bound around on the blanket, nipping at the slight folds and wrinkles of it.
He responded with a wide smile. They spent the next forty-five minutes playing in the park with the puppy, before it finally collapsed on the blanket with exhaustion.
Julie continued to pet through his fluffy, downy fur as she turned to Chris. “This is absolutely the best gift ever. Thank you.”
“Julie,” he began as he reached for her hand. “I love you. I want to give you a lifetime of gifts like this, but there’s something I need to tell you first. Something I probably should have told you before now.” He took a deep breath. “You know when you told me you can’t have babies?”
She nodded hesitantly and then whispered brokenly, “Oh God, you’ve decided you can’t live with that, haven’t you? Are you giving me the puppy as some sort of consolation?” She began to get up and the puppy lifted his head and whined, sensing her distress.
He grabbed hold of her thigh and held tight. “No, Butterfly. That’s not what I’m saying at all. In fact, it’s just the opposite. I’ve done some research. You’ve seen the scarring. I have fertility issues of my own from my torture. In fact, my doctor told me the chances of ever having intercourse again were almost non-existent.”
Julie gasped as she reached for him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It wasn’t something I wanted spread around, but as you know, that miracle happened. Over and over again, thanks to you.” He gave her body a sexy glance, thinking about this morning. “Other miracles can happen, too. From my research, our odds aren’t great, but I don’t think either one of us is completely infertile. After the last year, I believe in miracles.” He pulled her closer to him, trying to gauge her reaction to what he was telling her. “Miracles have already happened for us. And you know what, if it doesn’t happen, that’s okay too. You have such a capacity for love. Do you look at Brady and think that you’ll love him any less because you didn’t give birth to him?”
She gave a little giggle. “Let’s hope I’m not giving birth to puppies. My body’s messed up, but I don’t think it’s that bad.”
He smiled softly. They were going to be okay. God, he loved her. She was so perfect for him in every way. “Hey, I’m trying here. Work with me and go with my bad analogy.”
“Okay, yes, I will love him even though I didn’t give birth to him.”
That was all he needed. “I love you, Butterfly. I have for the past year. I dreamed of you constantly through those awful six months. You kept me alive, nothing else. You’re everything I want now and in the future. I think we’d be great parents. And if that doesn’t happen naturally, I think we should look at adopting. My grandfather took all three of us in when we were little. He never knew us before that, but he didn’t love us any less because of it. We can do that, too. We can adopt. But regardless of what happens, I can guarantee you I would be happy the rest of my life as long as I have you there in the morning with me when I wake up. I love you. You are my life.”
“Oh, Chris.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. “I love you so much. Waking up to your face for the rest of my life sounds like Heaven on Earth. If anyone has earned that kind of happiness, I think it’s us. I have seen your scarring, but it never even occurred to me that you could have a sterility issue. I’m so sorry, but that seems like it’s one more part of fate proving to me that we truly belong together. Forever. I love you.”
Afterword
June 19th, Las Vegas airport
Chris watched his big brother as he passed the drinks out to the group on the plane, bottled beers for the guys, champagne for Julie and Cassie, and sparkling apple juice for Penelope. They’d just taxied the plane across the Las Vegas tarmac, parked, and were about to embark into town to celebrate Penelope and Colton’s wedding planned for the next day.
Colton stood in the front of the plane, lifting his beer bottle in a toast. “The last year and a half has meant big changes for the Robertson family. As they were occurring, I don’t think any of us thought they were necessarily