“I can’t believe you did this,” I said.
“Well, tonight is special for us,” he said. “For all of us. Jess, before you came into our lives, we were a strong family unit. But we were missing something. I was missing a partner to fill my heart while Gina missed a mother to fill hers. I thank whoever is up there looking down on us for sending you into our lives. I don’t know where we would be today without you. And I know you’ve been a member of our family since the moment you stepped into our lives, but tonight, I wanted to make it official.”
I opened my mouth to say something when Noah got up from his chair and knelt next to mine. He took my hand in his and lifted a black velvet box from his jacket pocket.
“Jessica Holland, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” Noah asked.
My head spun, and my jaw slackened. I wanted to scream out a big fat YES, but there was one thing I had to do first.
I glanced over at Gina. “Gina, I want to make sure this is what you want too.”
“I want you to be my mom,” Gina said with a big smile on her face.
My eyes teared up, and I turned back to Noah, nodding my head. “Yes, of course, I will marry you.”
Noah opened the box, revealing a massive diamond ring. He slipped in on my finger, and I jumped up out of my chair and kissed him. One of the thousands of kisses that we’d share as an engaged and married couple.
Gina came around the table to hug my leg. I broke the kiss and Noah reached down, lifting his daughter to his hip. The three of us embraced each other. And I’d never felt more whole or happier in my entire life.
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EXTENSIVE
By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 Claire Adams
Chapter One
Ryan
“Johnson and Carnahan Landscaping,” I said, thinking about how I really needed to remove the Carnahan from the name of my company. “How can I help you?”
I was sitting at my breakfast counter, waiting for my daughter to get moving. She was 7, but her attitude screamed 17, just like her mother. Kayla had a tough time when her mother, Christina, or “the bitch,” as I liked to call her around friends, took off with my best friend, Dale. How was I supposed to tell Kayla that was why her mother abandoned her? What was I supposed to say? “Sorry, your mom left us because she’s selfish.”
It was the truth, but it would break Kayla’s heart, and I would do anything to keep my baby girl from getting hurt.
I turned my attention back to the phone call. The lady on the phone was serious about getting this landscaping done by the weekend. Although it was a huge job that I would have to bring in a pretty big crew for, the money was so good, I couldn’t turn it down. Kayla was going to have a field day with this one, especially since it meant I wouldn’t be around for the weekend, which was our time together. At 7, I couldn’t be mad at that mentality, but she had no idea what it took to keep a family and a household together all on your own, nor should she. I was just going to have to figure it out and make it up to her later.
“Yes, Mrs. Taylor,” I said, writing down her list of demands. “No, it won’t be a problem to get it done in that amount of time. Yes, I understand this is a big deal for you. No, we will make sure that there is not a single crewman left on the day of the event.”
As I finished up the conversation, Kayla walked in, rolling her eyes at me and grabbing a bowl from the counter for her cereal. She was dressed and ready for school, and
I was supposed to cook breakfast, but I got this call. I gave her a pouty face and shrugged my shoulders, motioning to the phone. She sighed and filled her bowl. When the phone call finally ended, I put the phone on the table and let out a deep sigh.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked.
“First of all, nothing,” I said, looking at her. “Second, is that any way to talk to your father?”
“I thought you were going to cook breakfast this morning,” she said, holding her spoon up and letting the cereal plop back into the bowl.
“I thought you were going to be more understanding of dear old Dad,” I said, looking up at her. “I had a call for a rush emergency job that needs to be done by the end of the weekend.”