Hope stood there, frozen for a moment, and then turned to me and Lorelei with her mouth open, only no words were coming out.

“Go with Cinderella, Hope. We’ll be right behind you.” I gave her a smile.

I took hold of Lorelei’s hand, and as we followed behind them down the hall, Lorelei whispered in my ear.

“How the hell did you manage that? Oh my God, Jack. Did you see the look on her face?”

“I made a few calls. No big deal. And yes, I thought for a minute she was going to pass out.”

“How much did that cost you?”

“You don’t want to know, baby. You don’t want to know.”

She hooked her arm around me and kissed my cheek. There was no price too high for the happiness of my girls.

We had a private lunch with Cinderella and, after, she showed us around her castle. It was a wonderful trip and well worth every penny spent.

****

Three Months Later

Christmas had come and gone and it was the best Christmas holiday that I’d ever spent in my entire life. Spring was coming and Lorelei’s birthday was today.

“Where are we going?” she asked as we sat in the back seat of the limo.

“You’ll see when we get there.” I brought her hand up to my lips and softly kissed it.

Tony pulled up to the curb to 110 E. 64th Street and Lorelei looked out the window.

“What are we doing here?”

“You’ll see.” I smiled as I grabbed her hand and the three of us climbed out of the limo.

We stepped through the black wrought-iron gates and through the beautiful glass doors that led into a 6,300 square-foot home.

“Wow. This is beautiful. Who lives here?” Lorelei asked as she looked around the foyer.

“I’m hoping we will. The three of us.”

She laughed and I frowned. “What do you mean, Jack?”

“Happy birthday, baby.”

Her eyes grew wide as she looked at me. I took hold of both her hands.

“I love you so much, Lorelei, and I want this to be our home. But only if you like it. Come on; I’ve been dying to show you this place.”

“Jack, I don’t know what to say.”

“Mommy, come look at this. It has an elevator!” Hope exclaimed.

“I’ll be right there, baby.”

I took Lorelei on a tour of the six-story townhome. The expression on her face filled me with joy as she stepped into each room. Hope ran through the house as if she had already made it her castle.

“Do you like it, Lorelei?”

“I love it, Jack.” She threw her arms around me and hugged me tight. “I love you! I can’t believe you did this.”

“Does that mean you’ll say yes to living here?”

“Yes. Yes. Yes!” she spoke with excitement.

I reached down and high-fived Hope. Lorelei narrowed her eyes at both of us.

“Did she already know about this?”

“Yes, Mommy, I did. Jack brought me here the other day. He explained to me that if you said you liked it, then that means I would have to switch schools, which is okay with me! I love this house. I already picked out my bedroom.”

“It’s perfect, Jack.”

Elaine, the realtor stepped inside the home and gave me a smile.

“Well, Mr. Sutton?”

“She loves it, Elaine. She absolutely loves it.”

“Excellent. All I need is your signature on this line and the house is yours.”

I took the papers from her and signed them on the kitchen counter.

“Welcome to your new home.”

Later that evening, I had another surprise for Lorelei. We dropped Hope off at her parents’ house and then I took her to the top floor of the Empire State Building.

“Why are we back here?” Lorelei asked.

“Why do you have to ask so many questions? Just go with the flow, baby. Just go with the flow.” I kissed her lips.

When we stepped off the elevator, I took Lorelei off to the corner to look out at the brightly lit city.

“It’s so beautiful up here,” she spoke.

“Not as beautiful as you are.” I reached inside my pocket and held the small blue box behind my back. “Do you believe in soulmates, Lorelei?” I asked.

“Yes. You are my soulmate, Jack.”

“Do you believe in love at first sight?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “Why are you asking me that?”

I took hold of her hand. “Because it was love at first sight when I saw you. I had never seen a more beautiful woman in my entire life. You are my soulmate and you’re the only person I’m meant to spend the rest of my life with.”

“Oh, Jack.” Her eyes started to fill with tears.

“I love you so much, baby. I never knew it was possible to love someone so much. You opened up a part of me that I never knew existed, and for that, I thank you. You and Hope make my life complete and you make me whole. You, Lorelei Flynn, are the air I breathe. Without you, there would be no breath left in me.” I got down on one knee and held out the opened box in front of her. She placed her right hand over her mouth as I held her left hand.

“Will you marry me, Lorelei?”

By this time, tears were streaming down her face as she nodded her head.

“Is that a yes?” I laughed.

“YES, Jack. Yes, I will marry you.”

I slipped the two-carat white gold ring on her finger, kissed it, and stood up, hugging her as tightly as I could.

“I love you so much and I promise to give you the world.”

“I love you too and you’ve already given me the world, Jack.”

The patrons on the top deck started to clap and congratulated us as we stepped onto the elevator.

Chapter Fifty-One

Lorelei

Six Months Later

It was a perfect September day. Not only weather-wise, but because it was also my wedding day. These past six months were extremely busy with moving into the new house, designing a wedding dress, and planning the perfect wedding.

“Are you nervous?” Stella asked as she fixed my veil.

“Just a bit. Just think; you’ll be doing this too in less than a year.”

“I know. I can’t wait. It’s about time Sebastian came to his senses and proposed.”

My mom walked into the room with Hope and her eyes filled with tears.

“Mom. Don’t. I can’t have you breaking down on my wedding day.”

She walked over to me and took hold of my hand. “These are tears of happiness and you’re my daughter and I can cry if I want to.” She smiled.

Grace, the wedding planner, walked into the room and told us it was time to start lining up for the ceremony. We were having a sunset ceremony and reception at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, which included over five hundred guests.

As I stood behind the doors at the edge of the white runner, Nick gave my hand a squeeze.

“He’s a good man, Lorelei.”

“I know he is.” I laid my head lightly on his shoulder.

The music started to play and Nick walked me down the aisle to my soon-to-be husband. He was the only person I saw as I slowly made my way to him. He looked so handsome and sexy in his black tuxedo and I couldn’t wait to become his wife.

“You look so beautiful,” he whispered as he took my hand from Nick.

“So do you.”

The ceremony was perfect, right down to Hope handing Jack my wedding ring. Once the ceremony ended, we headed to the reception, where we greeted our guests, drank, ate amazing food, and danced the night away. As Jack and I were talking to Garrett and Coco, Hope came up and pulled on Jack’s tuxedo.

“What is it, baby?” he asked as he knelt down.

“I have a question.”

“Okay. Shoot.”

“Can I call you Daddy instead of Jack now?”

I gulped and Coco placed her hand on my arm.

“I would love nothing more than for you to call me Daddy, Hope.” He pulled her into him and hugged her while looking up at me with tears in his eyes.

Coco and I both wiped the tears that fell down our faces. Hope broke their embrace and placed her hands on each side of his face. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, baby.” He picked her up and held her tightly against him.

“Mommy, why are you crying?” she asked.