So This Is Love

chapter Twenty-Two

"Robert?" Emma questioned as she struggled to get free. She couldn't believe it was Christian's younger brother who had an iron arm around her neck. "What are you doing?"

"Teaching you a lesson. Showing you that you're not as good as you think you are."

She coughed, her eyes watering from the smoke. "Let me go." She tried to kick at him, but he was stronger than she remembered.

"You're not going anywhere. This is the end, Emma."

"The end of what? Are you crazy? Why are you setting fires?"

"You've always ruined everything—from the time we were little kids. You were always in the way, always taking my spot or Christian's spot."

"What are you talking about? We were friends."

"You never had any idea of the damage you left in your wake. The Emma hurricane would blow through, leaving pain and destruction."

"We have to get out of here, Robert."

"No, it's over," he said, finality in his voice. "I knew it was over as soon as that bitch nun died."

"Why did you kidnap Sister Margaret?"

"She caught me getting ready to set the fire at St. Andrew's. I had no choice but to take her out of there. I had to go back the next day and finish what I'd started."

"Where did you take her?"

"To Jarod's dad's place in Tahoe. I had to listen to her talk for five days. She thought she could make me change my mind. She wanted me to pray about it. She wanted me to ask for forgiveness. She drove me mad. She just wouldn't quit talking. And then she wanted her rosary. She wanted to do penance before she died."

"Why didn't she have her rosary?"

"She lost it when we were hiking through the woods."

"But she didn't have her rosary when she was found; she had Christian's. Was he involved, too?"

"Are you kidding? Christian didn't know anything about it. The bitch wouldn't shut up. She drove me crazy with her begging, so I drove to the house and I got Christian's rosary to take back to her. She prayed on it until she died." His voice changed from harsh to pleading. "I didn't know she was going to die, Emma. I was going to let her go. I was going to disappear, and that would be it. No one would ever find me. But she just passed out and died with her eyes open. It gave me the creeps."

"I know you didn't want to kill her," Emma said. "And you don't want to hurt me, either. We have to get out of here, or we're going to die, too."

"I'm ready to die. There's no way out for me, and it's only fitting I should take you with me. It's actually a better plan than the one I had."

The madness was back in his voice.

"What about your father—your brother? They don't want you to die."

"They probably will when they find out I burned down the bar. I didn’t have a choice. I needed to find a place quick to stash her body. Not that the old man didn't deserve it. He cut me out of the bar last year. He said I wasn't reliable. I didn't want to run that bar anyway. I wanted to be a firefighter."

"Then why didn't you become one?" she asked, trying to distract him so she could find a way to escape.

"Because of you, Emma. I went through the academy. I applied for the job, but guess who got the opening—Emma Callaway, female firefighter." His voice dripped with bitterness.

"I didn't know that. I don't remember you going out for firefighting."

"You always overlooked me. I came in second to you in everything when we were in school. Every math contest, every spelling bee, every race at recess, it was you first, me second."

Her lungs were starting to burn. "I'm sorry. I didn't know I was hurting you. Let's go outside."

"We're not going outside, Emma. We're going to die right here."

Fear ran through her at the passion in his voice. He wanted to die, and he wanted her to die, too. "If we're going to die, then tell me why you waited until now to get back at me for beating you out for the firefighter job."

"Because last year you hurt Christian. You destroyed him. He needed the investigator job, but he didn't get it, because you did. The Callaway name strikes again. He started drinking after that. He lost his wife. He had to move home. I couldn't let you get away with it. Christian always took care of me. It was my turn to take care of him."

"You think he's going to be proud of you for this?" she argued. "He's going to be sad and angry, and your father will be devastated. How can you do this to them just to get back at me?"

"Because you're the reason for everything bad in my life."

"I beat you and your brother out at a couple of jobs, and you want to kill me? You're crazy."

"My mom was crazy. Mad for a man who only turned to her because his wife wasn't paying attention to him."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Your mom left years ago."

"Yeah, but I didn't find out the real reason why until recently. She told me the story of her affair, her love for a man who wanted out of his marriage. And do you know why he wanted out? Because his wife had a new baby girl, blonde, blue eyed, pretty, and his wife was giving all her attention to her daughter. He couldn't take it anymore. Do you know who I'm talking about Emma?"

"No," she said, refusing to believe what he was saying.

"I'm talking about your mother and father—your real father. He had an affair with my mother. He ruined her. She was in love with him, but he wasn't in love with her. He just wanted to get away from you."

"You're lying."

"I'm not. They slept together for years. When my dad found out, he kicked her to the curb. I grew up without a mother because you were born."

"That wasn't my fault, Robert."

She twisted her head, seeing flames snake up the curtains in the bedroom. Her eyes blurred with painful tears. The fire was building fast. Another minute or two, and it would be too late to get out.

She did not want to die. She had too much to live for. She had Max. She had love—real love, for the first time in her life. And she was not going to lose it before she'd had a chance to really experience it.

With all the energy she had, she elbowed Robert hard in the gut. His arm loosened slightly around her neck and she took advantage, twisting around, shoving her fist into his nose at the same time she brought her knee to his groin. He howled in pain and let go of her. She ran for the door, but he lunged after her, tackling her to the ground. She punched and kicked, knowing that this fight was for her life and she was not going to lose.

She scrambled to her feet and looked for anything that might be a weapon. She grabbed the heavy glass surfing trophy and smashed it on Robert's head.

He crumpled to the ground.

She tried to flee, but her chest was so tight, she couldn't get in any air. She stumbled to her knees. She wasn't going to make it.

And then the door flew open.

Max ran into the room and pulled her to her feet. Then he swung her into his arms and carried her into the hall and down the stairs.

He set her down on the steps, his expression grim as he gazed at her battered face. "He hurt you."

"I'm okay," she whispered, her throat still burning.

"The fire department is on the way."

"It was Robert."

"I know. I saw him." Max's mouth drew into a tight line. "I'm going back in to get him out, Emma."

"The fire is too hot. Wait for the engines."

"I can't."

She saw purpose and determination in his eyes. "He deserves to die," she said. "But we can't let him. Go, but be careful. I don't want to lose you, Max."

"You're not going to." And with that, he charged back into the building.

A fire engine came around the corner, siren blazing. As the firefighters jumped out, one ran over to help her. "Two men are inside," she told him. "Second floor."

"Got it." He turned to the other firefighters. "Two men on two." Then he turned back to her. "Let's get you some oxygen."

The paramedics led her to the curb and sat her down. They gave her an oxygen mask, and she took welcome breaths of the clean, fresh air. Her gaze never left the front of the building. Finally, she saw Max coming outside, Robert Brady hanging limply over his shoulder. With the help of a firefighter, Max put Robert on a stretcher and then rushed over to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his gaze searching her face.

She nodded and pulled the oxygen away from her mouth.

"Don't do that," he said.

"Just let me say something."

"You always have to talk," he said with tenderness in his eyes.

"He looks worse than me, right?"

He grinned. "Now I know you're all right. Yes, it looks like you beat the crap out of him." His smile faded, his gaze serious. "I'm sorry, Emma. I'm sorry you had to go through that alone, that I wasn't there, that I didn't answer my phone."

She put her fingers to his lips. "Hush. It's going to be fine. And this was about me; it wasn't about you. He hated me my entire life."

"Tell me later. Put the oxygen mask back on."

"One more thing."

"What?"

"I love you, Max. You don't have to say anything back. But I just had to tell you that."

His gaze filled with emotion but before he could say anything, they were interrupted by Burke. Her older brother looked furious and terrified at the same time.

"What the hell happened in there, Emma?" he demanded. "It was Robert Brady?"

She nodded. "Robert wanted us both to die in the fire. I couldn't let that happen. So I used the moves you showed me a long time ago."

"You're going to the hospital to get checked out."

"I don't need to go to the hospital. Robert needs the ambulance, not me."

"I'll drive you to the hospital," Max said.

"Not you, too," she groaned.

"Burke is right. You need to get checked out. Get those cuts fixed up."

She put a hand to her cheek, feeling the swelling. She had no idea what her face looked like, but judging from the expressions of the two men in front of her, she didn’t look good.

Max helped her up. "Don't waste any more energy arguing. You can be independent after the doctor says you're okay."

She was actually relieved to have his body supporting her. She felt a little shakier than she'd anticipated.

"Take care of her," Burke told Max.

"I will," Max promised.

Something very male passed between them, but Emma didn't have the strength to say she could take care of herself. The events of the past hour were starting to catch up with her.

"I'm fine, Max," she said, as he helped her into his car.

"I need someone else to tell me that besides you."

* * *

Emma was in the Emergency Room for almost an hour. Max paced back and forth in the waiting room wondering if something was really wrong with her, something that some antibiotic ointment and a few stitches wouldn't cure.

While he waited, all he could think about was the fact that he'd almost lost her. She'd fought for her life. She'd knocked out Robert cold, but when he'd entered the apartment, he'd seen her struggling to get up, to make it to the door. And he would never ever forget the fear of that moment. If he'd been two minutes later, she might have succumbed to smoke inhalation.

Damn! His whole body shook at the thought.

He ran a hand through his hair and paced another quarter mile in the waiting room. Finally, a door opened and Emma was wheeled out. She had a bandage on her temple, her right eye was almost swollen shut, and the rest of her sweet face was filled with blue and purple bruises.

He wanted to put his own fist on Robert's face. And seeing her now, he wished he'd left that son of a bitch to die.

"I'm okay," she said gently. "It looks worse than it feels."

"I don't believe that for a second."

"It's true." She gave him a soft smile. "Believe it."

He drew in a much-needed breath and slowly let it out. "I'll take you home."

She nodded. "I guess that would be my parents' house." She gave him a watery smile. "We're both homeless."

He hadn't given his apartment one thought.

"I'm sorry that you lost everything because of me," she said as he helped her stand up.

"I didn't lose anything that mattered to me, Emma."

"I broke your surfing trophy. That's how I knocked Robert out."

He smiled. "Well, it finally came in handy then. Come on, let's get out of here." He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the hospital.

"How is Robert doing?"

"He'll survive. He's been admitted for the night, but he's under arrest and there are two guards at his door. He's not going anywhere except to jail for a very long time."

"Harry and Christian will be devastated."

"They're both with him."

"Did you talk to them?"

"Only briefly. There will be time to get all of our questions answered." He helped her into the car and slid behind the wheel. "Where do your parents live?"

"It's not far. I'll give you directions." She paused. "I'm actually surprised my family didn't show up in the Emergency Room."

"Burke came to the hospital along with his crew. They got another call so they had to leave, but he did say to tell you that he'd called the family and told them not to come, that you were all right and would be home soon. He said you would you owe him for that."

She gave a tired smile. "I do owe him. It's nice to have a minute to catch my breath."

He had a million questions he wanted to ask her, but he needed to give her a chance to recover. Emma was tough, but she was also human and a little bit in shock.

"Robert really hated me," she said a moment later.

"We don't have to do this now."

She ignored him, her tone reflective. "It actually started with my birth."

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"Robert's mother left the family when Robert was about five. No one ever knew why. She just took off. Well, apparently Robert tracked her down recently, and she finally came clean and told him that she'd had an affair with my father. Apparently, my dad was unhappy that my mom was spending so much time with the new baby—with me. So he hooked up with Robert's mom. It lasted for a few years I guess. I don't really know what happened after that. Neither my father nor his mother ended up together, and Robert's mom was not part of Robert's life after she divorced his dad. So I don't know where she went or why she stayed away from her kids. I just know that Robert, in his twisted mind, put me as the source of all his problems."

"That's crazy," he said. "No wonder we couldn't figure out a logical reason for someone targeting you. There wasn't one."

"He has so much hatred for me, Max. The depth of his anger stunned me. He had a long list of things I'd done to him, competitions he'd lost to me. He said he tried out to be a firefighter, but I got the job. I don't even remember that ever happening. And then his hatred of me grew when Christian told him he'd lost the investigator job to me. Apparently, Christian went into a downward spiral after that and his wife left and Robert decided it was time for me to pay for all the trouble I'd caused his family. And he wanted me to know that I wasn't as good as I thought I was." She paused. "He was high on something, too. It seemed like he had superhuman strength when he was holding on to me."

Anger tore through Max at the reminder of how close Emma had been to dying in that fire. But she was safe, he told himself, and he would make sure that Robert went away for a very long time.

"I think Sister Margaret drove Robert crazy," Emma added. "She tried to talk him into giving up. She wanted to pray for his soul, but somewhere along the way she'd lost her rosary. He got tired of her incessant pleading, so he finally went back to his house, got Christian's rosary and took it to her."

Another piece of the puzzle fell into place.

"Robert said he was going to let her go eventually," Emma said. "He didn't want to kill a nun. I guess something in his Catholic school upbringing stuck. He was just going to disappear. But when she died, he realized it was over. If he got caught, he was going to be charged with more than arson." She paused. "Take a right at the next corner. And then it's the first left after that."

"Are you going to tell your mother about your father's affair?" Max asked.

She sighed. "That's a tough one. I don't really believe in secrets, and neither does my mom, so I will tell her at some point. I know it will hurt her, but I don't want there to be anything between us."

"I think that's a good decision."

Within minutes he was pulling up in front of her parents' house. He knew he should let her go inside on her own, but he couldn't tear himself away from her just yet. "I'll help you into the house."

"Where are you going to stay tonight?"

"I'll figure that out later."

As they got out of the car and walked down the driveway, Emma said, "You're about to see the Callaways in full protection mode. Are you up for it?"

"Bring it on," he said, as he followed her into the house.

* * *

Emma had not been joking. Once they walked into the kitchen, Emma was swarmed by family members and peppered with questions about her health, the fire and everything else. He felt very protective of her and wanted to step in and tell everyone to back off, but this was her family, her turf, so he stayed silent.

Fortunately, her mother took charge, insisting that Emma go upstairs to her bedroom where she would bring her some dinner. Everyone else could see her later. Before they left the kitchen, Lynda turned to him and gave him a firm smile.

"You stay, Inspector. Someone will get you dinner."

"That's not necessary."

"It is necessary," she said firmly.

"Don't try to argue," Jack advised. "You won't win."

As Jack and Lynda took Emma upstairs, Aiden said, "I hope you like spaghetti."

"That's great," he said.

"I'll get it for you," a woman said. "I'm Shayla, Emma's youngest sister. We met briefly at my dad's party."

"I remember. Thanks."

"No problem."

"Let's sit down," Aiden suggested, motioning toward the big kitchen table.

As Max took a seat, Aiden introduced him to the rest of the family, Emma's older sister, Nicole, and two other brothers, Drew and Colton.

"So, is she really okay?" Aiden asked as they sat down.

"She will be."

"Burke said it was Robert Brady. I couldn't believe it. We all grew up together, and now he tries to kill Emma?"

"His thinking was obviously twisted," he said, deciding it would be better to let Emma tell the story, especially since part of it involved her biological father.

"Did Christian know?" Aiden asked.

Max shook his head. "He said no. I talked to him briefly at the hospital, and he seemed as shocked as everyone, including his father."

"Old Harry is going to be beside himself," Drew said, listening in on their conversation. "Robert is the one who burned down his dad's bar, right?"

"Yeah, apparently Harry cut Robert out of the business a few years ago, so I guess the bar didn’t mean anything to Robert."

Shayla set a plate in front of him. "Enjoy."

"Thanks." He took a bite of spaghetti and then said, "Here's what I know. Robert kidnapped Sister Margaret because she saw him break into the school. He took her to the Morettis house in Tahoe and hid her away there. When she died of a heart attack, he panicked. He had to get rid of her body so he set the fire at the bar and left her body there."

"But why Emma?" Aiden asked.

"She can tell you more about that. They had a conversation before I got there, but Robert blamed her for his brother not getting an investigator position and also for his failure to get hired as a firefighter when Emma and he were competing several years ago."

Aiden's mouth drew into a tight line. "If he wasn't already in the hospital, I'd put my own fist through his face."

He saw the fury in Aiden's eyes and knew exactly how he felt. It had taken all of his self-control and discipline to force himself to pull Robert out of the fire.

"Go ahead and eat," Drew urged. "You've had a long night, too."

"I'm all right," he said. "But this spaghetti is good."

As Drew left, Aiden gave him a thoughtful look. "Are you and Emma together? Is this more than a professional relationship?"

"Yes," he said, without hesitation. "We're together. And I'm not going anywhere."

Aiden nodded, giving him what looked like an approving look. "Okay."

"Okay," he echoed.

Aiden had accepted his decision. Now he just needed to tell Emma. Her words of love had been burning in his brain since she'd said them, and he'd wanted to answer her back, but he hadn't had a chance. He didn't intend to leave until he did.

* * *

An hour later, Max entered Emma's bedroom. She was fast asleep. He sat down on the foot of the bed. It physically hurt him to look at the bruises on her face. If he could replay the day, he would have found a way to get to her before Robert did.

Emma's mom stepped into the room, her gaze moving from her daughter to him. She smiled. "Are you staying?"

"If you don't mind. And just so you know, I love her."

"I figured as much. Are you a good man?"

"Trying to be."

"I like honesty. So does Emma. She was hurt before. I don't want to see that happen again."

"I would never hurt her."

"She told me that you saved her life today."

"I wish I could have saved her from the beating she took."

"Emma said Robert looked far worse."

He smiled. "Your daughter is very competitive."

"Don't I know it. I suspect you can keep up."

"I think so."

"Stay as long as you like, Max."

After Lynda left, he stretched out across the foot of Emma's double bed and closed his eyes. He felt suddenly exhausted. The stress of the last few days had taken their toll.

At some point, he must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew Emma was saying his name.

He sat up, meeting her confused gaze.

"We're in my bedroom," she said.

"Yeah. Sorry, I guess I fell asleep."

She glanced at the clock. "It's one o'clock in the morning."

"You should go back to sleep."

"Why are you still here, Max?"

He scooted forward on the bed so he was sitting right next to her. "Because I couldn't leave until I told you something."

She stared back at him with her pretty, intelligent eyes, and said, "That you're in love with me?"

"Hey, I wanted to say it."

"So say it."

He deliberately hesitated, wanting her to know that he was not saying the words lightly. "I'm in love with you, Emma."

A smile spread across her face. "I knew it."

"You did not."

"I did. I was just afraid it was too good to be true or that I was imagining things."

"You're not imagining anything. I love you, and I'm not leaving San Francisco or you."

"Are you sure this is where you want to be? You had a life in L.A."

"A life I can barely remember now—a life that doesn't matter at all because you're not in it. I fell for you the first day we met."

"You hated me the first day we met," she reminded him.

"It was a cover. And you pretended you didn't like me either."

"That wasn't pretense. I didn't like you. You were so cocky."

"So were you—in a slightly more charming way. I knew you were trouble."

"Likewise." She grinned. "We're two of a kind, aren't we?"

"I think we might be. Does that scare you?"

"No, it's exciting and wonderful. I've finally met the one person who really understands me, who accepts me for who I am, who sees my flaws and my strengths, and doesn't want to change me. You don't want to change me, do you?" she asked, a little uncertainty creeping into her eyes.

"Absolutely not. You're stubborn and sometimes a little too brave for your own good, but you're also smart, generous and extremely hot."

She gave him a playful smile. "You know I've never had sex in this bed. I used to dream about it, but it never happened."

"And it's not going to happen tonight," he told her firmly. "I've already been grilled by your brothers. I'm not going to have sex with you in your parents' house."

"I thought you were brave," she teased.

"You need to rest, Emma."

"Fine. I'll rest. As long as you stay with me."

He stretched out next to her on the bed, and they faced each other. For several long seconds, he just looked at her. "I've never told a woman that I loved her. I couldn't say it unless I really meant it. Unless I was willing to back it up."

Her gaze turned serious. "Really—no one?"

He shook his head. "I saw love destroy my father. He was never happy with the person he was with; he was always in search of this elusive emotion he called love. He told me once it was the greatest high, and he was an addict. He couldn't live without it."

"That doesn't sound like love. That sounds like lust, like the first flame of attraction."

"That's probably why it always burned out. And then there was my brother… I watched Spencer throw his whole life away for Stephanie. I didn't get it at the time. I understand a little better now what he went through. I would have fought Robert for you. I wouldn't have thought twice about it." He paused. "But you took care of him for me. You saved yourself."

"Not really. After I knocked Robert out, I was finished. I wasn't sure I could make it to the door. If you hadn't been there…" Her lower lip began to tremble, and her eyes watered. "Look at me, about to cry when it's all over."

He tenderly wiped a streaking tear off her cheek, knowing that the last thing she wanted to show was weakness. "It's shock. You're entitled. If it had been me, I'd be crying like a baby."

"Liar," she said, his teasing words lightening her mood. "You're a strong man, Max. And that's the kind of person I need and want in my life."

"And you're a strong woman, which is exactly the kind of person I need and want in my life." He leaned over and touched her mouth with his, wanting to show her how he felt, but not wanting to hurt her bruised lips.

"I love you, Max," she whispered again, her heart in her eyes.

"I love you, too, Emma.

"I hope you're ready for the Callaways. You do know that they're going to be interfering in every aspect of our lives?"

He smiled. "I'm more than ready." He slipped his hand under her t-shirt, caressing her warm curves. "You know what I said earlier about no sex…" He kissed her again. "Let me show you how much I love you, Emma."

"Okay. And tomorrow I'll show you." As he slid his hand over her breast, she softly sighed. "So this is love," she murmured. "I never knew what I was missing."

"I'm going to spend the rest of my life showing you," he said, as he kissed her again and again and again.





Epilogue

Three months later …

"We're late," Emma told Max as they hurried down the street to Serafina's Restaurant, where they were going to celebrate her thirtieth birthday with family and friends. "And it's your fault," she reminded him.

He gave her an unrepentant smile. "It was worth it. We had to christen our new apartment."

She smiled back at him. She'd never been this happy in her life. After three fantastically wonderful months of love and romance, they'd decided to move in together. They'd gotten a beautiful ground-floor flat in the lake district of San Francisco. The living room opened on to a deck with a pretty little garden, an oasis of color in the big city.

They didn't have much furniture yet, and they'd already disagreed on how to decorate, but Emma knew the fun was just beginning. Even when she was arguing with Max, she was also loving him, and he felt exactly the same way. They drove each other crazy, but they also brought out the best in each other.

"Look, there's Aiden and Sara," she said, waving at her friend and her brother. "We're not the last ones here."

"Why do I think they were late for the same reason we were?" Max said dryly.

"Happy birthday, Em." Sara gave her a warm hug while Aiden and Max shook hands.

"Thank you. It's a big birthday," Emma said.

Sara nodded. "I know. Mine is coming up soon."

"Well, I think our thirties are going to be pretty spectacular." Emma shot Max a quick glance. "Can I tell them?"

"Tell us what?" Sara asked quickly.

"It's up to you, Emma," Max said.

"Last night Max and I had a little private celebration," Emma said. "And…" She held up her left hand to reveal the sparkling diamond on her third finger. "We're engaged."

Sara grabbed her hand. "It's beautiful." Her face softened, her expression filled with love. They had been friends since they were teenagers, and Sara knew just how much trouble Emma had had finding real love. "I'm so happy for you," Sara said. She looked at Max. "You are a lucky man."

"Believe me, I know," Max said.

"And I'm lucky, too," Emma added. As she stared at her ring, at the hand Sara was holding, she noticed something shiny on Sara's finger.

Sara quickly pulled her hand away, shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat.

"Hold on. What was that on your finger?" Emma demanded. When Sara didn't answer, she turned on her brother. "What do you have to say, Aiden?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Not a word."

"Sara, come on, show me your hand."

Sara shook her head. "No, it's your night—your birthday, your engagement. Let's go celebrate."

Sara turned to leave, but Emma grabbed her by the arm.

"Wait one second. Did Aiden ask you to marry him?"

Sara hesitated. "Let's talk about this later, Em."

"Let's talk about it now," she said, refusing to budge.

"You're not going to win," Aiden advised Sara. "My little sister is as stubborn as they come. You better tell her."

"He's right," Emma said, looking into her friend's eyes. "So talk."

"Fine. Aiden asked me to marry him," Sara confessed with a guilty smile. "It was last Saturday. We picked out the ring today. I should have taken it off my finger, but I couldn't. We were going to tell everyone tonight. But this is your night. We can tell everyone another day."

"Don't be silly. This is our night. And I want to see the ring. How did my brother do?"

"Very well." Sara pulled out her hand to reveal a sparkling square cut diamond.

Emma gave Aiden an approving smile. "Good job, Aiden. This is so wonderful. We're all getting married. I was going to ask you to be in my wedding, Sara."

"I was going to ask you to be my maid of honor, Emma."

Emma glanced around the group. "What do we think—double wedding?"

"That’s up to you two," Max said, with Aiden quickly agreeing.

Sara met her gaze. "I can't think of anything better, Emma."

"Let's go tell the family," Aiden said. He opened the restaurant door, and he and Sara slipped inside.

Emma paused and looked at Max. "Are you okay with sharing our day?"

"Absolutely. Just don't ask me to share you."

"Never. I love you, Max."

"I love you, too, Emma. For now and forever."

THE END