“Hi, Ben. How was school today?” Isaac asked as the boy raced into Leah’s house.
“Supercool! One of the girls in my class got sick and threw up all over, so we didn’t have to do any math!”
Isaac coughed to hide a laugh. “It’s not cool that the girl was sick, Ben,” he corrected.
“I know, but still, no math!”
Isaac shook his head with a wry grin and glanced at the clock. They had only a couple of hours until Leah got home from work. He’d been spending his days here, helping her with Ben, since Isaac was still on medical leave from work. Griff hadn’t fired him, especially after Sharkey turned up at the hospital. And after his arrest they managed to close several open cases that were all related to the illegal gun scheme.
“Ben, listen, I want to talk to you for a minute, man-to-man,” Isaac said.
“Okay.” The boy followed him into the living room.
“Ben, I love your mom,” Isaac began.
“Me, too,” Ben said.
Isaac suppressed another chuckle. “Ah, that’s good. I love your mom and I want to ask her to marry me, but I need to know if you’re okay with that.”
Ben scrunched up his face. “Are you going to keep kissing her?” he complained.
“Yes, I’d like to.” He wasn’t about to compromise that much. “But if I married your mom, I’d also be your dad.” Isaac couldn’t believe his future rested in the hands of an almost six-year-old.
“A real dad?” Ben asked, his eyes widening. “You’d live here with us and stay here forever and ever?”
Relief bloomed in Isaac’s chest. “Yes, I’d live here with you and your mom forever and ever.”
“Yay!” Ben jumped up from the sofa and rushed over to hug him.
Isaac held him tight and knew that he’d passed the first hurdle. Now he only needed to convince Leah.
“What if she says no?” Ben asked, pulling away with a frown.
“Then I’ll keep asking until she says yes,” Isaac assured him. “Now listen, here’s the plan, okay?”
Ben giggled once he’d heard it. “Okay!”
* * *
Leah came home from work, exhausted but happy, because they’d saved a life in the trauma bay. They couldn’t save them all, of course, but there was no better feeling than when they did.
“Isaac? Ben? I’m home,” she announced as she stepped inside.
There were candles and three place settings of her best china on the dining room table. A bouquet of flowers sat between the candles, featuring orange blossoms, her favorite.
“What’s the occasion?” she asked, making her way into the kitchen, where Isaac was stirring something tomato based on the stove. “Did you get cleared to go back to work on desk duty?”
“Next week,” he confirmed. He drew her into his arms for a warm kiss. “Welcome home.”
Leah blushed and pulled away from him, glancing around for Ben. “I hope you’re not letting him play video games,” she warned.
“No, he’s cleaning his room. Ben, come and say hello to your mom,” Isaac called. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
She could get used to coming home to a man cooking her dinner and could admit to herself that she missed Isaac when he left every night to return home. She was grateful to have him throughout each day, but as soon as he went back to work, the pampering would end and they’d see even less of each other. “Smells delicious,” she commented.
“Ben said your favorite meal was spaghetti.”
She laughed. “Yes, and it just so happens to be Ben’s favorite, too.”
“Sit down at the table. I’ll bring everything in,” Isaac said.
“All right.” She brushed another kiss across his lips and then headed into the dining room. She sat down and smiled as Ben came into the room.
“Hi, Mom.” He greeted her with a hug.
“Hi, yourself,” she teased, kissing the top of his head before letting him wiggle free.
“We have a surprise for you,” Ben announced as Isaac brought in a bowl of pasta.
“Wait a minute, Ben,” Isaac warned. “I don’t have everything ready yet.”
“Hurry up,” he said impatiently, hopping from one foot to the other.
Leah frowned, wondering what was going on. The two men in her life had cooked up some sort of surprise, but what? It wasn’t her birthday, or Ben’s, although his was less than a month away. But was it Isaac’s? She was horrified that she didn’t know and made a mental note to ask.
“Here’s the spaghetti sauce and the garlic bread,” Isaac announced as he set the items on the table. “Now, Ben.”
Her son came over to her left side, while Isaac knelt beside her chair on the right. When she saw the small velvet ring box in Isaac’s hand, her heart tripped and stumbled in her chest.
“Mom, will you marry Isaac? Please?”
Isaac audibly sighed. “Ben, you were supposed to let me ask her first,” he pointed out gently.
“Oops. Sorry.”
“Leah, will you please marry me?”
“Yes, Isaac, I’d love to marry you.” She blinked away tears as he slid the diamond ring onto her finger.
“Yay, now I have a real dad!” Ben exclaimed.
Leah smiled and allowed Isaac to draw her to her feet and pull her close.
“And I’ll have an amazing family,” Isaac murmured before he lowered his head and claimed her mouth with his.
She kissed him back, thankful that God had given them both a second chance at love.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from SHATTERED HAVEN by Carol Post.