“Since you changed the game rules.”
His heart surged with what she meant.
“I love you, Savannah.”
“I think I’ve always known that, Charlie. Even when you left me, deep in my heart I just couldn’t accept it.”
“I’m sorry I left, Savannah. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“For future reference, anything involving you leaving me is never the right thing. I love you, Charlie.”
“I can’t believe I’m lucky enough for you to love me.”
“It’s easy to love you, Charlie,” she assured him. “You’re a very lovable man.”
Something inside him cracked at her words. He was lovable. Savannah said so and he saw the sincerity in her eyes, heard the conviction in her voice. He was lovable and she loved him.
“Thank you,” he told her, kissing her face. “Thank you for that.” Knowing she’d just given him a great gift that she’d probably never fully understand.
At that moment, her eyes widened, and then she smiled. Taking his hand into hers, she placed his palm against her belly. After just a couple of seconds he felt the tiniest little jolt. A few seconds later, he felt another.
He grinned. Hiccups.
They sat there in silence for a few minutes, him taking in the miracle of the life they’d created.
“I don’t know how to be a good parent, Savannah. I’ll need your help.”
“You’ll be a great daddy, Charlie. You already have the most important part down pat.”
“What’s that?”
“Love.”
That he did, because he did love this woman and their baby with all his heart and always would.
EPILOGUE
“ONE. TWO. THREE. Blow out your candles!” Savannah told the sweet three-year-old blond-haired little boy leaning over the picnic table to get to his birthday cake.
“I can’t believe my baby is three,” Chrissie whined from beside the table as she removed the candles once he’d extinguished all the flames.
Savannah’s mother sat near her, holding the sweetest baby girl in the whole world.
Yeah, Savannah had a difficult time believing Amelia was already three months old, too. Time sure flew when one was having fun.
She was having fun.
Mainly due to the handsome man snapping pictures to capture the moment. He caught her looking at him, grinned, then snapped a picture of her.
She rolled her eyes at him, causing him to laugh out loud, and take another photo.
After cake had been served all round, Savannah took Amelia so her mother could eat. At least that was her excuse. Really she’d just been away from her precious baby too long.
“She okay?” Charlie asked, stepping up and kissing the baby’s head. Although Amelia’s eyes were blue as could be, she’d gotten her dad’s dark hair. Savannah knew that most babies’ eyes were blue but, due to the lighter than normal shade, she suspected Amelia would keep hers. If she ended up with dark eyes like her father’s that would be just fine, too.
Either way, she had both her parents wrapped around her tiny fingers.
“She’s perfect,” Savannah assured him and meant it in every way possible.