I sniffed. “Thank you, Hals. I love your hugs too.”
“My favorite thing about you is how you always have fun Band-Aids at your house,” said Luna. “And good snacks. I also like when you play salon and Barbies with me.”
I smiled at her through tears. “I’ll always have fun Band-Aids for you. And I love our playtime too.”
Dex spoke up next. “My favorite thing about you is the way you see the good in everyone, the way you treat people with generosity and kindness, and the way you love with your whole heart.” He slipped the ring on my finger. “I know I’m just a big hairy ogre who doesn’t deserve a princess, but it would make me the happiest ogre alive if you’d ride off into the sunset with me.”
“With us!” Luna added.
“We told him to say that part,” Hallie whispered.
I half-laughed, half-sobbed. “It’s good.”
“What do you say, Winnie MacAllister? Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I squeaked, because I could barely find my voice. “Yes!”
I only looked at the ring for a moment before leaning down to kiss him. He stood up, wrapping me in his embrace, and I looped my arms around his neck.
As my feet left the ground and his little girls cheered, I felt his heart beating against mine and knew I was safe.
I knew today was just the beginning of our life as a family.
I knew I’d never forget this moment as long as I lived, and it would be a story we told our grandchildren someday.
Overcome with emotion, I buried my face in his shoulder and shed tears of joy—I was loved, I was cherished, I was home.
THE END
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Then get ready for more in the next generation Cloverleigh Farms Series… Ellie and Gianni’s book, TASTE, is up next! Keep reading to learn more about it…
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Taste
A peek at Ellie and Gianni’s story…
The last person on earth I want to be stranded with is Gianni Lupo.
But thanks to the blizzard of the century, I’m trapped in a roadside motel room with that cocky bastard for two straight days.
With one small bed.
Some women might thank Mother Nature for delivering a polar vortex that maroons them with six feet of solid muscle, those deep blue eyes, that sexy grin--but not me. I’ve known Gianni Lupo all my life, and he’s never brought me anything but bad luck and trouble.
So when the tension between us explodes with enough fiery heat to melt my icy defenses, I should have known what the disastrous end result would be--
A big fat plus sign.
After the snow melts, I’m left with more than just memories of the night we spent keeping each other warm. And he might be a rising star on the culinary scene, but he’s got no idea how to handle this bun in the oven.
He says he wants to do the right thing, but I’m not about to spend the rest of my life feeling like someone settled for me.
But just when I think I’ve got Gianni Lupo all figured out, he gives me a taste of the man he could be, of the family we could become, of the way he could love me if I let him.
I’m terrified of falling for him.
But one taste might be all it takes.
TASTE will release February 28th, 2022. Preorder now!
Also by Melanie Harlow
The Frenched Series
Frenched
Yanked
Forked
Floored
The Happy Crazy Love Series
Some Sort of Happy
Some Sort of Crazy
Some Sort of Love
The After We Fall Series
Man Candy
After We Fall
If You Were Mine
From This Moment
The One and Only Series
Only You
Only Him
Only Love
The Cloverleigh Farms Series
Irresistible
Undeniable
Insatiable
Unbreakable
Unforgettable
The Bellamy Creek Series
Drive Me Wild
Make Me Yours
Call Me Crazy
Tie Me Down
Cloverleigh Farms Next Generation Series
Ignite
Taste
Co-Written Books
Hold You Close (Co-written with Corinne Michaels)
Imperfect Match (Co-written with Corinne Michaels)
Strong Enough (M/M romance co-written with David Romanov)
The Speak Easy Duet
The Tango Lesson (A Standalone Novella)
Want a reading order? Click here!
Acknowledgments
As always, my appreciation and gratitude go to the following people for their talent, support, wisdom, friendship, and encouragement…
Melissa Gaston, Brandi Zelenka, Jenn Watson, Hang Le, Kayti McGee, Laurelin Paige, Corinne Michaels, the entire Social Butterfly team, Anthony Colletti, Rebecca Friedman, Flavia Viotti & Meire Dias at Bookcase Literary, Nancy Smay at Evident Ink, Julia Griffis at The Romance Bibliophile, proofreader Michele Ficht, Stacey Blake at Champagne Book Design, Katie Robinson at Lyric Audiobooks, narrators Kirsten Leigh and Stephen Dexter, the Shop Talkers, the Sisterhood, the Harlots and the Harlot ARC Team, bloggers and event organizers, my Queens, my betas, my proofers, my readers all over the world…
And once again, to my husband and daughters, whose hilarious conversations inspired many scenes in this book.
About the Author
Melanie Harlow likes her heels high, her martini dry, and her history with the naughty bits left in. She’s the author of the Bellamy Creek Series, the Cloverleigh Farms Series, the One & Only series, the After We Fall Series, the Happy Crazy Love Series, and the Frenched Series.
She writes from her home outside of Detroit, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. When she’s not writing, she’s probably got a cocktail in hand. And sometimes when she is.
Find her at www.melanieharlow.com.
Ignite: A Grumpy Single Dad Romance Page 30