All Evie really wanted to do was hide away from the world and feel sorry for herself. But she was a mother and moms didn’t have the luxury of forgetting the world existed. Even when their heart was shattered into a million pieces. When Brandon’s mom called and told her that Jonah needed to come home, because Brandon wasn’t feeling well, she’d reluctantly pulled herself off the couch and driven to pick him up.

It was barely after seven, and the whole night stretched before them.

“Want to play a game, Mom?”

She shook her head. “Sorry, buddy. I don’t feel much up to games tonight.”

“Are you sick?” Jonah asked from the backseat. “You look kind of sick.”

“No,” she said. “I’m not sick. Just…” How did you explain heartbreak to a kid? “I’m…I’m tired.”

“Okay.” Jonah sat back against the seat and she instantly felt bad. It wasn’t his fault that she was sad. None of it was his fault. She tried to think of something she could say to make him feel better, but her mind was blank. She’d make it up to him.

Another time.

They were quiet for the rest of the short drive and when she pulled up in front of her house, she did a double take. There were cars parked out front and people sitting on her front step.

Jade, Gwen, and Milena, all with backpacks on, sat waiting for her. Backpacks?

The minute she put the car in park, Jonah was out and running up the walk. He’d become quite fond of all the McCormicks and their wives and girlfriends over such a short time. That fact squeezed her heart a little. She was no longer going to be part of that family. Not that she ever really was, but it had been fun to pretend.

Jonah was hugging Milena when Evie finally walked up the path and joined them. “Hi?” she said somewhat tentatively. “What are you guys doing?”

“We’re going hiking,” Gwen said.

“Backpacking, to be more specific.” It was Jade who said it, which made it almost laughable. Not even two months ago, she’d been a slick city girl who didn’t have appropriate clothes and shoes for casual lake life and now she stood in front of her, talking about going backpacking? Evie could barely reconcile it.

“What do you mean you’re going backpacking?”

“No,” Milena said. “Not we.” She gestured between them. “Us.” Her hand made a sweeping gesture, encompassing all of them. “I remember hearing that you like to go up in the woods when things are tough and it’s kind of a relaxing thing for you.”

Declan must have told them that.

Too many reminders. Would it always hurt to be reminded of Declan? It was too soon to tell, but Evie couldn’t imagine a time when it wouldn’t.

She sighed. “I do. But I don’t know if—”

“It’s the perfect time.” Jade jumped up. “And we’ve packed everything you need, so we can just go.”

“You guys, it’s really nice of you, but—”

“But nothing.” Gwen grabbed her hand. “Besides, I bet Jonah would like to do something fun. Especially since his sleepover was cancelled.”

“How do you know about—”

“Can we, Mom?” Jonah jumped up and down like a four-year-old on Christmas morning. “Please? It’ll be fun and it’s totally not fair that Brandon got sick. He didn’t even look sick. Please?”

She was too tired to fight him. Besides, it might be nice to get outside, look up at the stars and forget about real life for a while. “Well, it is getting kind of late, but maybe if we don’t go too far…I know a place that—”

“No,” Milena interrupted. “I have a place all picked out. I used to go there when I was a kid.”

Evie shot her a look. “Okay,” she said reluctantly. “As long as it’s not far.”

“Not at all. Do you think Jade could handle that?” She elbowed Jade, who pretended to be offended, but laughed.

“It’s true. I’m not much of a hiker at the best of times, let alone when I have a little person in my stomach.” She patted her still flat tummy and Evie smiled.

Maybe hanging out with the ladies wouldn’t be so bad after all. They were obviously determined to make her laugh and Evie could do with a little laughter right now.

“Just let me get my stuff ready.”

“All you need are your hiking boots.” Gwen held out her packed bag. “We took care of it. Trust us.”

She wasn’t sure how they could have pulled it all together so quickly, but she did trust them. And even if she didn’t have everything she needed, it was only one night, after all.

Evie shrugged. “Well then, I guess let’s go.”

The women jumped into action and practically carried her into the car. Milena was behind the wheel, driving them to the trailhead. She barely even looked out the window. Any other time she might have asked more questions, but as it was, she was just too tired to care much. Sure, the girls were making her smile, and even as they started hiking down the trail, she laughed once or twice. But just beneath the smiles and the laughter, Evie was fighting back tears.

Never in her life had she felt such a profound sense of loss as she felt without Declan beside her. Especially the moment she realized they were on the exact same trail that she’d taken him backpacking on not that long ago. On the night they laid under the stars and made love for the first time.

A sob caught in her throat.

“Are you okay?” Jade grabbed her hand, but Evie nodded and looked away.

She’d be fine. She would have to be. Sooner or later, she would have to create new memories. It might as well be sooner.

“It’ll be okay.” Jade gave her hand a squeeze. “I know it doesn’t seem like it right now. But I promise you, it’ll be okay.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am.” Jade grinned. “I’m definitely right about this.”

They walked for a few more minutes and Evie actually found herself relaxing into the hike. She didn’t talk, but she didn’t have to because the other women kept them entertained, engaging Jonah in conversation and laughter, a fact Evie was beyond grateful for. But as they got closer, Evie recognized the final curve in the trail before they’d break out of the tree line and into the clearing where they would set up camp.

Her heart sank when she saw the smoke from a fire.

As much as she wasn’t looking forward to being in the same spot where she’d camped with Declan, the idea that they couldn’t also made her sad. She wasn’t making any sense at all.

“It looks like someone might be in that spot,” Evie said as she came alongside Milena. “Maybe if we go a little farther up the trail, we can find another spot?”

“I don’t think so,” Milena answered cheerfully.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh,” she said. “I don’t think we’ll need to go up the trail. I think this is the perfect spot right here.”

Evie shook her head.

“Don’t you think so?” Milena pointed ahead of her on the trail and stepped to the side so Evie had a clear view of the campsite. And the camper who had set up in their spot.

She froze, her feet planted on the trail. She shook her head, not believing what she saw.

Finally, the camper took a step toward her and she opened her mouth, her voice barely a whisper. “Declan.”

---

He watched as she came up the trail. He watched as she saw him for the first time, and then when finally his name formed on her lips. It wasn’t until then that Declan took a step toward her.

The other women fell back a few feet with Jonah, leaving her standing alone.

Evie stared at him as though she were seeing a ghost, but when he took another step toward her, and then another, she didn’t back away.

“Hey,” he said when he was in front of her.

“Hey.”

“I heard you were going camping.”

Her eyes widened but she nodded.

“Can I show you your camp?” He held out his hand and when she took it, he closed his fingers around hers. Together, he walked with her down the rest of the trail to the campsite.

He owed his siblings more than he could ever repay because they’d dropped everything to rush up the mountain and set up the most romantic campsite he could ever have imagined. Torches lit the perimeter of the site, with a small path of candles leading to their tent. Another, smaller tent, sat on the other side of the campfire, for Jonah. There were jars of fresh mountain flowers scattered around—that must have been Chelsea’s doing—and blankets on the ground around the fire for them to cuddle in later.

Hopefully.

He had to remember how they’d left things between them.

He needed to remember why they were there.

They stopped in front of the campfire. The sun was just starting to get low in the sky, casting the perfect shadows over everything, to create an even more intimate setting.

Evie looked around, taking it all in. Finally she looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I don’t understand. What is…why…”

He took a deep breath. He hadn’t rehearsed anything, but his feelings for Evie were so clear that he knew he could trust his heart to find the right words. “From the moment I met you, Evie Rose, I’ve been completely smitten with you. I have traveled the world a few times over, and never in all my travels have I met anyone quite like you. The more time I spent with you, the more I got to know you, and just when I thought I knew everything there was to know…there’s more. You’re so sweet and caring. So giving of yourself. I know you would do anything for anyone who needed a hand. But you’re strong, too. The strongest woman I know, who can raise such a great kid, all on her own, run a business and keep it all together even when everything is stacked against you.” She ducked her head and blushed, but he wasn’t even close to being finished. He had so much he needed to say. “You’re gorgeous, and sexy and…I just can’t get enough of you, Evie Rose.”

He reached out and took her other hand in his, giving them both a squeeze so she would look up at him with those beautiful eyes. “It wasn’t that long ago that I got down on one knee in the middle of Main Street. I had a lot of feelings that day, but every word I said was true. And today, I have something else I want to say to you.”

He looked over at the group of women, who’d been joined by his brothers, his mother, and Chelsea who stood with them. Jonah stood right in the middle of the little group. Declan released one of Evie’s hands and gestured to Jonah. Jade gave him a pat on the shoulder, and the boy came to join them. He looked a little unsure, but Declan knew it would be okay in a minute.

“Jonah,” he said to the boy. “I have a very important question to ask you, and I should have asked you this before but you’ll have to forgive me because I’ve been a little pressed for time today.”

“Okay.” Obviously understanding the gravity of the situation, Jonah nodded solemnly.

Declan looked up at Evie, who now had tears in her eyes. “Would you excuse me for just one second?” She nodded and he turned to the boy, kneeling in front of him and taking both his hands in his own.

“Jonah,” Declan began. “I’ve had so much fun getting to know you and what a wonderful kid you are. I know you have a dad and he’s a great one.” Jonah nodded. “But, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to be there for you and your mom. I promise to love you both, be there for whatever you need and care about you both, always. If you wouldn’t mind, Jonah, I’d like to ask you if I could be your bonus dad. Would that be okay with you?”

Jonah bit his lip and looked up at his mom for guidance.

“He asked you, kiddo. You can answer.”

He nodded before he looked back at Declan and then very seriously he said, “Yes. I would really, really like that.”

Overcome, Declan reached out and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you, buddy. You’ve made me very happy.” When he released the boy, there were tears gleaming in his eyes as well. “And I have a little present for you.” Declan reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. “I know it might be a bit much for you right now, but I’ll teach you how to use it and it can always be a symbol of us, okay? Because even though it’s sharp, not even this knife will be able to cut through how much I love you and your mom. Does that make sense?”

Jonah nodded, although Declan couldn’t be sure he understood. Declan knew it was cheesy, but he was okay with that because he meant every word. “Good.” With one hand still in Jonah’s, he turned back to Evie. With all his heart, he hoped he could convey to this woman in front of him just how much she meant to him. “Evie. I had to ask Jonah first, but there’s something I need to ask you. And this time, I’m not asking you for any other reason except I love you.”

A tear slipped down her cheek.

He released Jonah’s hand, reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a ring box. He got down on one knee, more because he needed to stop shaking than because it was traditional, and opened the box. Evie gasped when she saw the ring from the bottom right-hand side of the ring case she kept in the back of her store. The ring her eyes had gotten big over the day they picked out the fake ring. The ring that Declan knew from the very beginning had been the ring she’d fantasized about having on her finger. It could only be that one.

“Evie Rose. Never in my whole life did I believe that love could exist for me. But only a few short weeks with you changed all that. Not only do I now believe that love can exist, I know it. Because you have a piece of my heart, Evie. A huge piece. That day you asked me to be your fiancé, I never could have expected that not only would I enjoy everything that being engaged to you meant, but that I would want it to be real more than anything else in the world.

“Evie Rose, I love you more than anything else in the world.” It felt so good to finally say the words out loud, so he said them again. “I love you with every bit of my being and who I am, and you have such a hold on me, Evie, that I don’t think I would be able to make it through one more day without you.” He ducked his head and shook it briefly, laughing at his own vulnerability. “Believe me, I never imagined I’d be doing this. But now that I know how perfect it can be with you and Jonah, I can’t imagine a life without you.”

Tears streamed openly down Evie’s cheeks but she didn’t wipe them away.

“All this is to say that, I love you, Evie.” He said it again. Damn, it felt so good. “Would you make me the happiest man in the world, put me out of my misery and agree to be my wife?”

She nodded and a sob escaped her lips. A hand flew to her mouth and she made a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh.

“Mom!” Jonah tugged on her hand. “Say yes. I did!”

Everyone laughed, and Declan was reminded of the fact that they had an audience. But it didn’t matter, because in the next instant, Evie said, “Yes.” She nodded again, her smile radiating love. “Yes. A million times, yes. Declan McCormick, I love you, too. For real. And if you love me, too…”

“I do,” he agreed. “I love you, so much.”

“Of course I’ll marry you.”

The little crowd cheered, but Declan barely acknowledged it as he slid the perfect antique diamond ring with rubies crusted around it on the finger of the woman he loved. The only thing that mattered is that she’d said yes. She loved him and she wanted to marry him.

For real.