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  “You’re as defensive of your children as a mother should be.” Amelia put her arm around Rae and gave her a hug. “Let’s say Dylan were to turn out to be a split personality kind of guy—” Amelia looked at her with a mock concerned expression. “You haven’t seen any symptoms, have you?”

  Rae shook her head with a frown.

  “Of course not. Because you won’t. Let’s say he were to change his nature. You’d still be there. You’re a feisty, independent woman, Rae, and I have no doubt you’d kick his rear end right out the door. The best thing the two of you can do is talk about everything. That boy loves you, and he’s been patient for a long time.”

  “This isn’t recent?” Rae frowned, her doubts returning.

  “He’s been in love with you since before the holidays, but he knew you weren’t in a good place then. He’s been giving you time to heal.”

  Had he been waiting like a predator—

  “You’re doing it again,” Amelia cried. “I can see it on your face. No, he hasn’t been working you to convince you to marry him so he can have you and then neglect your kids. Come on, Rae. This is Dylan. We’ve known him for years.”

  “I know.” Rae rubbed her temples against the headache building there.

  Amelia watched her. “This isn’t just about Dr. Aurora’s advice, is it? What else is driving your fear?”

  “I had a friend I knew in high school, who got involved with a man after her divorce. She’d thought he was a good guy too, but he ended up abusing her daughter. He killed her.”

  “That poor baby.” Amelia sighed. “If you really believe Dylan is capable of that, don’t marry him. But now it’s time to move on either way. I don’t for a minute think Mike would want you to hole yourself up and not love again until those kids are raised. Good grief. That’s sixteen years. He’d trust you to make the right decision. You’ve got yourself a gem in Dylan.”

  “I’ll have to think about it.”

  Amelia gave her another hug and rose from the bench. “I know he had a tough time growing up. I’ve often thought when he’s with Jayden or your kids, he’s giving them his missing childhood, and that’s why he works so hard to make it magical for them.”

  There was so much truth in her words. Rae stood.

  “I need to get back to work. I know I’ve told you this before, but I appreciate how you’ve mothered me. I don’t know what I’d have done without you this year.” She hugged Amelia.

  “I’ve done my best.” She placed her hand on Rae’s shoulder and said softly, “You hurt him, you know, when you kissed him and then told him you’d never marry him.”

  “Yes, I know.” A lump formed in Rae’s throat, and she found it hard to speak. “I hurt myself too.”

  “Ah, but what do you think it would do to a good man to be told he couldn’t be trusted around a woman’s children? What if I’d had a child from my first marriage and had said that to Micah?”

  Rae closed her eyes but couldn’t stop the moisture from running down her cheeks. Amelia was right. There was only one man who was Micah Greer’s equal, and that was Dylan Rademaker. Understanding the magnitude of what Rae had done to him struck her like a lightning bolt and pain stabbed into her chest. How had he even been able to look at her after what she’d said to him?

  “I think you understand now,” Amelia said. “If you decide to switch out that promise you made to yourself into something that would include Dylan, do it in a grand way.”

  Rae opened her eyes. Amelia smiled, nodding her head, and walked away.

  A lightness filled Rae for a second, and she thought she might float away. Then sharp reality hit her again. Did he hate her now? She didn’t think so because he’d accepted her support at the announcement.

  Then Rae knew she’d made up her mind, and the lightness returned. She wanted to skip along the cemetery walk. Could he forgive her for doubting him? A sudden resolve, even more powerful than the one she’d felt about staying clear of romance, hit her. She would fight for him.

  Amelia had said to do it in a grand way. What had she meant? An image from one of the romance books she’d read came to mind. A grand gesture. That must be it.

  An idea started to grow. It would be a grand gesture, something incredibly difficult for Rae to do but which Dylan would understand. Was she brave enough to do it? Would he tell her no?

  Rae would never know unless she tried.

  Dylan finished his final route with a sense of nostalgia. He hoped the decision to purchase the company wasn’t a mistake. He loved working outdoors and talking to people.

  As he headed to the office, he was surprised to find Lee. It was almost as though he’d been waiting for him. Would he make some kind of snarky comment about Dylan being the boss?

  “Hey, man,” Dylan said. “Break the company records again for sales?”

  Lee grinned. “Already worried about making money, Mr. D.?”

  “No,” Dylan said, ignoring the new name all the employees were now calling him. “We’re really lucky to have someone with your talent working for us. I’ll be honest. Until I started shadowing Mr. G., I didn’t realize how much you do for the company. He said you could make more money moving to one of the franchises.”

  “That’s true, but job satisfaction is more important to me than money,” Lee said, his expression sobering, “Mr. G. gives me freedom to do things my way which is not something I would get working for one of them.”

  “As long as you continue to be honest in how you represent Green’s services, I don’t have a problem with you doing it your way.” Dylan extended his hand. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing well enough.” Lee shook it, his expression bemused. “From a business point of view, I guess.”

  “What does that mean?” Dylan shoved his hands in his pockets.

  “Well, I had a talk with Rae,” Lee began, but when Dylan scowled, he added quickly, “Don’t worry. I wasn’t coming on to her. You should know that by now. We’re only friends.”

  “Yeah, me too.” Dylan couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice.

  “I was arguing your case.”

  “She’s already made up her mind. I’m not going to force myself on her.”

  “Don’t give up. Not after I worked so hard to put in a good word about your stellar character as a potential father to her children.”

  Dylan blinked. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because I like Rae and because, believe it or not, I like you. Plus, I’ve never in my life seen two people who fit together as well as you two do. You’re both good people, and you deserve each other.” Jason shot Dylan a knowing look. “Give her a little time to think about things. I take it as a good sign that, after I talked with her, she left in a hurry to take an early lunch. She was gone for a full hour. Amelia said she almost never does that.”

  “You think she was considering what you’d said?” Dylan asked, trying to keep his hopes in control.

  “Amelia said she and Jasmine set up a conversation to challenge some of the things Dr. Aurora says. Then I gave Rae some things to think about. We’re all rooting for you, man.”

  The gates burst open and hope flooded through Dylan for the first time since she’d pushed him away. Butterflies of anticipation did battle with the worry knotting his stomach. Was there a chance she’d come to trust him?

  “Thank you,” Dylan said, humbly.

  “All you have to do is name your first son after me.” Jason grinned and strode away.

  18

  Dylan wasn’t in a mood to go to the mall. It’d been an exhausting week. His spirits had dropped when Rae said nothing. He’d only seen Preston and Beth once in passing. He missed them all. If he had his way, he and Jayden would vege at home. But Amelia had begged him to come, saying Micah would take the little dude, and Dylan would do anything for her.

  Making his way to the mall food court, he wondered what she was up to because he was pretty sure she was up to something. It was so like her to try to i
nvolve him in hopes of cheering him up. He searched the tables and finally found her sitting with a group of people. Then he recognized the faces. It was her church choir. He’d gotten to know them last year when he’d helped them with a flash mob at this very mall. What were they up to?

  Dylan slid into the empty seat across from Amelia.

  “Thanks for coming,” she said.

  He glanced at the others at the table. “You guys doing another Christmas flash mob this year?”

  “Not Christmas in late August,” she said with a wink.

  A chill went down Dylan’s spine. Amelia wasn’t going to try to get him to sing in front of an audience without any preparation, was she?

  “Don’t worry,” she said patting his hand that had started to shake. “Be patient while we get set up.”

  When Amelia rose from the table, so did the others. She gestured for him to take the seat she’d been in. It would give him the best view of the empty center section where they’d performed last December.

  Dylan made the change but promised himself he’d not let her suck him into an impromptu performance. Yes, he loved to sing but not in front of people. Last year’s event had been a thrill, but the stage fright had nearly killed him.

  It seemed so long ago. Back then, he’d been hopeful about a future with Rae. He rubbed his temples. It appeared the helpful comments from Amelia and Jason hadn’t worked. Rae’s silence about anything personal had sent Dylan looking at apartments again. His current complex had granted him a thirty-day extension on his lease, so at least he wouldn’t be stuck where he was for another year. He wondered if she’d eventually look for work elsewhere. It’d be a shame. She was very good at what she did.

  Music started from the center of the food court, and he looked up. The choir stood close together rather than spread out as they’d done at Christmas. Shoppers who’d come to the food court for lunch were starting to realize something was about to happen and were pulling out their phones.

  Dylan recognized the music: Celine Dion's Because You Loved Me. Was Amelia going to do a solo? She had a beautiful, rich voice, and she wasn’t terrified to sing in public. The choir surprised him by humming the first verse of the song. They did a great job with the harmony.

  As the verse was ending, the choir members had eased away from Amelia. A dark-haired woman stepped beside her. It took Dylan a second to register it was Rae.

  Electricity charged through him. Her hands shook, and his heart went out to her. He’d only agreed to sing for her once she’d said she’d play the piano for him. She had a great voice, but she didn’t like to sing in front of people. Like him, it terrified her. Yet there she stood, evidently prepared to sing in public. Leave it to Amelia to have conned Rae into doing it.

  The older woman took Rae's hand. What would they do now? Then he remembered what the choir had been singing. A tiny trickle of hope tried to worm its way into Dylan’s heart, but he pushed it back. This couldn’t be anything more than Amelia having talked Rae into participating in a flash mob. Then why was his heart galloping?

  Rae’s gaze found his with an intensity that took away his breath. The choir sang the lyrics from the beginning, but she didn’t join in. She merely looked at him. Could she be saying she thought the lyrics about him? His body went warm, and he was finding it hard to breathe.

  Then the song made a key change to a lower range, and Rae joined into the singing with her lovely alto voice. She slowly raised an arm to point in his direction. Dylan glanced over his shoulder and blinked. Behind him stood Jason and Jasmine. Most of the rest of the Green Pest Control staff were gathered behind them. Jason shot Dylan an irritated scowl and gestured for him to face forward again. He did.

  The choir stopped singing, and Rae took the melody while Amelia sang an amazing descant around it. She dropped off so Rae sang the final words, also the song’s title, alone, holding his gaze the whole time. She was singing this to him.

  Dylan had to wipe at his eyes in order to see her. Amelia handed Rae a mic, and she swallowed, her hands trembling even worse than they had when she’d been singing. Was she going to do a whole song solo now? He wished he could have been there to support her like she’d done for him during the office announcement. But she spoke instead.

  “I was wrong, Dylan. I was stupid not to admit to myself what a wonderful man you are. I was foolish. I hurt you, and I’m sorry.”

  He stood, wanting to take the pain from her face. No, she wasn’t foolish or stupid. She was a loving mother intent on protecting her children who’d already lost so much.

  Shaking his head, he moved toward her. He’d been disappointed in her decision, but he’d understood the fear that had driven it. He’d do the same thing, if necessary, to protect Jayden. Dylan knew Rae was a woman who’d love that little boy as though he were her own. Because she already did.

  “I meant the words of the song. It’s so you.” Her voice cracked on the last word.

  Dylan moved faster. He had to hold her, to comfort her, to let her know he forgave her. Amelia signaled for him to stop a couple of paces before Rae. He did, though it was hard.

  “Can you forgive me?” Rae’s expression about broke him. She thought he was going to reject her.

  “Oh, Rae, I know you didn’t want to hurt me. I understand, so there’s nothing to forgive.”

  Rae licked her lips, and for a second he thought she might drop the mic. “I want what you offered.”

  Dylan’s heart soared. He didn’t wait for Amelia’s permission but leaped forward to pull Rae into his arms. He pressed his lips to hers, with the sound of the mall crowd screaming and clapping around them. Dylan wanted to kiss her forever, but suddenly Micah appeared with the three children. The Littles ran forward, with Beth clinging to the older man’s hand while trying to pull free.

  “Daddy. Daddy,” Beth cried.

  Dylan kissed Rae one more time and picked up the little girl.

  “Mama, you kissed Dillie,” Preston said, looking up at both of them. “Is he going to be our new daddy?”

  Rae looked at him, her eyes shining again. “He hasn’t said.”

  “Heck, yeah!” Dylan cried. “I don't want anything more than to be Beth, Preston, and Jayden’s dad. And your husband.” He kissed her again while the Littles jumped around whooping.

  “I’m so happy for you both,” Amelia said, giving each of them a hug and then pinning Rae with a frustrated mock-glare, one Dylan was glad wasn’t being directed at him. “You made the right decision, hon.”

  “Then you two are engaged?” Jasmine asked, giving Rae a hug.

  “Yes,” Dylan said again and gave his fiancée a quick peck. He wanted to take her into his arms and really kiss her, but with the Littles flitting around them, Beth holding onto his ear, and everyone trying to congratulate them, he’d have to be patient. He’d gotten good at that.

  Epilogue

  Rae put the last decoration on the cake and stepped back. Her birthday this year had been very different from last year’s. Dylan had gone out of his way to spoil her. It was like all the months he’d wanted to show her how he felt had grown inside him until they burst out. She gave a happy sigh.

  He’d wanted to get married right away, saying he’d waited long enough—if she were willing. She had been. He and Amelia had done all the planning. Dylan and Rae had chosen Lake Tahoe. They’d had a shoreline wedding followed by a dinner cruise with their friends and family.

  Mr. Rademaker had been quite nice and had even offered to take Jayden for the honeymoon. Dylan had insisted the children needed to stay together, and his father had agreed. Rae had suggested her new father-in-law keep the children for only one night. Amelia’s grandchildren would be visiting her house, and she’d offered to take them for the rest of the honeymoon. Mr. Rademaker had seemed relieved, but she appreciated he was trying.

  Outside came the sound of children’s voices followed by little feet stomping up the stairs. Rae hurried to the sink to wash her hands. She was drying them as she
stepped into the living room. The door burst open, and the children ran to her.

  “Mama, look what Daddy got for dinner,” Jayden cried. Every time the little boy called her that, her eyes burned.

  “Come see.” Preston took her hand and brought her to where Dylan stood with a box.

  The heat in his gaze made Rae’s cheeks flush. They’d only been married three weeks, so they were technically still on their honeymoon. She hoped she could keep this fire burning for a long time.

  “What did you get?” she asked, though the restaurant’s name was on the box.

  “Pizza, pizza,” all three children cried.

  “At least it’s gourmet.” Dylan leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss.

  “Can you get everyone settled at the table?” she asked, taking the box from him.

  “Of course.” He scooped Beth from the floor and blew on her belly, making her squeal.

  Once the children were occupied with their pizza, Rae went back into the kitchen for the salad she’d made. She removed the bowl from the fridge. Turning to put it on the counter, she wasn’t surprised to find Dylan had followed her. He liked to steal kisses whenever he could.

  “You did a beautiful job on your cake,” he said, reaching for her. “I really could have bought you one, so you didn’t have to make it yourself.”

  “I needed to this year.” Rae slid her arms around his waist. She pressed her lips to his, loving the smell of him—his aftershave, grass from playing at the park, and baby powder. How she loved this man. Dylan shifted from her mouth and feather-kissed his way to her neck.

  “Do you know what today is?” she asked, starting to get a little breathless.

  He paused. “Your birthday. What else?”

  “One year ago today you stepped into my life and nudged me out of the depths of despair I’d been in.” Her eyes got misty, and she rested her head against his chest.