The silence between them stretched out for a long while before Smith said, “I always thought your nickname was all wrong.”

The laughter bubbled out of her. “Just as long as no one comes up with any for my kids.”

Smith took a deep breath. “Twins, huh?” He looked amazed and so proud her heart turned over with love. “You’re going to be one heck of a parent, Soph.”

As he leaned forward to kiss her cheek, she whispered, “I had a lot of great teachers. Especially you.”

And then, from out of the blue, Smith held out his hand to Jake. “Welcome to the family.”

Mary Sullivan walked in just as Jake said, “Thanks, Smith. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

Smiling at everyone despite the fact that she was clearly choked up, Sophie’s mother said, “I’m so glad you two finally figured out that you’re meant to be together.”

Sophie gasped in surprise. “Wait a minute, you mean you knew all along that Jake and I would end up…in love?”

“From day one, honey. Just like Jake did, didn’t you?”

She could see how much her mother’s approval meant to Jake as he squeezed her hand tight. “It was all I ever hoped for, Mrs. Sullivan.”

Mary smiled at the man who had captured her beloved daughter’s heart. “Actually, Jake, I’d much rather you called me Mom.”

* * *

At long last, Sophie’s mother and brother left, with a promise to be back first thing in the morning with all of her favorite treats. The door hadn’t quite closed behind her brother, but she couldn’t wait another second to turn to Jake and say, “Did you mean what you said? That you’d been loving me from a distance all this time?”

“I only have eyes for you, Sophie. But I never thought I deserved you.”

“Can’t you see how magnificent you are?” she said softly. “Because I’ve always seen it. I'm just so sorry I didn't see more, that I wasn't there for you when you needed me most.”

“You couldn't have seen it, princess. Not when I've spent twenty years honing my ability to hide my problems with reading from everyone. Especially you.”

She watched as his fears surfaced in his eyes, and while she didn't ever want him to be afraid, it meant so much that he was no longer hiding his true emotions from her.

“What if I’m a horrible father just like mine was? What if all the hard work in the world won’t change that? And what if our kids have the same problems I do?”

“I know you’re nervous about becoming a father, but I’m scared, too. I wasn’t planning to become a mother yet—or to have two at once. All we can do is make a vow to each other to stick through the good times and the bad and figure everything out together.” She stared into his beautiful dark eyes, knowing it was long past time to say, “Ask me again, Jake.”

“Sophie?”

“Ask me.”

He dropped to one knee at the side of her bed. “Sophie Sullivan, I love you. I’ve always loved you. I always will love you. Forever.”

She didn't even try to keep her tears from falling. “I love you, Jake McCann. Always.” She felt the wonder, the magic, the beauty of knowing true love had been waiting for them all along. “Forever.”

His mouth captured hers in a kiss so sweet her heart soared.

He reached into his pocket and took out a small blue box she couldn’t believe he’d been carrying with him all this time, just in case she was ready to agree to his proposal.

“Marry me, princess.”

His proposal was still more of a demand than a question, but Sophie wouldn’t have Jake any other way. She loved every bossy, sweet, dominant, comforting, overly protective, loving part of Jake’s soul. Sophie had never felt like an outsider in her own family, but until Jake, she’d never truly felt like she belonged, either.

His love had made her whole.

He opened the box to show her the ring and she lost what was left of her breath. “Oh, Jake.” The center stone was a bright, beautiful yellow gem surrounded by a ring of diamonds.

Looking up into his eyes, she smiled even as tears slid down her face. She could never change his past. But with her support—and her boundless love—she hoped that one day he would finally put it behind him, where it belonged.

She had to kiss him, had to hold him, giving him her answer—the YES she’d been longing to say all her life to one man, and one man only—from within the warmth of his arms.

* * *

Two months later...

Sophie smiled, happily singing along with one of Nicola’s songs on the radio as she drove from the library to Jake’s house. Even though she’d always been perfectly happy with public transportation, especially in the city, where she could easily get wherever she needed to go, he’d insisted on buying her a car. Life with Jake was sweeter than she could ever have imagined, but given that he was still the dominant man she’d fallen in love with so long ago, she’d quickly learned how to pick her battles. A car wasn’t worth fighting over.

She’d recovered well from the surgery to take out the uterine fibroid, but even though Jake had been loving and just plain wonderful during the past two months, she’d missed the wild part of him. They’d made love, of course, and it had been wonderful, but she could tell he was holding back out of fear that he might hurt her or the babies in some way.

She tilted the rearview mirror down to take one last look at herself before she got out of the car. During her lunch break she’d been inspired to go out and buy a soft pink, long-sleeved dress. Sure, she knew she wouldn’t fit into it in a few weeks, but she loved the way the soft fabric slipped and slid against her skin. It reminded her of the way Jake touched her, so gently, so sweetly...so wickedly.