Eva's heart raced wildly as she glanced around the house. With the sun setting, the room had an almost orange glow, and she realized this was now her home. She sat on the couch and just stared at the white walls. No place had ever been a permanent home for her for as far back as she could think.
Brandon uncorked a fancy sparkling juice and poured it like it was champagne near the bar.
Again, she stared at the wall and hugged herself. This was real. She had a place she belonged.
A ring pierced the air, she stood up. This time, she checked the monitor, and saw that Grace was back. She called out, "Brandon, your ex is at our door again."
He placed the champagne glasses on the coffee table and stared at her. "I told her to leave."
"She has a bag," she said, standing and rubbing her belly.
Brandon placed his hand on her spine, and she walked easier to the front door. When they were together, Brandon opened it, he stared at his ex, while he kept Eva in his arms. "Grace, this is my fiancée, Eva."
She felt a little strange when he pushed her forward.
Grace's eyes widened, and she stepped back. "Fiancée? I didn't know it was that serious."
Eva held up her hand and showed the gorgeous ring. "Brandon proposed. I said yes."
"Oh," Grace said and whistled at the sight of the ring. Then, her face grew red. "Wow, that Chris guy was wrong."
Brandon hugged Eva's waist a little tighter. "What?"
Grace stared at him and tugged the metal handle on her suitcase to roll it. "He said you weren't in love, Brandon, but if you asked Eva to marry you, then you must be. You never asked me. I hope you're happy."
Chris had threatened her and tried to ruin her relationship with Brandon. He was childish, and she felt herself getting angry. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down.
Brandon asked, "Did Chris pay you to come out here?"
Grace shook her head. "He flew me out. He said you involved yourself in his life and he wanted what was best for everyone."
Brandon would have an idea what to do, but he shouldn't get in another fight. She turned and hugged his side. "We have to go. Thank you for telling us, Grace."
Grace picked up her phone and called a car while she said, "I'm going to find a place in Miami and stay awhile, but I'll stay away from you both. I just thought I'd tell you."
Brandon called out, "Stay away from Chris Sommers."
Grace nodded her head. "Don't worry about that. From what I can see, he smells like trouble."
A few seconds later, a car service picked Grace up from the front, and Brandon closed the door. The handle locked loudly and rang in the air. A moment later, he led her to the juice he'd poured and said, "Eva, I need to deal with Chris."
Deal with Chris. No. He wasn't worth letting into their lives. Her heart raced while Brandon opened his tablet that was on a nearby table. "What are you intending?"
"A restraining order," he said while he typed.
Good. If he stayed away from them, she and her daughter would be safe. "What are the grounds?"
The email sent as his tablet made a flying sound. Brandon picked up the champagne glasses. "Fighting on private property for one. Don't worry about him—ever again."
She took the offered glass, but asked, "How can you be sure?"
"Sommers might have money to scare you with, but he's no threat to me."
She held her belly. "I don't care about him. My biggest concern is my baby and protecting her. Will you help me?"
"I will think of her as my own. I already do," he said, clinking her glass with his.
This was one of the many reasons she'd said yes. Brandon might not be the biological father, but he was the man who would be a dad. She sipped her sparkling grape juice. "Then Chris doesn't matter. I love you."
"And I love you," he said as he gulped his drink. He placed it on the table beside him. "So, can I call my sister and let her know we're getting married?"
Right. While it was Christmas, the closest thing she had to a family would be the best present. She gulped her drink and placed her glass next to his. "Tell her and Michael to meet us at the coffee shop tonight. I'll call Sandy, Wyatt, Penny and Jay as my friends have always been the closest thing I had to a family, until you arrived."
Penny and Jay were eating pastries while Sandy and Wyatt sipped coffee as they arrived. Penny, Jay, Sandy, Wyatt and Michael were all so different, but this was her family. She stood with Brandon and ordered drinks from the bar. While Brandon was waiting, she walked over and hugged her friends without letting them see the ring. Sandy stared at her hand and tried to peek. "What's going on?"
Brandon walked with both of their glasses. She shook her head and hid her hand in his back pocket. "We have to wait for Michael and Calliope."
Penny said, "Well, you're happy and glowing, and this isn't just pregnancy."
They took their seats. A minute later, Michael and Brandon's sister walked in the door. He quickly said, "Calliope is here."
They waited until the last group settled into their usual corner, and finally, Eva held up her hand. "So… we're getting married!"
Sandy took Calliope's hand, then all three of them showed off their diamonds. "It seems we're all getting married."
Alice held up her matching diamond and wedding band, and all four of them laughed.
Sandy asked, "Want to coordinate which holiday we plot our weddings around?"
Eva blinked. "What?"
Calliope nodded her head. "We have a lot of the same friends. It might be fun to plan out which holiday each of us wants so we don't step on each other's toes."
They were well ahead of her in thinking about their weddings. Sandy said, "Wyatt and I want Valentine's."
Calliope stared at Brandon and lowered her lashes. "I want April, as Easter is close, and our mom always loved Easter."
Good enough reason to agree—and besides, she honestly had no wedding plans in her head at all yet. She rubbed her belly. "Good, because I want to be a June bride, and I can work on getting my figure back by then too."
"Three weddings," Penny said and kissed her husband's cheek. "Miami is going to have quite the social calendar next year."
Michael then banged on the table for attention and held up his coffee cup. "To all of us, and new beginnings."
Eva shook her head and wrapped her arms around Brandon's neck. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to sit in his lap, but that wasn't today. She scooted on him and rubbed his five o'clock shadow. "No, to finding the people we love."
"Yes, to marrying the men smart enough to love us," Calliope said, turning to kiss Michael.
Sandy hugged Wyatt. "And to living happily-ever-after."
Eva silently agreed though she never thought this would happen to her. But it seemed funny—even she had a chance at happily-ever-after, and one day, everyone else might have too.
Now that she was with Brandon, she realized anything was possible.
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