The One who got Away

I laughed, pushing her off me playfully. “You don’t have to be so excited.”

“If I come with you, who’s going to take care of Samuel?”

“Kelly can pull that off,” I suggested.

“She’s still twelve, you know,” Jenni glared at me. “And after what happened, I’m not leaving her alone, at all.”

I fell in love with her all over again. For the two weeks she’d been here, she took on the motherly role pretty well, and surprisingly, Kelly didn’t mind. Jenni had found that perfect balance between being a friend and earning Kelly’s respect enough for the girl to listen to her, and to me, that was almost as if she had performed a miracle. I couldn’t really ask for more.

“Fine, then it will just be me,” I said. “Although that could be dangerous. I might actually enjoy my stay there and reconsider moving.”

Jenni eyed me with mock anger. “You wouldn’t.”

“I might.”

“Fine,” she shrugged. “We’re staying right here. You can visit in the summer.”

I grabbed her arm and pulled her to me, kissing her passionately. When I pulled back, she was smiling up at me, her eyes glimmering in the sunlight. “You can’t make it a week without us,” she said.

And she was right. For the first time in a very long time, I finally felt like I was home.

Epilogue: One Year Later: Jenni

The house was dark except for the dim glow of the candles that Alex had set up all around the living room. I sat on the couch, watching him light one after the other, sipping at my glass of wine and feeling the slight buzz of the alcohol in my head.

It had been an incredible evening. A walk through the park, dinner by the river at that new restaurant that had opened near the university, and a movie with enough popcorn I could have swam in the bowl. Not to mention the locket he had wrapped around my neck, the gold now glimmering in the candlelight.

When it came to anniversaries, Alex Logan really knew how to keep it sweet and simple, and I loved him for it. Besides, the wine was the perfect touch, especially with the candles.

“I don’t think I bought enough,” he said, eyeing the setup.

“You can light up a church with what we have here,” I replied, laughing.

“If you say so,” he smiled. Pouring himself a glass, he sat down on the carpet beside me and pulled me into his arms.

It was rare for us to have the entire house to ourselves, and we had decided to make the best of the opportunity. With Kelly at a sleepover and Samuel on a two-day fishing trip, I felt like a parent whose kids had just moved away to college.

“This was a beautiful night,” I said, easing into his arms.

“Least I can do,” he replied. “You’ve given me one of the best years of my life.”

I sipped on the wine. “Did I?”

“Of course,” he said.

“It was a pretty good year, wasn’t it?” I smiled. “You’re not all that bad in the boyfriend department.”

“Wow, thank you, I’m glad you approve.”

I giggled, kissing his cheek and playfully biting his chin. The truth was, it was one of the best years of my life, too. Ever since I had moved in, things seemed to be a lot more stable. Work at the diner was a lot smoother, especially since Hank now trusted me with a lot more responsibilities and wasn’t constantly breathing down my neck. Apparently, being with Alex seemed to settle well with him, as if his little girl had finally made the right choice in the relationship department, at least in his eyes.

Besides, I loved being a part of the Logan family. Samuel had definitely taken a liking to me, even using me as an excuse to take shots at Alex. Every time we disagreed on anything, Samuel was quick to take my side. Even Kelly jumped at any chance to use me as a card against her father. Tonight’s sleepover was a perfect example. Not to mention that I was a major player in convincing her father that having a boyfriend was not the end of the world.

All in all, it really was a great year, and despite my initial concerns, the worry that we were going into this way too fast, it had played out pretty well. I couldn’t really imagine my life without Alex anymore. It was like everything before him was non-existent.

“So, how does Alex Logan plan for this night to end?”

Alex looked at me, a playful smile spreading across his face. “Well, we do have the house to ourselves.”