He kissed her tentatively at first, as if he were remembering how—but it didn’t take long for the memories to kick in, for the kiss to turn hurried, like their absence had made them both hungry for each other, for the love they shared, for the promise of a future.

She pulled away, her breath ragged, and let her forehead fall to his. “I missed you.”

He wrapped his arms around her the way she’d dreamed he would.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” She couldn’t hold him close enough.

“I screwed up, leaving like I did,” he said.

“I screwed up, pushing you away.”

He shook his head. “I understand why you did it, but I just realized our families are going to have to figure it out.”

She took a step back. “I think they are figuring it out. Your mom came to see me. She’s the reason I’m here.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the folded piece of paper Marissa had given her. “She gave me this.”

Cody opened and read it, then met Louisa’s eyes.

“She said she wanted us to be together,” Louisa said. “She said I make you happy.”

His lips tugged into a gentle smile. “You do make me happy.”

“Can I keep making you happy for the rest of my life?”

“Did you just propose to me?” He closed the gap between them.

Her eyes widened. “No!”

He grinned. “Bummer.”

She smiled back. “Happy birthday, Cody Boggs.”

He answered with a kiss so deep she felt it in every part of her body, making it a very happy birthday indeed.

PROLOGUE

Dear Emily,

As I write this, you are approximately six days, three hours, and thirty-two minutes old. We’ve been home from the hospital for four days, and I haven’t been able to stop looking at you the entire time. You sleep in a bassinet next to my bed, and I lie awake at night, listening to you breathe.

To be honest, listening to you breathe is all I do. I feel like it’s my sole responsibility to make sure that continues. It’s a little scary, if I’m honest. And I’m always honest. You see, you came as a bit of a surprise to me, and I guess that’s why I’ve been so nervous lately, in the days leading up to your birth. Because I don’t want to mess anything up.

I don’t want to mess you up.

People always talk about how wonderful it is to have a baby, but no one ever talks about how terrifying it is too. You see, I’m a little bit terrified, and I’m not sure who else to tell. I’m pretty sure my mother would use that fear against me somehow, so I’ll only share it with you, my little girl.