“I can’t promise to be perfect,” he whispered. “But, I want this to be real.”
“Okay.”
His smile illuminated her entire world. It was everything. She fell into his arms and he kissed her. Joy and hope crashed through her, followed by bliss. This was real. This wasn’t just a charade they were putting on for others. It wasn’t something to sell diapers.
It was real. It was love.
Epilogue
“We’re home, little one,” Emma whispered, standing on the front step of their home. A light snow started to fall, coating the world in perfect serenity.
“I’ve got her,” Jackson said, taking the car seat from Emma’s hands and carrying their daughter inside. He smiled first at Emma, and then cooed at their daughter as he brought her in.
Emma smiled after them and slowly made her way inside.
They were home.
A fire crackled in the fireplace for their arrival. Emma loved this house. It was just a few miles outside of the city, but it felt like they were in their own private world out here. It was the perfect place to raise a family.
“Welcome home, Hope,” Jackson whispered, taking his tiny daughter out of the car seat. She looked so tiny in his arms, yet perfectly safe. She still couldn’t believe the hospital had let them take her home. She was so precious.
The little girl yawned and snuggled into her father. Jackson nearly glowed with pride as he smiled at her.
Children suited him.
“Come sit with us, Emma,” he whispered.
“You just don’t want to set her down,” Emma teased, joining him on the couch.
“Why would I?” he asked, gazing down adoringly. “She’s perfect.”
“She is,” Emma agreed.
Jackson looked up, his green eyes going to hers. “You’re perfect,” he told her. His eyes said he meant it.
She leaned over and kissed him.
This was how life was supposed to be, she thought. A loving husband. A beautiful child. A warm home.
This was all she’d ever wanted. It was strange to think that she’d started it all with a contract. Jackson hadn’t been kidding when he said he was going to rip it up. He did the night of the press conference, the lawyers be damned.
And the next day, he’d flown her out to the mountains and married her.
For real.
It was all for real now. There was no fake relationship. There were no legal loopholes or ways to sneak out of obligations.
For better or for worse, Jackson and Emma were in this together. Only now, they had a beautiful baby girl to make things even better.
“I’m so happy,” Jackson whispered, his eyes on his newborn daughter. He looked up at Emma with tears of joy. “So happy.”
Emma didn’t have the words. There were no words in the human language to describe the beautiful joy she felt.
So she kissed her husband.