Where I Belong

Where I always will be.





Epilogue


Ben

Mia: Meet me at our spot.

I stare down at my phone, reading the text message for the second time. Our spot. What spot? As far as I’m concerned, every spot I’ve taken Mia to has become our spot. And we’ve racked up a lot of spots over the past four months. I go to reread her text again when my phone beeps.

Mia: The bar, Ben.

I shake my head with a laugh.

Me: I would’ve figured it out. What have I told you about doubting me?

Mia: Just hurry up before one of the other men in here takes me home.

Me: Mia…

Mia: Kidding. Hurry though.

I’m in the parking lot within ten minutes, pulling up next to her jeep. It’s about as crowded as it was the night Mia became mine, but I spot her on that same stool she occupied all those months ago. I don’t go to her though. Instead, I go to the side of the bar where she can’t see me and watch her without her knowing. She’s tapping the bar anxiously with her fingers, looking over her shoulder every few seconds toward the door. Her hair is down and she’s wearing a shirt that has my eyes going from her chest to her face and back again. I motion for the bartender.

“Can you send one of those purple drinks to that girl right there for me?”

He nods and gets to work on her drink while she pulls her phone out with a scowl. My phone beeps.

Mia: I mentioned today, right?

Me: You’re so f*cking beautiful. Do you know that?

Just as my message goes through, the bartender sits the drink down in front of her. She smiles at him, looking at the drink and then glancing at her phone. Her eyes immediately find mine across the bar and I make my way to her. My hand brushes along her back and I claim my spot.

“You looked thirsty from where I was standing. Thought I’d help you out,” I say with a smile.

She places her one hand on my knee. “I need to talk to you about something.”

I tilt my head and push her drink closer to her. “And what is that?”

“We need to move the wedding up.” She grabs the straw between her fingers and dunks it in and out of her drink.

“Why? I thought you wanted a summer wedding? I mean, I’m all for stealing you away right now and making you my wife, but you seemed pretty dead set on the date.”

She smiles and pushes her drink away, motioning for the bartender. He stops in front of us and gives me a friendly nod before looking at her. “I’m sorry. Can you make this nonalcoholic? I can’t drink this.”

“Sure thing,” he says, taking her glass away.

She hits me with a smile and grabs my hand, laying it across her stomach. “Ben.”

“Hmm?” I’m still trying to piece together why she suddenly doesn’t want the drink that she so eagerly consumed our first go around. It takes me a minute to focus on my hand. My eyes meet hers and she smiles. And then it clicks. “Baby, are you pregnant?” The hope in my voice dominates over the sudden anxiousness that begins to brew in my gut.

“I really don’t want to be the size of a house when I’m walking down the aisle to you. So, I was thinking maybe a spring wedding instead? I’d be five months by then.”

“Angel.” I’m on my knees in the middle of the bar, pressing my face against her stomach. “Please tell me I’m not hearing you wrong.”

She giggles against me and turns my face up. “You’re not hearing me wrong. Nolan’s going to be a big brother.”

My senses are flooded with a need to protect this woman and my baby that she’s carrying. “We need to get out of here.”

“Why? This is our spot.”

I shake my head and stand, grabbing some money out of my wallet and paying for the drink she won’t be consuming. “There’s people smoking. And it’s really loud.”

She laughs and puts her hand in mine, allowing me to lead her outside. “Babe, I don’t think the noise level in here is going to hurt the baby. He’s barely the size of a peanut right now.”

I stop in the middle of the parking lot, spinning around. “He?”

She smiles up at me and places her hands on my chest. “Just a gut feeling I have. It’s too early to tell.” I wrap my arms around her, staring down at the woman that I’ll give my life for. “You’re going to put me in a bubble for the next nine months, aren’t you?”

I kiss her forehead, pulling her against my chest. “I’ll do whatever’s necessary,” I say. And she doesn’t argue with me. She allows me to hold her right where we stood that night. Before I knew she’d change my life. Before I knew I was holding the woman I was going to marry.

My future. My forever.

All mine.





Acknowledgements




First and foremost, thank you to my family for your continuous support. To my ridiculously amazing husband. You, YOU are my favorite thing in the entire world. I’m a bit crazy about you. Heads up.

Thank you to Rahab Mugwanja for making me better. I owe you a margarita the size of your head.

Thank you to all the amazing blogger friends I’ve made so far. SERIOUSLY, I can’t even express how much you all mean to me. Beth Cranford, Erin Thompson, Kylie McDermott, Smexy, Lisa Jayne, Maree Hunter, Karrie Puskas, and countless more. Did I just name drop? Oh, f*ck yes I did. You all have showed me so much love ever since I published Sweet Addiction and I will never be able to thank you enough. To Give Me Books for everything you’ve done for me. I heart you girls. Now, all of you come to Maryland so I can hug you. Now. Do it.

Thank you to R.J. Lewis for always being there. Even when I’m stressing out. Even when I’m really stressing out. My cell phone bill has reached a new high due to our international text messages and I love it. However, if I don’t get a new book from you soon, I might become hostile. :)

A special thanks to Trish Tess for showing me so much love. You, my little friend, are the sweetest.

And finally, to the best readers a little indie author could ask for. Thank you for taking a chance on me and for all your kind words. Your support means the world to me and I wish I could hug each and every one of you.

Thank you again.

J.