Take a Chance

by Ash Johnson

  I smile from my spot on the uncomfortable hospital bed, knowing that life can only going to get better from here.

  Epilogue

  Blake

  Three Years later

  “Harlow Wilholten.” Her name booms through the crowd.

  She glides across the stage, her hands waving crazily over her head in our direction as all of her friends, her sister, and I clap and cheer.

  Harlow grabs her diploma, shakes the hand of the old man that I’m guessing is the dean of the university, and then moves back to her seat, wiping what I’m sure are happy tears from her cheeks as she sits.

  Today, she graduates with honors from the University of Arizona with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Tucson, where the campus is located, was almost two hours away from our home in Phoenix, but it was the closest school that offered the degree she was after, so we made it work.

  Some weeks, she would just stay in a hotel closer to campus so that she could study, or if Alex was out of school, we would all go down and rent a room and spend time together.

  I missed her something fierce while she finished up school, but I couldn’t be more proud of her than I am at this moment. Almost three years of Harlow busting her ass, holding down a part-time job working weekend nights at the veterinary clinic, and doing everything she can to be a strong presence in Alex’s life has finally paid off.

  After listening to different names and boring-ass speeches for over an hour, the ceremony is over, and we all hustle out of the auditorium to meet up with Harlow and take her to lunch.

  I also have something very important to do today, but I think I’ll wait until we’re alone to do it.

  “Hey,” she screeches from the other end of the busy hallway. I strain to see over everyone else’s heads and find my girl. Suddenly, the black cap that reads “I’m Done, Bitches!” written in glitter glue on the top comes charging toward us. I step around Jay and Ada, who can’t stop making fucking googley eyes at each other, and move toward Harlow, not wanting to wait another second to get my hands on her.

  “Congratulations, baby,” I tell her as I wrap my arms tightly around her waist and pull her against me. “I’m so proud of you.”

  When she pulls back and smiles at me, I swear that my world stops. Somehow, this woman has made every day with her feel like it’s the first time we’ve met, and the butterflies don’t want to go away. She makes me want to be a better man, because that’s what she deserves.

  “I can’t believe I’m done,” she whispers like its some terrible secret.

  “And I can’t believe we’re still standing here. I’m starving, Lo, can we go now?” Alex groans from beside us, and I laugh while Harlow rolls her eyes. Even though she and Alex have gotten closer, we still get to see the bratty teenager in her from time to time.

  “Yeah, let’s go grab something to eat. I’m hungry, too,” Harlow says with a gleam in her eye that tells me that she isn’t just hungry for food. Well, if that’s what my girl wants, then I’ll be happy to deliver, later tonight.

  ***

  After lunch at a nice restaurant and a long drive home, everyone leaves our house. Alex tells us that she has a date with some guy from school and that she’ll be home in a few hours, leaving Harlow and me alone.

  I grab us a beer, and we head outside to sit by the pool, just enjoying the last of the day’s sunshine. She immediately puts the bottle down on the ground and shifts toward me.

  “I’m so glad that I’m done. I already have a job as a vet waiting for me at the animal hospital, and I don’t have to work nights anymore. Plus, I don’t have to drive so far and put so many miles on your car to study my butt off about the inner workings of a cat’s ear.” We both chuckle.

  “Baby, it’s our car, remember? I told you that whatever is mine is yours.”

  “Yeah, but that’s not true, Blake. We just live together, so everything that is yours isn’t mine. We aren’t married or anything.”

  Thank you for the perfect opening, babe.

  “How about we change that?” I tell her and pull the ring that has been burning a hole in my fucking pocket for almost a year now. I wanted everything to be perfect and knew that trying to plan a wedding while she was working her ass off to finish school wouldn’t be the best idea, so I sat on it until I knew she would be ready.

  Her soft gasp makes my face break into a smile. Her gasps are always a good thing whether we’re having sex or just a conversation; her gasps almost always mean I’m doing something right.

  “Blake,” she whispers.

  “Harlow, we’ve been together for over three years now, and I’ve known since about a week after I ran over your piece-of-crap car that I wanted more from you than an insurance claim. You have been the one person I’ve been waiting for my whole life. I can’t wait to start a family with you and grow old with you. Will you be my wife?”

  She’s silent for a few seconds, her hands covering her mouth, before she nods, and a tear slides down her face. She moves her hands away and leans into me. “Of course I’ll marry you, Blake. I love you so much.”

  I slide the two-carat, platinum banded halo diamond onto her ring finger and then pull her body into mine, pressing my lips to hers and showing her how much I love her.

  After a few minutes, I pull away and lean my forehead against hers. “So, how about we practice starting that family now?” I waggle my brows at her and stick the tip of my tongue out, thinking that she’ll laugh at my attempt to tell her I want to have sex with her, but when one shoulder comes up in a shrug and her head tilts to the side, I know she’s got something big to say.

  “I don’t think we’ll have to practice too hard, babe.”

  I cock my head. No. She can’t be telling me what I think she’s telling me, right? I’ve been subtly talking about us starting a family for the past two years but knew she wasn’t ready, so I always played my words off as a joke. I have wanted to be a dad since Jay and Ada had Maya and I saw the love that they shared with their baby girl. Now Harlow’s telling me that I will have that sometime soon?

  “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I ask, mentally crossing my fingers as I wait for her answer.

  She nods again and stares at me expectantly. I’m stunned speechless. When I don’t say anything, she begins to ramble nervously.

  “I’m sorry, Blake. I really thought you wanted to have a baby with all the teasing about starting a family you’ve made. I was a few weeks late when I took the pregnancy test. Then I remembered that I missed my pill a few times during the last semester, with all of the craziness going on, and I think I missed one too many, because I’m pregnant.”

  I blink at her a few more times, unable to say anything that would wipe the nervous expression from her face. Just as she’s about to explain again, I grab her face and pull her to me once more. Our lips crash together, and I kiss her with everything in me.

  I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my entire life, even when Harlow told my mom to “mind her own fucking business” at Christmas last year when my mom tried to tell her that Alex was going to become one of those Teen Moms she sees on television if we didn’t do something to correct her behavior.

  I squat down and carefully pick Harlow up out of her chair, more than ready to take my fiancée and the mother of my unborn child up to bed and show her how much she means to me. On our way to the bedroom, I feel so thankful Harlow decided to take a chance on us, and this is just the beginning.

  Acknowledgements

  The stories in my head would never make it onto paper without the help and encouragement of my family. Thank you to my wonderful husband, Joe, for always pushing me to write. I don’t know that I would have the time or drive to do it if you weren’t cheering for me the entire way. I love you.

  My two munchkins. Life is always so beautiful with you in it. I love you a bushel and a peck.

  My beautiful mom. I wouldn’t be the person I am if it weren’t for you, and even though I don’t like
the idea of you reading the things I’ve written, I’m glad I have you to turn to for feedback and encouragement. You are my North Star. I love you, Ma.

  My fantastic beta readers. Cassie, Angela, Dina Alexander J, Helen, Gretchen, and Mollie. You ladies are wonderful and this wouldn’t be half the book it is without your input. I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.

  My fabulous editor- you know who you are. Thank you for noticing all of my awkward sentences and missing commas. You have polished this book into what I always hoped it would be.

  And last but not least, you. Yes, you. The person who bought and read this book. Thank you so much for taking a chance on this story. Whether you loved it or hated it, I appreciate you. Please leave me some feedback and let me know what you thought of Blake and Harlow’s story.

  About the Author

  Ash Johnson lives in Utah with her awesome husband, two little munchkins, and a mutt named Moo. When she isn’t tapping away on her computer, you can normally find her reading or at some function for her children.

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  Other works by Ash Johnson

  Feel My Love

  Take Care

  Down & Dirty