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Ember whipped around and looked at me.

“I also read the ending, Ember. The ending you wrote and sent to me. You didn’t end it on a happily ever after; you made Rosie leave because she loved them too much to stay.”

“Yeah, well, I created a new form of romance, true to life romance, because God knows life isn’t perfect. Besides, it’s fiction.”

Ember wiped at her eyes.

“No, it’s the truth. It’s what you want to happen because you feel you’ve done something wrong. You need to know that you didn’t,” I said, stepping forward and cupping her face in my hands. “I spent the last two years of my life punishing myself because I was still alive. Then you happened. You made me want to stop and start living again. I struggled for a bit, but I know that loving you doesn’t take anything from Rebecca. It forces me to live my life, be happy, it takes away all the pain I felt.”

Sophie finished hopping in circles, bent down and picked up her drawing.

“I made this for you! It’s a picture of our first Halloween because it’s our first Halloween together. That is me in the middle, then Daddy, then you. You’re even wearing pumpkin leggings.” Sophie said, covering her mouth as she giggled.

Ember took the picture and pressed her hand to her mouth as tears fell down her cheeks.

“What do I do with the book?” She asked, her voice barely audible.

“You publish it. You publish it and promote the hell out of it. If someone recognizes us, we’ll tell them the truth.”

“And what would that be?”

“That the best love story ever told is the one where a romance writer showed up at a miserable, grumpy widower’s house, moved in and took over, and refused to allow him to stay broken.”

Almost immediately her lips were on mine. I wrapped my arms around her, my tongue washing through her mouth while Sophie wrapped both her arms around our legs.

“Does this mean Ember will be at the party?” Sophie asked, jumping up and down.

Ember laughed, breaking our kiss, and reached down and smoothed Sophie’s hair.

“Before I answer, we need to talk about my mother’s co-pay.” Ember said, looking me directly in the eyes.

“What about it?” I questioned, trying to pretend I knew nothing.

“You paid it? After I told you not to.”

I was quiet. This wasn’t exactly how I imagined this information coming to light. I’d wanted to tell her at the right moment, to surprise her, and make things easier for her.

I sighed. “I did. I didn’t want you to stress anymore.”

“And I told you it was my problem to deal with.”

Ember stared at me, an angry look on her face. I wasn’t sure how she was going to react. I deserved to be yelled at because I had no right to do that after she’d told me no, so I braced myself for her anger. Instead, the angry look disappeared, and tears formed and spilled from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She covered her mouth, and I could see the years of built-up worry and stress immediately vanish.

“Thank you,” she sobbed falling into my arms, hugging me.

“You’re so welcome,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.

“Does this mean Ember will be at the party?” Sophie impatiently asked again.

“Yes, Ember will be at the party, baby,” I said.

“Will you stay?” She asked looking up at Ember.

“Yes, Soph, Ember is staying.” I would not give her the chance to answer, which caused Ember to laugh.

“Yeah, Soph, I’m staying.”

Sophie hugged us both tighter, continuing to jump up and down. “This is the best Halloween ever!” She shouted.