by Peters, Liz
Raine looked away, whistling innocently. It hadn’t been entirely her fault; Mason had started it by dropping just-cooked spaghetti over her head, and then Oliver had gotten involved. Needless to say, none of them actually ate any spaghetti that night.
“Speaking of clothes,” she said. “Oliver’s had a growth spurt. We’ll need to take him shopping soon.”
“I noticed,” Mason said with a laugh. “Why don’t we go tomorrow?”
“That sounds like a good plan.”
Raine smiled contentedly and looked back over at Oliver. He was now climbing the stairs to get to the slide, covered in grass and dirt. It was going to be a nightmare to get it out of his curly hair tonight. But she had expected that when she suggested bringing their son to the park today.
She felt a burst of happiness, just as she always did when she thought of Oliver being their son rather than just Mason’s.
They hadn’t yet explained the situation to Oliver. He still called her Raine, which Mason was worried about, but Raine thought it was okay for the time being. On the rare occasions he talked about Emily, he still called her his mom, but he had slipped up the other day at bedtime, bestowing Raine with that title in his drowsy state. And there was no way he had mistaken her for Emily.
They hadn’t even explained to him that they were in a relationship. Still, he knew. He always pressed his blue dinosaur and yellow dinosaur together, making them “kiss,” and then grinned at Raine and Mason. He knew, in his childish wisdom, that the two were together and that Raine was there to stay. That was good enough for Raine right now, especially when she knew just how much her son loved her.
One day, when he was old enough to understand, they would tell him everything. It would be a hard story with a happy ending, but Oliver was the last person who needed to hear it.
Along with…
“By the way,” Mason said, breaking into her thoughts, “your parents and my parents got together and organized a dinner we’re required to attend. Any clue why?”
“Do they need to have a reason?” she asked. “I think they just want to meddle and ask lots of questions we don’t have the answers to yet.”
Oddly, Mason blushed. She looked at him curiously, wondering what he was thinking about to provoke that reaction. He cleared his throat and looked away.
“Actually…” Mason trailed off and looked around. “It’s funny to think… this is the place we met, isn’t it?”
“Well, if you don’t count…”
“I don’t,” he said firmly. “We don’t really remember it.”
“Fair enough,” she admitted. “So, we met here. I was such a mess back then.”
“It was definitely a surprise when you accosted us,” Mason laughed. His expression faded into a thoughtful frown. “But you could say it was this park that allowed us to meet and, eventually, get together.”
“Yes…” Raine said, wondering what he was getting at.
Mason drew in a deep breath.
“I had this huge, fancy plan,” he murmured, and Raine felt her heart beating faster. “But now, standing here in this park, it feels kind of perfect.”
He dropped to his knee, reaching up to hold her hand. Raine’s mouth went dry, vaguely aware of the way people were starting to notice them. She thought she saw the flash of a camera, which she supposed was understandable considering that Mason was still quite famous.
“Raine Hart, I knew I had it bad for you the moment you walked into my life,” Mason began. “I didn’t know who you were or what you’d gone through, but I did know I appreciated just how much you didn’t gush over me.”
“Who’d gush over you, you arrogant jerk?” Raine joked, tears springing to her eyes.
“That kind of reaction is exactly what I liked about you,” Mason laughed. “Over the weeks I got to know you, I realized you weren’t just beautiful, you were also kind, intelligent, and caring. I could see how much you loved Oliver, even if I didn’t know the entire reason why, and you slipped so seamlessly into our lives. I have a lot of regrets, but meeting you…” He paused. “I will never regret meeting you. You’ve made my life—and our son’s life—an adventure.”
He slipped a hand into his pocket and withdrew a small, black box. Raine wanted to laugh and tell him how weird he was, because she couldn’t believe he had carried that with him to the park, but she couldn’t form the words.
When he opened the box, it revealed a thin, silver band inlaid with tiny emeralds and diamonds. It wasn’t over-the-top; it was simple, elegant, and beautiful: exactly the sort of ring she loved. Knowing he had picked this for her, she felt the first tears fall.
“Raine, will you do me the honor of continuing our adventure together?” Mason asked, holding out the box. “Will you marry me?”
Raine wasn’t sure if she answered before she threw herself at him, laughing and crying all at once, knocking them both to the ground, and kissing him soundly.
“The ring!” Mason gasped, pulling away.
The ring, thankfully, was still safe in its box, and Mason laughed as they sat up. The world around them came into focus once more, and Raine heard people applauding.
“Is that a yes?” Mason teased.
“Of course,” Raine breathed, kissing him again.
He slipped the ring onto her finger. It was just a little too big, which meant they would have to get it resized, but Raine couldn’t bring herself to care as she looked at it. Her heart felt so very full, and, watching Oliver racing toward them with the biggest grin on his face, she knew everything was perfect.
“My mom and dad are getting married!” Oliver cried, throwing himself at them and wrapping his arms around their necks.
Mason and Raine narrowly avoided knocking heads, laughing at his enthusiasm. Then, Raine’s eyes widened as she registered what Oliver had said, and she gasped, staring at Mason.
“Yeah, I heard it,” he whispered.
She hadn’t thought she could get any happier, but she’d been wrong. She gathered Oliver, who looked very pleased with himself, into her arms and tried not to cry too much.
“Can I be in the wedding?” Oliver begged. “Addison said her dad got married, and she wore really cool clothes. Can I wear cool clothes?”
“Of course,” Mason laughed as Raine pulled away. “We’ll go look at clothes as soon as we can.”
“Maybe not too soon,” Raine said, wiping her tears away. “Remember that he’s growing. Also, we should probably wait just a little while to have the wedding.”
“Wait, why?” Mason asked, startled.
Oliver leaned toward her. “Are you going to tell him now?” he stage-whispered.
“Yeah,” she whispered back loudly, enjoying Mason’s confusion. “Thanks for keeping the secret since last night.”
Oliver giggled, writhing in excitement beside her.
Raine grinned at Mason. “We have to wait, because someone else will want to be at the wedding, someone who won’t arrive for a while.”
Mason still looked confused, so she laughed and grabbed one of his hands. Slowly, she pulled it until it rested against her flat stomach.
His eyes widened as it clicked. “You’re…”
“I found out yesterday,” she beamed. “Oliver here was very good at keeping the secret.”
“Can it be a girl?” Oliver asked, bouncing with excitement. “Can I name her Lucy? Can she have hair like me?”
“Whoa, don’t get so ahead of yourself, buddy,” Raine laughed. “It might be a boy.”
“And if it is a girl, she might have hair like mine,” Mason said, indicating his darker hair. “You’ve already got hair like your mom. Someone needs to take after me!”
“No way!” Oliver argued.
As Oliver and Mason tussled playfully, Raine couldn’t help but imagine a little girl with Mason’s dark hair and her own brown eyes. She smiled. It was a good image. And she definitely wouldn’t mind a little girl to spoil.
She looked at her family and grinned. Sh
e just knew Oliver was going to be a good older brother, no matter if it was a boy or a girl.
“All right, you two, break it up,” she said finally. “When did you say that dinner was, Mason?”
“Tomorrow night,” Mason answered, his face flushed. His suit was filthy; his dry cleaner was definitely going to have a heart attack.
“Good.” She smiled. “It looks like we have a few pieces of exciting news for them.”
Mason smiled and leaned over to kiss her. They ignored the gagging noises Oliver made before they pulled apart, and then Mason ruffled his son’s hair, causing him to shriek with laughter.
This was her family. They had traveled a very difficult road to get here, a road littered with heartbreak and loss and hardship.
But, as Raine watched them, she knew she wouldn’t change anything for the world.
More books by Liz Peters
Available on Amazon:
Book One
Country Mile; A When Opposites Attract Romance
Book Two
City Minute; A When Opposites Attract Romance
Book Three
Under the Law; A When Opposites Attract Romance
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