Raven: What’s that?

Gavin: I have to kiss a beautiful, fair-skinned woman with dark hair. Know anyone?

Raven: Don’t look at me!

Gavin: Why not? You’re perfect for the job.

Raven: What do I get if I break your spell?

Gavin: Well, as in all fairytales, we fall in love and live happily ever after.

Raven: You don’t seem very concerned about your little friends anymore.

Gavin: It’s only Grumpy and Dopey I have to worry about. They’re loose cannons. Happy doesn’t care. And Sleepy won’t even notice.I had to stop to laugh again.Raven: Okay, then. Let’s get it over with.Gavin leaned in and planted a long kiss on my lips as the audience whistled. He’d bent me back in dramatic fashion.

We finally came up for air.Gavin: I think we should get married.He reached into his back pocket and took out a little box. Wow, he came prepared for this skit.

When I looked into his eyes, the humor had dissipated from his expression.

“I hope the audience doesn’t mind if I slip out of character for a moment,” he said.

Gavin got down on one knee as the audience began to cheer. I couldn’t quite make sense of things until he used my real name.

He looked up at me. “Raven…”

I placed my hand over my heart as I stood in stunned silence.

“Our story is far from a fairytale. But everything happens for a reason, even if that seems impossible to understand. Since we met, we’ve spent more time apart than together, thanks to a very long detour. But the days with you remain the best days of my life. From now on, I want the days with you to outnumber all of the others. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He opened the small black box. “I love you so much. Will you marry me?”

The stage lights only amplified the stunning sparkle of the diamond.

Waving my hands in excitement, I shouted, “Yes!”

Gavin lifted me, and despite the continued cheering from the crowd, we were transported to our own world.

I stared at the stunning, cushion-cut ring. “I can’t believe it. How long have you been planning this?”

“Pretty much since the day you left London.”

When we finally came out of our love fog and stepped off the stage, someone in particular was still whistling like crazy, long after the rest of the crowd had calmed down. That’s when I noticed who was sitting with Marni and Jenny at our table. He must have snuck in while we were performing.

Weldon.

“Your brother is here!” I cheered as we walked hand in hand back to the table.

“I know.” Gavin smiled. “I invited him.”

Weldon looked amazing. His hair was still long, but not so unruly. He’d shaved and gained some weight. His eyes had a certain clarity about them. And of course, I noticed the glass next to him: water.

“I’m sorry I got here late, brother. My plane was delayed. But I didn’t miss the important part.” He hugged me. “You look beautiful, Raven. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. It’s so good to see you, Weldon.”

“Well, this is a big day. I had to make it.”

“How long are you staying?”

“About two weeks—unless my brother kicks me out.”

Gavin smacked Weldon on the arm. “Dad’s been thinking of you…well, at least indirectly. When he remembers who he is, he’s been calling me Weldon.”

“Years of feeling inadequate, and in the end, I’m the one he remembers? Isn’t that some damn irony?”

“I’m really glad you’re here,” I said.

“And I’m glad you’re gonna be my sister.”

Being an only child, I’d always longed for a family. And while my experience with the Mastersons was far from a fairytale, Gavin, Weldon, and their father were truly my family now.EPILOGUE* * *GAVIN

SIX YEARS LATERMy girls loved trampling me on the lawn. As I lay flat on my back, my three beautiful spawn giggled over me. Though I pretended to be fighting it, this was most definitely my idea of heaven.

“You always did like being pinned down,” Raven cracked.

“Not exactly what I had in mind when I said that, you know.”

Our three daughters continued to have a blast attacking me. They were each one year apart. It was hard to believe that after growing up without any sisters or aunts, I now had three girls. I’d be screwed in roughly ten years’ time.

Today was typical weather for the Florida winter: much cooler and dryer, just how I loved it. Holiday decorations had been scattered around the property, and a massive Christmas tree sat on the front lawn. Apparently, we were trying to compete with Rockefeller Center. It felt really good to be home at this time of year. We were outside waiting for Weldon to arrive with a guest for Christmas break. We’d be spending the holidays as a family here.

The past six years felt like a whirlwind. Raven and I got married a year after we reunited, and my father passed away shortly after that. Then, a year later, our first daughter was born. It was one thing after another. Marina was now four years old. Our second daughter, Natalia, was three, and the baby, Arianna, was two. A year after Arianna’s birth, Raven had surgery to remove her ovaries, which brought me immense relief.

Tags: Penelope Ward Romance
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