The Darling Elementary School held a Fall Frolic on the Green the last week of September. Willow had agreed to supply ten dozen cookies for the snack table, and she’d volunteered to do an hour at the face painting station. Presently she was painting a pink and purple butterfly on the crest of a little girl’s cheek.
The boys weren’t into face painting so much, so they were off to try their luck at the dunk tank. It was just their luck that the police force had sent two officers to take turns getting wet, and one of them was their uncle Aiden. Ethan was having far too much fun paying his quarters and taking aim.
The whole family was present to support the school, which was fundraising for renovating the library. Even Rory had come out, along with Oaklee from the town office, who was walking a strange dog … or rather, the dog was walking her. Rory was following her and laughing, which didn’t seem to please Oaklee too much at all.
Throughout the afternoon the kids made their way from one station to another. There was a cake walk, a bouncy castle—which suited Ronan just fine—a game of kickball, and food. Hot dogs and hamburgers sizzled on the grill, while another mom scooped up popcorn from a big popcorn maker, and someone’s dad swirled cotton candy onto sticks in lumpy mounds. There would be tired kids and sore tummies later, but it was the first time Willow had been included in anything like this and she loved every minute.
At one point during the afternoon, Ethan pulled her aside. “Come with me for a minute.”
She took his hand and let him lead her past the perennial beds and toward the famed stone bridge. A goofy smile lit her face as she realized where they were going. “Really? I thought you didn’t go for all this superstitious crap.”
“I have something to say, and this is where I want to say it.”
“Then I won’t argue with you.”
He guided her to the crest of the bridge. As they looked down at the water, they noticed a family of ducks floating lazily along. Willow rested her arms on the stone railing and sighed. “This has been a great day, don’t you think?”
When she turned back, he was watching her with such tenderness that her heart gave a leap. “You have to stop looking at me like that. With all the hormones running through my body, I’m not sure if it makes me want to weep or jump your bones.”
A grin flashed over his face. “We can discuss that later. But really, I want to be serious for a minute.” He reached out and took her hand. “Willow, I made promises on this bridge before. You know I did. And I think I need to be here, with you, to let them go. I felt for so long that I’d been cheated out of my love of a lifetime. But I wasn’t. I loved her for as long as she was on this earth, and she loved me. But she’s gone. Our vows said until death separated us, and that was exactly what we had.”
He twined his fingers with hers. “I love you, Willow. So I want to kiss you on this bridge and tell you that I love you and that I love our baby. That will never change.”
He knelt down before her and pressed a kiss to her belly. She put her hands on his head, so overcome with love that she hardly knew what to do with it all.
When he stood up he kissed her, too, a soft, sweet kiss that said they had all the time in the world, and they were going to make the most of every second.
She met his gaze and smiled. “So should we tell them now? Are you ready?”
He nodded. “No rush, right? We do this on our terms, on our time.”
“Well, one of us might have a schedule in mind, but yeah, that’s the idea.” Willow put her hand where his lips had just been, and he covered her hand with his.
“Okay, let’s round up the family.”
They found the boys, then Rory, Aiden and Laurel, and Moira and John. The girls were away at school, but they’d get filled in later. Hannah joined them at the last minute, and Willow and Ethan pulled the boys aside first and told them the news—both about the baby, and about Willow moving into their house.
Connor’s eyes went wide. “A brother or sister? Does this mean Willow is going to be our mom?”
Ethan looked at Willow, and she patted her knee. Connor crawled up on it and she put her arms around him. Ronan plopped to the grass in front of them, but his tiny hand rested on her leg, a simple and genuine point of contact.
“You had a wonderful mom, Connor, and I would never want to replace her in your heart. But maybe you could make room for me in your heart, beside her somewhere? Because I love you, and Ronan, and your dad an awful lot. And we’re going to have another baby that’ll be your sister or brother. And I’ll do what I can to make sure we’re all happy.”
Connor twisted around and hugged her fiercely, taking her utterly by surprise. “I miss my mommy,” he whispered in her ear. “But if I can’t have her, you’re the next best thing. I’m glad.” And he hugged her tight.
“We’re going to get along just fine, aren’t we?” she asked, grinning at him. “What about you, Ronan? Are you okay with another baby in the house?”
“Not a sister,” he decreed. “No girls. ’Cept you, Wil-low.”
She laughed. “No promises. Sorry, buster.”
He stood up and put his hand on her shoulder. “Can I still have cuddles?”
“Every single day.”
“Okay, then.”
She looked up at Ethan. “Told ya,” he said.
Once the boys were on board, they told the rest of the family. Laurel and Aiden and Hannah already knew about the baby, but Moira and John got a bit of a shock and Rory’s eyebrows lifted so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline. “Willow’s going to move into my place,” Ethan said.
“It made the most sense. The kids are happy there, and there’s the great backyard, and it means as little upheaval as possible,” Willow added.
“Does this mean there’s a wedding, then?” Moira looked hopeful, and Ethan laughed.
“We’re trying to take things one step at a time, Mom. There are a lot of adjustments happening. Planning a wedding can be kind of stressful.”
“Unless you make it a surprise,” Aiden said, making everyone laugh. His impromptu wedding to Laurel was still a topic of town conversation.
“We have time to figure it out,” Willow said, leaning against Ethan’s chest. She’d never grow tired of being held securely in his arms. It was her favorite place in the world. “One of my things was that I won’t have my yoga studio at the house. With the baby coming, the other bedroom will become a nursery. So, Hannah, Ethan had an idea that might pique your interest.”
“Oooh, do I smell a deal?”
“So predictable.” Willow nodded. “I’ve decided against expanding The Purple Pig. Emily’s doing a great job managing it, and expanding would mean making structural changes to the building, and a lot of cost. Instead I want to open my own yoga studio. I’ve got my certification already, and I can teach until I’m quite far along. It won’t take long to get the interior ready, and since I have the lease until next summer, it gives us lots of time to get things up and running. What do you say? Do you want in?”
Rory gave Hannah a nudge. “Just say yes. You know you want to.”
Moira smiled. “You know the girls will be among your first clients.”
Willow remembered. The first night she’d been at the Gallagher’s for dinner, one of the twins had mentioned the dearth of available classes in Darling.
John came over and gave her a hug. “You and Hannah. Two very different girls, and equally ambitious.”
“Motivated,” Willow corrected him. “By happiness. And by wanting to spread it around.” She looked up at Ethan, finding it hard to believe she could be this lucky. This content. “And I was nearly there, when Ethan came along. All I was missing was someone to love.”
“Not anymore,” Ethan said, and pulled her close.