“What?”

“Ethan, Sara…where is he?”

I hear her whispering—to who I don’t know, but I have a pretty good guess. She giggles and tells whoever she’s with to stop what they’re doing.

“He’s at home,” she says into the phone with a laugh. “Why do you ask?”

“I need to talk to him. I need to fix everything,” I say and hang up, tossing the phone onto the passenger’s seat as I drive straight for Ethan’s house.

I stand outside his door waiting as patiently as I can. He has to be home. He has to answer this door right now. I’ve made countless mistakes in my life, but having a life without Ethan isn’t even an option anymore. I want it all. And I want it all with him. Please. Please answer the door.

Ethan

I really hope Logan isn’t messing with me. On cue, Kelsey’s car pulls into my driveway. I don’t take my eyes off her as she runs to the door, bundled in a winter coat and pair of jeans. Logan warned me, but Kelsey coming here doesn’t really sink in until I see her.

I stand with my hand over the knob, giving myself a quick pep talk before I open the door. I’m finally coming to terms with the way she wants things. She and I won’t be together and our baby will grow up in separate homes. I remind myself how hard it’s going to be when I see her, when I look into her eyes, and she doesn’t want me back. She doesn’t want us. And I need to stop convincing myself she’ll change her mind.

I turn the knob slowly and open the door. Kelsey looks just as beautiful as any other day I see her. Only this time, her coat is hanging loose at her sides and her belly is poking out toward me.

I swallow hard. Forget what I just said. I’m not giving up.

“Did you mean it?” she asks, not missing a beat.

“Mean what?” I gesture for her to come inside.

“That you loved me.”

I hold her hand before she can walk inside any farther, turning her to face me until her eyes line up with mine.

“Yes.”

“Then how could you hurt me like that?” A tear slips down her check and I brush it away with my thumb.

“I’ve asked myself that question every day since we’ve been apart, and I can’t come up with any other explanation other than I spent so much time willing you to trust me that I failed to trust myself or to trust that you would understand. I feared your reaction. Losing you terrified me, and in the end, no matter what choice I made, I was wrong.”

More tears drip off her cheek as she sniffles.

“But you trust me now?”

I nod.

“I was wrong, too, about everything,” she says as she steps forward and reaches for my hand. “I love you and I want this. I want us.”

“I want us, too,” I say, kissing her forehead and wrapping my arms around her. “Promise me that next time something bad happens— even though I hope it never does, but just in case— promise me we talk, we tell each other everything. No secrets and no lies. It’s us, all in or nothing.”

“I promise,” she says without hesitation before kissing me. I pull her close and feel a flutter against my stomach. She giggles, breaking the kiss, looking down to her stomach.

“She must be as excited as I am right now.”

She.

She grabs my hand, pushing my fingers against the side of her belly. The flutter happens again, and I swallow back the tear working its way out. Kelsey swings her purse around and pulls out a small photo in front of me.

“Is this our—?”

“Daughter, yes, it is,” she finishes.

Her eyes are bright and watering as they look into mine. Everything that’s happened leading to this moment doesn’t matter anymore. Everything I want is standing right in front of me. This time, it’s going to be forever.

Epilogue

Six Months Later…

Kelsey

I sit in one of chairs at the patio table in Sara’s parents’ backyard. It’s her twenty-third birthday and her parents invited everyone they know to her party, everyone except Ethan’s father. No one has made amends with him, not even Ethan. I don’t think anyone cares. The only thing Ethan is still trying to mend is his relationship with his brothers. They’ve promised to visit soon, but I’m okay with waiting a few years.

Laugher surrounds me and I take it all in. I have a feeling they’re celebrating something besides Sara’s birthday and are going to announce something big since they also invited their own friends, but it’s yet to happen. My money is on the new bar her father bought in Colorado. I’m not supposed to know about it, but I bet anything that’s his gift to her.

Sara is patiently getting her picture taken over and over, giving her best smile each time. “You’d think she is some kind of celebrity,” Ethan chuckles next to me as Clara coos in my arms. I smile as he leans over to kiss my cheek. It still amazes me how lucky I am to have someone like him in my life.

We eloped the week before Clara was born because I wanted to have the same last name as all my children, but we still plan on having a big wedding. Ethan’s just as excited as I am for the future. I couldn’t ask for a better husband or father for our daughter.

“She wasn’t gone that long. It’s not like she’s some world traveler now. Mrs. Mulligan has been following her all afternoon asking questions. Doesn’t she know other people missed her, too?” Logan says, taking another pull off his beer.

After Ethan and I got back together, Sara left for another trip and Logan has been the most upset over it. I give Ethan a quick glance and try to hide my smile before he sits foreword, resting his elbows on his knees.

“She’s been back for weeks. Three actually, since she came back the day Clara was born.” Logan points to the small blessing in my arms then glances back to Sara.

“She probably hasn’t seen Mrs. Mulligan, or Mrs. Mulligan assumes she’s already shared these stories with everyone else,” I say.

Logan lets out a frustrated growl and gets up. “Or Mrs. Mulligan is still just a nosey neighbor. I’m getting another beer—do you want one?” he asks, looking at Ethan.

“No thanks. As long as Kelsey isn’t drinking, I’m not drinking,” he says, reaching his arms around me and Clara, kissing my shoulder.

Logan watches us a moment. He takes a breath, swallows, and nods his head. He gives us a half-smile that quickly fades at the sound of Sara’s laughter, and he storms into the house. That man has got it bad.

My mother takes Clara from me, covering her in grandma kisses. Surprisingly, both she and my father have made the effort to see Clara every day. It helps that I now live across the street from them. My father has also been acting the most fatherly to me in the last few months that he ever has. Mom’s convinced it’s because he finally accepts that I’m a grown woman now. She’s probably right. I’ve let it go because I don’t want Clara to grow up without her grandfather just because of our past.

I take this opportunity of my mother watching Clara to get some alone time with Ethan. I lace my fingers with his as I pull him toward the side of the house. We don’t need to hide our affection anymore, but being sneaky is much more fun.

We quickly make our way around the house, Ethan unwinds his hands from mine, moving them to my waist as he walks behind me. I can feel the warmth of his breath as he’s about to say something into my ear, only he doesn’t. We’re too distracted by the laughter we hear coming from the trees. Ethan pulls me close to the corner of the house as we check to see who it is.

Logan steps around a tree with a wide grin and scans the area before he reaches his arm behind him. I thought he went inside. Small fingers latch onto his and Sara steps into view. She looks at Logan, happier than I have ever seen her, and she kisses him.

I open my mouth to confront them, but nothing comes out because Ethan quickly covers my lips with his and pulls me against his body. We hold on tightly to each other as we kiss passionately on the side of the house—in the same exact spot where our story started.