~ Eight Years Later ~

“Okay, we’re going to have a detailed plan so we can get through the whole park in one day,” Noah tells us while we lean against the car. “I’ve got the map and times when we’ll eat. This is going to be perfect!”

He’s out of his mind. I’m not sure why he thought Finn would want to come to a theme park—with his very uncool parents—for his birthday—but here we are. No amount of arguing would sway him. He swears this is the best gift possible.

Not like Finn would much rather have my suggestion of a car.

Finn leans toward me and whispers, “He realizes I’m not a kid anymore, right?”

“Just pretend you are excited, and I’ll get you the car,” I say conspiratorially.

My son perks up as if he’s suddenly very into this. “Yes, a plan would be great. I am super excited. We should not delay and waste time. Lead us away to our day of jubilee,” he says each word with sarcasm.

Jubilee? Really, Finn?

“Sell it better next time, dude.” I clap his shoulder.

Noah sighs. “I thought you’d want to see the Harry Potter stuff.”

Sometimes he’s the most brilliant man in the world, others he’s clueless. Finn turned eighteen today, which I cried for a good hour over, and Noah wanted to surprise him. This morning, he woke the kids at six in the morning with a box for Finn. There’s no way the kid didn’t think they had car keys. The box was small and there was a Gryffindor lanyard wrapped around it.

Hell, I thought it was car keys, and I knew it wasn’t.

Finn’s face was priceless when he opened it.

Aubrey on the other hand blatantly laughed at him. However, the sun shines out of Noah’s ass, so she was overly excited just to try to get her way.

I see through her crap. Noah, not so much.

I walk over and touch his cheek. “You tried, honey. It’s the thought that counts.”

“He used to love this stuff,” Noah huffs as we walk behind the kids.

“When he was ten!” I laugh.

“I like Harry Potter, and I’m not ten,” Noah retorts.

“Yes, but you act like you are.”

Noah growls and wraps his arms around my waist, rubbing his scruff against my neck. “I’ll give you ten.”

“Noah!” I laugh and try to get out of his hold. “Stop! You’re tickling me!”

“Mom!” Aubrey hisses. “You’re embarrassing us. God, sometimes I can’t believe I’m related to you people.” She huffs and crosses her arms. “I’m almost glad I couldn’t bring a friend now.”

Oh, the peril of a fourteen-year-old girl. I swear the attitude started at twelve and each year she becomes more pleasantly awful. It doesn’t help that her father and Noah spoil the shit out of her. I’m the bad guy.

“Yell at Noah. It’s his fault we’re here.”

She tosses her hand up in the air and keeps walking. “Whatever.”

Noah looks at me and we both start laughing. It’s a running joke in our home that he can do no wrong. As much as it’s annoying, I’m glad my kids love him. He’s truly a second father to them, and when he goes on set, we all miss him terribly.

“I love teenagers,” I mutter.

We get through the entrance, and a few people snap pictures as we pass. It’s easy to forget how famous he is. To us, he’s just Noah Frazier, the man who leaves his underwear inside his jeans, doesn’t know where the hamper is and likes to fart when it’s too quiet. To the world, he’s a two-time Academy Award Winning actor who can do no wrong.

Tomorrow, we’ll have photos all over social media with hundreds of questions about why we aren’t married, if we’re really in love, and speculation that the only reason I’m with him is to further my career as an editor.

“Yo!” Finn yells. “Old people, keep up!”

“I’ll give him old people,” Noah threatens, and I laugh.

“If the shoe fits,” I tease him.

Noah still looks almost the same as when I met him. He’s that asshole guy who doesn’t have any gray hair, where I have to go to the salon every four weeks to keep myself from looking like I could be his mother. His body is still hard in all the right places, and all his equipment is in working order. Me? I’m lucky I can fit in my leggings without busting a seam.

“You’re lucky I love you,” he says before swatting my ass and jogging to the kids.

My butt doesn’t feel so lucky.

We get back into Harry Potter world, and it’s clearly big news that Noah Frazier is here. People flock to meet him, take photos, and well, touch him. I get it. I want to touch him, too. He’s pretty freaking hot for an old guy. Plus, he’s gotten ten times more famous since we met. The movies he does now are blockbusters, and he’s definitely an A-lister now.

He looks at me with the I’m-sorry-I-hate-people face, and I smile back with my I-get-it-you’re-kind-of-a-big-deal look. Finn walks over, clearly detesting this aspect of our lives.

“And this is why we can’t go anywhere.” He huffs and points.

“You know he hates this as much as you do. But it’s been almost a decade, time to get over it.”

Then I remember at eighteen, your life is really all that matters.

“Finn!” Noah waves him over.

Oh, this should be interesting.

Aubrey is, of course, next to him, soaking up the attention that Noah Frazier is her almost daddy. Yes, she actually calls him that. I have no words for that girl sometimes.

“Oh, my God,” a flock of girls start squealing. “You know Noah Frazier?”

Finn turns, and a cocky smile that I’ve never seen before spreads across his face. “Yeah, I do. Did you want to meet him?”

“Yes!” They giggle and bounce up and down. “How do you know him?”

“He’s practically my stepfather.” He lifts his chin with pride.

Dear Lord. I can’t believe I’m watching this. “Finn, you should probably save him,” I say, reminding him I’m right here.

“Right. I’ll save Noah, no problem.” He pops his elbows out and smirks. “Ladies, care to join me?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

My son, the player in training. I should apologize now to the females of his future. I take no credit for that one.

He inherited his stupid from his father. The other bad habits are from Noah. I gave him life, brains, and then they ruined him.

After a few minutes, Finn’s groupies get their photo and my—I don’t know what to call him anymore—comes over. I loathe calling him my boyfriend. I’m almost fifty, and I feel lame saying it. Not to mention we’ve been together for a long time and when we say almost ten years, people look at us as if we’re mental.

We’re married in every way other than on paper. We own our home, own the magazine company, and co-parent with Scott. Noah is as much their father as my ex is. I like Noah. Scott . . . not so much.

“You good?” I ask as he puts his arm around my shoulders.

“I am now. I wanted a normal day out with you and the kids.” He sounds dejected.

“This is our normal, Noah. Plus, it looks like Finn has found new friends.”

We both turn back, looking at him and his harem of hoochies. “That’s my boy.” Noah beams with pride.

I’m so on my own.

We walk along through the realistic town that lives in a novel that brought the men I love together. Aubrey is in the shop we’re outside of, probably with Noah’s American Express Black Card . . . the one I keep confiscating and he keeps giving back.

All in all, even with him overindulging her, she’s a great kid and gets straight A’s, is in the honor society, and is a member of the student council. Aubrey and Noah share a love of animals, and she volunteers at the ASPCA on the weekends. I may not love her mood swings, but she’s a good girl with a good heart.

“Hey.” Noah stops me.

“What?”

“Next week is our anniversary,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist as he smiles. I’ve been with him for a long time, and he still makes my heart race.

“It is.” I grin, knowing it is. “Did you get me something good?”

“You’ll have to wait to find out.”

“Aww.” I rub the back of his neck. “You got a refill of Viagra?”

Noah’s mouth falls, and he goes expressionless. “You know I don’t, and will not ever, need that.”

I giggle at the tone he takes. As if I wasn’t fully aware. “I know, babe. Your wand works just fine.”

“Damn right. I’ll Slytherin to your Hufflepuff tonight if you need me to remind you.”

I burst out laughing. My arms wrap around my stomach, and I let it go. “Oh my God. Only you!” I continue on. “Only you would make a freaking dirty joke here.”

Noah laughs along with me, wrapping his body around mine and walking me as I try to stop my hysterics.

He’s ridiculous and irresistible.

We make it over to the side with a lot of stares as Noah guides me and I make a spectacle by being goofy. After we’ve settled down, he kisses me, and we stay in each other’s arms.

I watch his green eyes fill with so much love it becomes hard to breathe.

I love him so much that sometimes I feel like I could burst. Each day with him, I cherish. Sure, he drives me nuts and I make him crazy, but it only makes me appreciate what we have even more.

Most people don’t have the baggage we do, but we carry it together.

“When are you finally going to agree to marry me?” Noah asks with his playful grin.

I get this every few months, and the answer is always the same. “Do you love me?”

He smiles. “With my whole heart.”

“Are you leaving me?”

“Not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

“Do you trust me?” I question him as I stare into his eyes.

Noah’s gaze turns serious and his deep voice leaves no room for wonder. “With my life. Do you love me?” he tosses it back.

“In every fiber of my being.”

“Are you planning to find yourself a new sexy actor?”

I smile. “There’s no one sexier than you, baby.”

Noah laughs, kisses me, and then asks the last question in our little skit. “Do I give you everything you need?”

In my peripheral, I see Aubrey and Finn standing there, watching. With the four of us here, I feel complete. For so long, I’ve said there was no reason to get married, it’s just become a thing. I’ve been happy, blissfully so, and I was getting paid from Scott, so there was that, too. But I see it in Noah’s eyes each time I say it.

And right now . . . I don’t want to say what I’d normally say.

In this moment, I want to give him back something he’s given me.

“Noah,” I say softly. “Will you do something for me?”

Confusion sweeps across his face. “Anything.”

“Ask me to marry you, just one last time,” I say with my heart pounding against my chest.

Noah sucks in a breath, looking for something in my eyes. I don’t know if he’s worried I’m joking, but I let him see everything in my heart.

I wait, praying he was serious.

“Kristin, will you marry me?” His voice is thick with emotion and there’s a shine in his eyes that wasn’t there a moment ago.

I take his face in my hands and smile. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

Before I can kiss him, two sets of arms are wrapped around us, and tears of happiness stream down my face. I have everything I could ever need . . . and more.

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