“Sure, let’s go see Neptune,” I said.
I don’t know what her wish was that she made that evening. I just watched the usual addictive sparkle in her eyes as she pulled that coin from her purse, gripped it tight, then tossed it into the water.
She turned to me, just like always, and asked me the question, just like always.
“You going to make a wish today, Lucas?”
The words were right there, right on my tongue ready to flow, just like always.
The universe isn’t responsible for my road ahead, Anna. I am.
Only today those words didn’t come.
I surprised myself as I reached into my pocket and dug around for a coin.
Her eyes widened in shock as I held it up in front of her, and I loved it. I loved the gorgeous enthusiasm on her face.
I loved her so fucking much it hurt.
So, I wished.
I wished to the universe that Anna would one day be my wife, and Millie would love her almost as much as I did.
I wished that our road ahead would be long and blessed, and I’d be every scrap the man I’d intended to be for her before I fucked up the past decade.
I wished to be her world, and everything she ever deserved, and make right all the stupid wrongs I’d ever pushed on her.
“Made your wish?” she asked, and I nodded, and kissed her head.
“Made several of them actually,” I told her.
Then I tossed that coin into the water and took my beautiful Anna home.EpilogueAnnaA few weeks laterAmy Miller’s face was a picture of mischief as she slammed a pint glass full of wine down onto Nicola’s coffee table.
“Exactly what’s going on between you and Lucas Pierce, Anna? Truth or dare?”
Nicola laughed, and so did Vicky, and so did Vicky’s new flatmate, Claire.
And so did Yasmin Boyle. Freshly down for a weekend from Newcastle and sitting across in the armchair on the other side of the table.
I tipped my head to the side and pretended to think about it.
“Well… I dunno… that’s a tough question…”
“Truth or dare, truth or dare, truth or dare!” the girls chanted, but we were all giggling like fools.
Because we all knew the answer.
Every single one of us knew the answer beyond all doubt.
“Everything,” I told them, and pushed the wine away. “Everything is going on between me and Lucas Pierce.”
“Including Sunday lunch at your parents’ place tomorrow, right?” Vicky asked, and I nodded.
“Including Sunday lunch at my parents’ place tomorrow.”
And that was indeed going on.
I was crapping myself about it going on, but it was. Picturing Dad and Lucas making any kind of conversation over roast potatoes and broccoli was enough to bring me out in tremors, so hell knows what it was doing to Lucas.
He was pinging me right through the evening, sending me snapshots of him and Millie in front of the TV and saving me some popcorn, and every one of them had my tummy fluttering.
I’d met her once and she was incredible. A pretty young princess with a feisty little mind and a fiery little heart to go along with it. We’d taken Bill and Ted out on the hills for a great afternoon walk, and topped our own pizzas to eat for dinner when we got home.
I think she liked me.
I hoped she liked me.
Lucas sure seemed to think she did, and she was keen enough to come back and stay over, so at least round one was a success.
Maybe, just maybe, we’d be lucky enough to make another sweet young prince or princess to share family life with her one day. Hell knows, we were having enough sex to practice.
He’d dropped her back at Maya’s, so was more than happy enough to come and grab me from Nicola’s front door at 2 a.m. It was hilarious being the taxi service to Amy and Yasmin along with me, and I laughed along with their silly sing songs in the backseat like we were teenagers all over again.
“Tomorrow is the big showdown, then?” Amy quizzed as we headed to hers, leaning through to the front seats with a big grin on her face. “Do you think Daddy Blackwell is going to kick your ass tomorrow, Lucas?”
He shrugged, and flashed a grin right back at her. “I’m sure we’ll find out. I’ll be expecting it, that’s for sure. I’ll give him three straight punches on my jaw before I bail and run like a wimp.”
“He isn’t going to punch you,” I laughed. “He might call you a prick and spit in your carrots, but I don’t think he’ll floor you in the hallway.”
“We’ll see,” he said, and squeezed my knee.
We dropped Amy and Yasmin off at theirs then headed out to home. The dogs jumped up at us as we walked on through to the kitchen, and I fussed them like crazy, loving the furry bundles of fun more and more each day.