“And, two loans down!” Clay exclaimed.

“Wait, what? Woo-hoo! And it looks like we are very close to already having the money for that third loan,” I said.

“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe people actually latched onto the idea of having a bar in this place,” he said.

“I’m just glad we have a decent bartender slinging drinks back there. I didn’t think we’d ever find a good one to hire.”

I sat down next to Clay, watching as his smile grew so wide it almost closed his eyes.

“We’re so close to making this restaurant debt-free,” he said.

“Come on. Cough it up,” I said.

His head whipped over to me. “What?”

“Whatever it is that’s on your mind.”

“I just told you. I’m happy we paid off this loan,” I said.

“We weren’t supposed to pay that off until next week.”

“So? We were a little ahead on our profits, so I made our money work for us,” he said.

“Or, you jumped the gun because you needed something else to focus on. Which is what you always do, Clay. Don’t try to hide it from me. I know you.”

And when he sighed, I knew I had him.

“I can’t stop thinking about that family,” he said.

“What family?” I asked.

“You know, the one from the cemetery.”

“Wait, you’re still thinking about that? Why?”

“I don’t know. I mean, a couple of weeks ago, they just popped back into my head. And ever since then, it’s been a constant thing. Day and night. I keep looking for them in the restaurant, like they’re going to pop up and I’m going to get my answer as to why I can’t stop thinking about them.”

“Well, it’s kind of odd that you bring that up. You said a couple of weeks ago?” I asked.

“Yeah. Just out of the blue.”

I smiled as I reached out for my purse.

Thank you, Deb.

“Maybe it’s because of this,” I said.

I pulled out the plastic bag and placed it in front of Clay.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Just look at it,” I said.

I watched him pick up the bag and stare at the pregnancy test. I’d taken it two weeks ago, after I realized I hadn’t had my period. I wasn’t sure how to bring it up to Clay. I mean, we hadn’t been together very long. A lot had happened in our worlds. A lot had changed at the drop of a hat with our parents dying and the restaurant taking off with some of the changes we made.

“Ira. You’re…?”

I cleared my throat. “I took it a couple of weeks ago, actually.”

His head snapped over to mine, and I watched realization drip over his face.

“Two weeks ago?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yep. Two weeks ago. Around the time you started thinking about—”

“The family.”

“Mhm.”

I wasn’t sure what reaction I was expecting. But it sure as hell wasn’t the one I got. He tossed the pregnancy test onto the floor and dropped to his knees, right there in the office of the empty restaurant. He gripped my knees and pulled my chair to him until his lips connected with my stomach.

And he smiled so brightly that tears rushed his eyes.

“Holy shit, you’re pregnant,” he whispered into my stomach.

I smiled down at him, running my hands through his hair.

“I figured if it was a girl, we could name her after your mother,” I said.

He looked up at me with tear-lined eyes as his arms wrapped around my hips.

“I love it. I love it, and I love you, and I love us,” Clay said.

“I love us, too,” I said breathlessly.

Then, his lips pressed against my stomach, puckering them for a kiss. Kiss, after kiss, after kiss. Right into the area of my body that would swell and grow with his child.

Our child.

“I love you so much, little one. So much more than you’ll ever know. Holy crap, I can’t wait to meet you,” he whispered.

And back there, in that small office that first brought us together, the next leg of our journey began. With teary eyes, happy hearts, and a future as bright as the sun that lit up the city of Hartland, Virginia.

A city I could officially call “home.”