Two years later

Jill stood there, staring out over the vast Blue Ridge Mountains, counting her blessings one by one from the last couple of years. Of course, those blessings came out of failure and sadness for a time. After all, Patrick reappeared in her life due to her finances falling apart. If her business had flourished, she might never have seen him again. God knew what he was doing; she believed that with all her heart.

The last twenty-four months had sure been a whirlwind. With Patrick’s help, she had been able to pump new life into her business, attracting clients from all over the country to come to her oasis in the mountains. So many stories of healing had come out of the new and improved Retreat, and she was so proud of the work she got to do everyday.

They’d built a large gazebo that served as a chapel for couples wanting to get married at the bridge. They’d already had two weddings there with more scheduled.

Having Winston around everyday had given her back a sense of family, and that was something she sorely needed.

But the thing she was most thankful for in the world was Patrick. He was like a blessing from heaven that she got twice in her life, both at times when she needed him most.

After six months of dating - and helping her revamp her business into something successful - he’d popped the question right there on the bridge. It was perfect. A few months later, they’d had their wedding right in the same spot with Winston, Alice and Ingrid all in attendance.

For a moment, on her wedding day, Jill had thought about her mother and sister, wishing that their relationships could be saved. But there was nothing there to salvage. Patrick had said something to her that made it feel better on the night before their wedding.

“Sweetie,” he’d said, “people can’t give you what they don’t have.”

And she realized that nothing was wrong with her, that she wasn’t unlovable. It was just that her mother didn’t have that required piece of her heart that was meant for mothering. It just wasn’t there. And then she felt a little sorry for her sister because she knew that she’d only been brainwashed by a woman who probably wasn’t a very good mother to her either, if she would admit it.

Jill had also learned that family wasn’t about blood. Anyone could share DNA. But family was about surrounding yourself with people who would be there no matter how dicey life got. She was blessed to have so many of those people around her.

Patrick had moved his business to The Retreat, creating a home office space that allowed him to do everything he did in the city. Of course, he kept his penthouse so he could whisk his wife away a couple of times a month for fun in the city.

“Hey there, sexy lady. Mind if I join you?” Patrick said as he walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist. She smiled as she thought about their history together on this bridge. This was the place where she’d planned to end her young life, but in reality it had saved her life that day.

“Well, hello,” she said, smiling as she pressed her head back against his chest. “Did the new guests arrive?”

“They did.”

“How many?”

“Eight.”

Jill turned around and faced him, her eyes wide. “Eight?”

“Yep. It’s an entire management team from a company in Florida. They love this place so far and are eagerly looking forward to your yoga class with them this afternoon.”

Jill smiled. “I can’t believe how fast we’re growing.”

He ran his finger across her cheek as he cradled her chin in the palm of his hand. “I can. You’re an amazing healer and a pretty spectacular wife, if I do say so myself.”

She laughed. “You’re a little partial, but that’s okay. Our growth is only going to get faster as the year goes on.”

“I love your optimism!” he said with a chuckle.

Jill stepped back and pulled something from the back pocket of her jeans. “No, I mean I am positive we will have a lot of growth this year.”

It took Patrick a moment of looking back and forth between her and the long plastic stick she had in her hand before he fully caught on. For a billionaire, he wasn’t always the quickest when it came to things like this.

“Wait. You’re pregnant? We’re going to have a baby?” he said, excitement filling his voice as he ran both of his hands through his hair.

“You’re going to be a daddy!”

He closed the distance between them and picked her up, twirling her around right there in the middle of the place they first met.

When he finally put her down, he looked at her and smiled. “I have the perfect name if it’s a girl.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“Bridget. Get it?”

Jill rolled her eyes and laughed. “We’ll talk.”

***

Want to read more books by Rachel Hanna? Click the links below to enjoy hours and hours of happy reading!

The January Cove series:

The Whiskey Ridge Series

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