Page 123 of Heartache & Playdates
“They’re waiting outside for us.”
We stood and headed out of the cafeteria and when we opened the double doors Nonna, Leo, Cam, Lizzy, Ryan, Robbie, Hannah, Lina, Alex, Sadie, Tommy, Penelope, Nick and Bella were all gathered in the hallway staring at us expectantly.
I lifted my hand. “He said yes!”
The group erupted in cheers. Maddox picked me up and spun me around and as everyone circled us, when he finally set me down, he cupped my cheeks and kissed me, sealing our fate once and for all. I was his and he was mine.
EPILOGUE
MADDOX
I grabbed morewater bottles from the fridge to put out in the ice chests outside. Hannah’s seventh birthday was in full swing. The kids were all out by the pool and most of the adults were congregated around them. I looked around at the state-of-the-art kitchen and still couldn’t really believe this was where I lived.
I’d always loved this house, but it had never been a home. That is, until Peyton and Nonna moved in. Now, just like everything in my life, it felt whole. Complete.
This was the home that we were going to grow old in, that our grandkids, if we were so lucky, would come and stay with us in. It was where we would have Christmases, Thanksgivings, 4thof Julys in. All of the traditions and things I’d dreamed of having when I was growing up in care without a family, we’d have here.
Peyton and I. Together. Forever.
We still hadn’t set a date for the wedding, mainly because we decided that Alex and Sadie should be able to get married first. After they walked down the aisle, then it would be our turn. I didn’t mind waiting. Peyton was mine, and I was hers, and I knew that it was till death do us part. I didn’t need a piece of paper to tell me that. Not that I wasn’t looking forward to it, I was. But the most important thing was just being with Peyton, and I was. I finally was.
I lifted my head as Peyton rushed through the accordion doors that led out to the backyard. Her eyes were huge and sparkling, the smile on her face spread from ear to ear as she power-walked toward me. “I just met Mrs. G and Mr. Burke.”
She was acting like she’d just met royalty, or the Kardashians, it was adorable. I hadn’t told her I was inviting them to Hannah’s seventh birthday because I’d wanted it to be a surprise. Seeing the look on her face, I knew I’d made the right decision.
“The whole time I was talking to them I was picturing him in a speedo and her in a bunny costume, is that weird?” she cringed.
I chuckled, “No.”
“They are so cute and so in love.” She glanced over her shoulder where Tom and Mrs. G were talking with Leo and Cam who had flown out for Hannah’s birthday. Tom’s arms were wrapped around Mrs. G’s waist.
Over the past year or so I’d gotten to know them, I’d noticed that Tom was very protective of Mrs. G. He never let her out of his sight, and he always had his hand on her lower back or wrapped around her waist, or he was holding her hand. She couldn’t be more than an arm’s length away. It was clear now that he had her, he was never letting her go. I knew the feeling.
Peyton sighed. “I just feel so bad that they lost so many years together.”
I knew that even though she was talking about Mrs. G and Tom she was thinking about us, too. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her on the forehead. She melted against me.
“But they’re together now, and that’s all that matters,” I whispered on the top of her head. She nodded against my chest.
“Hey guys!” Lina said as she walked into the kitchen.
I looked up and saw two people that I recognized from pictures but had never actually met. Carrie and Frank Chaplin, Lina’s parents. They’d been trying to come out for the past couple of months, but Frank had to have back surgery so he wasn’t able to travel.
“Hi, it’s nice to finally meet you in person!” I reached out my hand, but Carrie threw her arms around Peyton and hugged her tightly.
I glanced over at Frank who didn’t look at all surprised by his wife’s outburst of affection. He was just smiling at her lovingly. Not letting Peyton go, she reached out and gripped my forearm, looking up at me with tears brimming in her eyes.
“Thank you both, so much! You gave us the greatest blessing in the world!”
“Thank you for taking such good care of her!” Peyton’s voice was a little shaky as she pulled back and looked at Carrie. “I couldn’t have asked for better parents for her.”
Both Peyton and Carrie were crying, and I saw that Frank wipe his forefinger and thumb beneath his eyes as his glasses fogged up.
“Okay, okay! Enough crying, this is a party! Come on, I want you to meet Hannah. She’s like a mini-me!”
Lina pulled her parents away to the backyard where Lizzy, who looked like she was about to pop but still had two months left, Ryan and Robbie were supervising the kids in the bouncy house.
I watched as Lina introduced everyone and then I noticed how close she was standing to Robbie and how her head fell back at something he said. He stood a little taller and puffed his chest out.
