keep reading for a peek at the previous book in this series, His Shock Baby

  * * *

  Happy reading!

  * * *

  Love, Holly x

  His Shock Baby

  Chapter 1

  Carmen

  Carmen Fuentes drummed her fingers on her desk, watching impatiently as her best friend finished reading the last few lines of her latest article in the Food section of the La Vega Ledger. “Well? It’s evocative enough, right? It says Florida, it says nightlife, it says adventure…”

  Emma looked doubtful. “I mean, it’s just a restaurant review, girl. But sure, you really made me feel like I was right there on the waterfront, eating the tuna tartare with you…”

  Carmen rolled her eyes. “Look, I know it’s not Shakespeare—but does it at least give you a sense of the city? Some hint that I’m capable of more than these fluff pieces, this endless string of restaurant reviews and marina openings?” She sighed and looked over her editor’s closed door, with “S. IMHOFF” hung in intimidating brass letters across it. “I have to show Stanley that I’m ready for more serious stories, or he’ll never assign me anything heavier than an exposé on unsanitary casino buffets.”

  Emma shrugged. “Who cares, though? You’re getting paid either way, right?”

  “Sure, but there’s so much more to La Vega… I want to get to the bottom of it all. Don’t you ever feel the need to prove yourself?”

  Her best friend smiled breezily. “Can’t say that I do.”

  Carmen laughed. “I think that’s why we get along so well—I treat everything as a competition, and you don’t even know the meaning of the word. Speaking of which…” She pulled up the previous night’s football scores and intently studied the stats scrolling across her computer screen. “Did you watch any of the games last night?”

  Emma scrunched up her nose in mock disgust. “You know I couldn’t care less about the SNL, or LOL, or whatever it’s called.”

  Carmen laughed. “It’s the AFL—American Football League.”

  “Sure, fine—let me know if they ever update those goofy neon uniforms, and maybe I’ll check it out…”

  Just then, Stanley Imhoff’s door swung open and the stocky, white-haired editor appeared wearing his usual inscrutable expression. He caught Carmen’s eye across the news floor and waved her over. “Miss Fuentes, could you join me in my office for a second?”

  As he returned inside, Carmen stood with anxiety rising in her chest. She murmured to Emma, “This always feels like getting called down to the principal… do you think it’s bad news?”

  Her friend grinned. “Relax, Carm. He’s probably just going to send you to a beachside sandwich shop or something.”