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Her lips turned up in a smile and he saw tears glistening in her aqua gaze as she examined the ring, head tilting to the side. “Is this…”
“It’s your Gammy’s ring. Your mom gave it to me on Family Day.”
Avery shook her head. “But…she said she lost it.”
“She told me that she’s had it in her panty drawer since you were ten. Your Gammy told her to give it to a man worthy of you.”
Tears were pouring down Avery’s eyes as she stared at the ring and smiled from ear to ear.
Keaton took a deep breath. “Growing up, my life wasn’t easy. I lost my dad when I was Jacob’s age. Before that, I had the perfect family. A mom and dad who loved me. I believed in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy and that everything would always work out. That I’d always be safe and surrounded by people who loved me and who I loved. That all changed the day my dad died. My whole world came crashing down on me and I had to grow up really quickly.
“I stopped believing in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy when Christmas came and went and there were no presents under the tree and when I lost a tooth, left it under my pillow, and woke up with it still there. My mom started dating men who were not thrilled that she was a package deal. Then one day I came home, and she was gone. I was alone. If it hadn’t been for my aunt, I don’t know what would have happened to me.
“Since the day my dad went out to get me cough syrup and ended up dying, there’s been a deep ache in me that never went away. I blamed myself for my dad’s death even though I knew it was because of his brain aneurysm and had nothing to do with him going out to the store for my medication. I blamed myself for my mom’s boyfriends not wanting to stick around. I thought it was because of me.
“I didn’t think that ache would ever go away. But then, I saw you. The moment you looked up at me, holding Mojo in your arms, and I looked into your eyes, that ache started to lessen. During the two weeks we spent together, it grew duller and duller. Then one day I came back and you were gone and it returned.”
“I’m so sorry,” Avery apologized as she covered her mouth.
“No. You have nothing to be sorry about. I believe timing is everything, and five years ago, it wasn’t our time. I think, no I know, thatnowis. It might seem to the rest of the world like this is moving too fast, but it’s not. This relationship, this connection, this love is years in the making. It might have been on the back burner, but it never went away.
“And I don’t want to waste another year, another month, another week, another day, another hour, another minute, another second before asking you to be mine. Forever. When you told me that it was because of me that you didn’t get married, it was the first time in my life I knew that I belonged. I belong with you. I belong with Jacob. And if you say yes, I will spend the rest of my life taking care of you both, supporting you both, loving you both, protecting you both, and doing everything in my power to make you both as happy as you make me.
“Avery Elizabeth Stone, will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” she cried out before he even finished the question.
Keaton slid the ring on her finger and picked her up in his arms and he knew that his happily ever after started right now.
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
“Thank you, Gammy,”Avery whispered as she held the locket around her neck and placed her hand over her belly. “Thank you for giving me the sign.”
Today was her wedding day and unlike the first time, her feet weren’t cold. They were hot and ready to get out to the bluff overlooking the lake and officially become Mrs. Keaton Savage.
Avery still couldn’t believe this was actually her life. She would have thought going onFairytale Lovewould be the most surreal thing to happen to her, but the truth was this past year, her life had been a fairytale that was culminating today.
She and Keaton were exchanging vows at the castle. The place where they fell in love six years ago, and then fell in love all over again a year ago.
All her life she’d dreamed of having a family. A real family. It was strange but as soon as she gave up trying to force the picture that she had in her head of what that should be, all the pieces fell into place for her to get the real thing. That’s what she had with Keaton. She had a family. And it wasn’t just Keaton, it was his entire extended family. Jacob had cousins, and soon he was going to have a sibling.
Avery found out a week ago that she was pregnant. She’d wanted to tell Keaton right away, but she was scared if she did, he would have sidelined her and put her on bedrest the week before the wedding. He was overprotective like that. And she loved it.
She loved that he took out the trash, and never let her carry heavy things. She loved that he always walked on the side of the road where the traffic was and never let her fill up her own tank of gas. She loved that he was so protective of her and Jacob. He was an incredible stepfather, and she knew he was going to be an amazing dad.
There was a soft knock on the door and her mom walked in. “Hey darlin’ you ready to get hitched?”
“Yes!” Avery enthused. “Is it time?”
“We have about ten minutes. Do ya mind if I sit, I want to tell ya somethin’.”
“Sure.” Avery got an uneasy feeling in her stomach that had nothing to do with the baby she was growing. Blanche Bardot wasn’t someone who asked if she could tell someone something. She just told them. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh nothin’ I just wanted to get somethin’ off my chest and I thought that today would be the right time.”
“My wedding day?”
