“No, it’s not. I was wrong, and I hurt you, Piper. My only excuse is that what I was feeling for you rocked me, and I wasn’t thinking straight. All I could see was that you’d betrayed me and I was a fool for finally thinking a woman could be special to me. It was like I was vindicated yet again for thinking no woman could ever be everything I wanted her to be.”

“It hurt, I’m not going to lie.”

“I’m sorry, and I’ll say it as many times as it takes for you to believe me. But I can only hope in time you’ll forgive me, sweetheart. I love you so much, baby, more than I believed myself capable of loving anyone.”

“I love you too.” She let him gently ease her close. “But I don’t know what that means for us, Dylan.”

He smiled down at her, his eyes running over every inch of her lovely face.

“It means that we’re having a life together, woman. It means that I want to be there to help you raise Grace, and that I want to be her daddy.”

“What? I-I… really?”

“Is that so hard for you to believe?”

“I-it’s just that this change in you is so sudden, and you always said you would be leaving soon. That your life is in New York.”

“It was, but now it’s wherever you are, and as that’s likely here, I guess that means my life is here too. We have stuff to work out, I know that, and that it’s hard for you to accept that I’ve changed so quickly, but tonight, not knowing if I’d see you again, I realized nothing else mattered but being with you.”

“Oh, Dylan.”

He dropped down to one knee and held her hand. “Marry me, Piper.”

“What? Oh... oh yes.” She tugged him upright.

“We’ll work out the rest, but for now all that matters is that we love each other, and that I realized tonight I can’t live without you.”

She touched his face, mapping his features, and Dylan was fairly sure he’d never been happier in his life than at that moment. Maybe because he’d never allowed himself that chance, but whatever the reason, standing in that empty hospital hallway, he knew that in his arms was everything he’d wanted. Someone who loved him unconditionally the way he loved her.

Chapter 41

“Daddy!”

“Hey, baby girl.” Dylan bent to pick up his daughter. “Is Mommy going to make an appearance soon?”

Dylan stood with Mickey under the trees out the back of his and Piper’s home. They’d spent months refurbishing the place, and finally moved in last week, eight months after he’d told Piper he loved her.

“She’s pretty.”