When the nurse brought my sweet infant back, she was swaddled in a pink blanket. I gazed at her in wonder. She really was perfect––tiny, but perfect. Court brushed the back of her finger gently across her cheek before saying, “I’ll give the three of you some family time while I go tell the others.”

After she left, I patted the bed beside me, and Sam climbed in next to us. “You did so good,” he praised me. I nodded, unable to tear my gaze away from our perfect child.

We sat there, silently basking in our wonder for a while. I barely even noticed when Sam lifted to take something out of the front pocket of his jeans. “I didn’t even get to the rest of your surprise last night.”

I turned to him with a frown. What more could he possibly have in store for me?

“Abigail Brown, I love you and our daughter with all of my heart.” He held up a magnificent platinum ring, and my mouth fell open. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you make me the happiest man in the world by agreeing to be my wife?”

My heart was overflowing with love and happiness. I didn’t even realize that I hadn’t answered him until he said anxiously, “Well?” I nodded through my tears as he slid the ring on my finger.

“What about the nursery?” I asked him, knowing that he wouldn’t want to move to my place after we were married.

“I had one of the guest rooms at my house turned into a fully stocked nursery weeks ago. I wanted to surprise you.”

I so wished that he had told me this sooner. It would have alleviated my concerns about his intentions. “Then why did you do the nursery at my house?” I asked him.

“That one was Courtney’s idea. I went along with it because I wasn’t sure if you would agree to keep me around on a permanent basis. Besides, the baby needs a place to stay when she visits Aunt Court.”

The others chose that moment to return. They all ‘ooh’d’ and ‘aah’d’ appropriately over the baby. The mood in the room changed slightly when Janice and Sutton Davis joined us. We were all a little apprehensive about how they would react.

Apparently, babies are miraculous peacemakers because Janice’s face broke into a huge, genuine smile at the first glimpse of her grandchild. “She looks just like you.” She beamed at Sam, and he nodded happily at her. When she turned to me, I was immensely relieved to hear her say, “You did a great job. She’s absolutely adorable.”

I smiled and nodded, in complete agreement with her assessment.

It was Sutton’s booming voice that broke the silence. “So, what is the child’s name?”