Chapter 27

Seven Months Later

I watch Logan hand Amelia her presents from Santa, putting his best surprised face on. He helped pick out and wrap every single present for his daughter. He didn't want to miss anything. He even stayed up with me to perfectly place them around the tree.

"Hey, Amy," Logan says before handing her the next gift. "What do elves learn when they go to school?"

I put my hand on my head and cringe, knowing this is going to be another terrible joke, but he absolutely loves to tell the world's corniest dad jokes of all time.

"Ummm …" She giggles, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know."

"The elf-a-bet. Obviously," he says proudly, handing her the gift. "This is from Mommy and me."

"Daddy, that is not funny," she says matter-of-factly but smiles as she takes the gift. "Thanks, Daddy and Mommy."

When Amelia first called me Mommy, I can't lie; a big part of me inside was scared she was just doing it because she felt like she should. But as time went on, I realized she meant it wholeheartedly. And each time she says it, it just makes my heart grow even bigger.

"You're welcome, babe." I smile and watch her tear the paper off and hold the Highland cow stuffie to her chest. "Now, you can add that one to the other ten."

Clyde lies right in the middle of all of the gift wrap, rolling onto his back and yawning, and Amelia pats his head, kissing it.

"Love you, bubba," she whispers.

We're going back to Santa's Village next weekend with my mom and sister. We plan to start a new tradition to go there yearly—only now with Amelia and Logan too. And Logan's family is coming later today, and I can't wait to spend time with all of them. But having Christmas morning with just us three and Clyde? I can't think of anything more perfect.

Amelia leans into her dad, cups her little hands around her mouth, and whispers something, and I frown, wondering what it's about.

Standing up, Logan walks over to the tree and grabs a huge box and carries it toward me.

"The boss and I talked, and the next gift should be for Mom." He sets it down in front of me.

I wave toward the pile of things beside me. "You guys got me way too much."

And they did, and each thing was extremely thoughtful. That's the thing with Logan; everything he does, he puts his heart into it and really thinks about it.

"Well, this is the last one, so get excited, Boston!" He leans down, kissing my head.

Tearing the paper slowly, I get it unwrapped and open it, just to find another box that's also wrapped. I go through the process again, only to find a smaller third box.

"Are you guys playing a joke on me?" I narrow my eyes playfully.

"It could be coal in there." He shrugs, keeping his voice low. "After all, you have been a bad girl."

"You're one to talk," I mutter, unwrapping the third and finding a fourth.

When I get to a fifth box, it's tiny, and I'm still not convinced my boyfriend isn't playing a joke on me. After all, he has the mind of a child most of the time.

When I open the box, there's a velvet one inside of it, and I swallow thickly. My heart rate begins to pick up, even though I know I'm getting ahead of myself here because it's likely not a ring.

"Why don't I give you a hand with opening that, Boston?" Logan drawls sweetly, holding his hand out.

With shaky hands, I hand him the box, and he sinks to one knee. Amelia comes beside him and smiles up at me in her Christmas pajamas and messy morning hair.

As he opens the box, the most beautiful diamond ring stares back at me.

"Amelia and I have been wanting to ask you something for a while now." He glances at Amelia for a second before looking at me. "Honestly, I've had this ring since the book party we threw you, but it didn't feel right that day. Not because I wasn't ready, but because I wanted it to just be us." He pauses. "We've had so many moments before that, but this one … it's my favorite. It's just the three of us—and Clyde. In our home. A house that, honestly, didn't feel like home until you moved into it. And everything today is what I'm looking to have for the rest of my life." He smiles, his dimple popping out, making me swoon.

"I know I leave my underwear on the bathroom floor after my shower. I shave my face over the sink and make an absolute mess and can never clean it up correctly. When I cook dinner for you guys, I take out everything and put it back in the wrong place. And I know I tell too many dad jokes for my own good. But I love you, Maci McKenzie."

He nods toward his daughter. "But it's not just about me, but about her too." He takes my hand in his. "We're already a family, but would you do me the absolute honor of marrying me and sharing the same last name as me and Amelia?"

"Yes," I blurt out, unable to stop myself as I blink the tears from my eyes. "Yes." I nod quickly.

He slides the ring onto my finger, and Amelia throws her arms around my waist. Lifting her up quickly, I put my forehead to hers, and Logan wraps his arms around us.

"My girls," he says, kissing Amelia's cheek and then my lips. "This is the best Christmas of my life." He wipes his own eyes.

I can't even croak out a response because I'm so close to falling apart in the very best way.

These two are my greatest blessings. I never knew it was possible to love or to be loved this much because, for years, I was convinced that to be fully and completely loved, I would have to mold myself into something else. Someone more … lovable. More chill. More fun. Less uptight. Now, I know the truth. That, for the right person, those aren't flaws, but the opposite.

For so long, I wrote fairy tales because I wanted to get as close as possible to feel the magic of them, knowing it was far-fetched to ever land myself a happily ever after in real life. Yet here I stand. And I can say, without a shadow of a doubt … this fairy tale is greater than any words I could ever write.

Maci shows my family her ring, and I am loving the smile that spreads from ear to ear on her beautiful face. This Christmas is one for the books for sure.

"My big brother finally found someone to marry his ugly ass!" Link says, throwing his arm around me. "I guess it's true what they say. There really is someone for everyone, huh?"

"Har har." I pretend to laugh but shove him off of me. "Everyone knows I'm the hottest Sterns man. But whatever makes you feel better, by all means, Linky Dinky, go ahead."

"Don't get too carried away, little brother. Trav just landed a modeling gig," Carter says, holding his beer up toward Travis. "I don't see any of us getting approached by big-time photographers. Well, aside from the two of you with those underwear campaigns." Carter frowns. "Those make me uncomfortable, FYI."

"Yeah? Think of how we feel. We have to sit there with our junk poking through the thin fabric while a room full of people stare at us," Link says, rolling his eyes.

"I, for one, don't give a f—crap," I say with a shrug. "Liberating, to be honest." I point at my baby brother. "So, you're a famous model now? Is that what you're saying? What happened to being a doctor?"

"Well, first off, med school is expensive. I gotta pay my debt somehow," he answers matter-of-factly. "And second, I wouldn't say famous."

Maci walks beside me, putting her arm around my waist and grinning. "Actually, I've seen his pictures floating around social media, and I'd totally put him on a cover."

My mouth hangs open. "You haven't even put me on your cover."

"Duh, because you're too ugly," Link chimes, taking a chip and dunking it in the dip.

"Don't be an ass," Tate says, driving her finger into his side. "Also, save some chips for the rest of us, would you?"

Link freezes for a second before he shoves the entire thing in his mouth and reaches for another. "I can't help it; I'm hungry, and smelling that prime rib cooking is making my stomach growl."

Ignoring everyone else, I look down at my fiancée again, putting on my best pouty face. Because hell no am I accepting that she'd put Travis on one of her books before me.

"You'd put Trav on your cover and not me?" I wave my hand at my face. "Is this not a money shot?"

"Face it, Logie. You're getting old," Carter calls out nonchalantly. "You and Link are too washed up now."

"Fuck did I do to get brought into this?" Link mutters.

Maci giggles, putting her hand on my chest. "You aren't too old. Well, maybe for some of my stories, you would be. But, Logan Sterns, if I put you on my cover, there'd be thousands of people around the world reading those spicy scenes and imagining you—aka my fiancé." She wags her finger. "Nah-uh-uh. I don't think so. I'm not having you in my readers spank banks."

"But you want me in a spank bank?" Travis says, sounding offended. "I don't know how I feel about that. I mean, just how dirty are your books, Mace?"

"Yeah, Mace, how dirty are these books?" I say, raising an eyebrow and dropping my voice down. "And how on earth do you come up with the inspiration for them?"

Ignoring me, she glances at Travis. "They aren't that bad," rushes from her lips. "You know what? Just forget I said anything." She cringes. "Anyway … modeling, huh? So exciting."

"Someone's nerrrrrvous," I utter into her ear.

Suddenly, Crew and Amelia run into the kitchen and rush in front of Maci.

"When are we doing the cookies?" She puts her little hand on Maci's knee and bounces up and down with excitement. "I'm doing a reindeer cookie." She looks at Crew, grabbing his hand. "Which one are you going to do, Crewy?"

"A baseball one," he says instantly. "With sprinkles."

"We don't—" Amelia starts to say, but Maci sweetly takes over.

"That sounds great, Crew. And I bet it'll taste good too."

As Crew turns toward Tate, a grin spreads across his face. "Mama, did you hear that? I can do a baseball cookie."

"Awesome. How … festive." She smiles, cringing slightly before she scoops him up.

Amelia looks at me, frowning. "It's Christmas, Daddy. We're not apposed to make baseball cookies."

I laugh at the way she said supposed to before lifting her up. "It's Christmas Day. That means we can make whatever cookies we want. And guess what. We're using your grandmother's recipe; Maci got it from Papa, and I knew my mom pretty well. She'd want everyone to make whatever kind of cookie made them happy."

Unconvinced, she exhales. "Okay."

"I made the dough last night; I'll get everything ready to start baking them." Maci presses a kiss to my cheek and then Amelia's head before heading toward the refrigerator and taking the dough out.

I watch her go through the steps just like she does with everything that she does in life. She might think it's a flaw, but as a dude who hardly knows where his truck keys are most of the time, I appreciate the particularly organized queen she is.

First, she washes the counter—twice. And then she wipes it down with a dry paper towel before taking out all of the cookie cutters and rolling pin. Taking the flour from the cupboard, she measures it before putting some on the counter and rubbing some onto the roller. One by one, she sets the cookie cutters out in a row, all while having to navigate around Clyde, who sat his big ass right at her feet. Once she puts the two step stools next to the counter, she turns toward all of us.

"Anyone want to make the first cookie?" She looks around curiously, saying the words loud enough for all of us to hear, but I know the question is meant for Crew and Amelia. "I need two volunteers to go first. Hmm … maybe Logan and Link?"

Amelia wiggles in my arms furiously until I let her down, just like Crew does in Tate's. They both run toward her, each taking a step up onto the step stools.

"Oh, you two want to be first?" Maci smiles. "You got it."

"She's a good one, son," my dad says, stepping next to me and putting his hand on my shoulder. "Your mom would have loved her. She fits right into our crazy clan."

Tate and Michelle are now in the kitchen, too, helping the kids with their cookies, but I can't tear my eyes off my future wife. She laughs so hard that her eyes squeeze shut when Tate holds up what I'd say is supposed to be a baseball, but it looks like it was chewed on by Clyde and maybe ran over a few times.

"Thanks, Dad. I think so too," I utter, taking in the sight of my kitchen that is filled with family. All because the love of my life planned this afternoon, even going as far as getting the cookie recipe from my dad.

That's who Maci is though. She wants everything to be perfect for others, and it's never even about herself.

"I know, for years, I wasn't much of a dad." My dad's voice breaks.

When my eyes fly to his, I don't just see the emotion behind them; I feel it.

"You were fine, Dad," I whisper, caught off guard because my father doesn't usually get deep in emotions. "You lost your wife; you did the best you could."

"Yeah, I did. But you lost your mom," he chokes out, swallowing. "And yet you stepped up, helping to take care of your brothers, putting your own needs aside to make sure they had what they needed to grieve. I knew right then that you'd make one helluva dad one day." His grip on my shoulder tightens. "I was right, Logan. Watching you raise Amelia is one of my favorite things."

"Thank you," I say in a low whisper. "That means a lot. Because some days, I just wing it and hope for the best."

"That's all you can do." He smiles. "You and Link have made me so proud. Not just how you are as fathers, but as partners. You're supportive of the women you love. Make sure that never fades."

"I will," I say, my eyes shifting back to Maci as he gives my shoulder one more pat before walking off.

It took a damn good woman to step into my life and make me realize what I was missing out on. And I can't wait to marry her and give Amelia a little brother or sister too.

Sometimes, life doesn't make a whole lot of sense. And there've been so many times when I questioned what the point was of certain things that had happened in my life. But looking around right now, I'd say everything happened how it was supposed to. And I can't believe that the universe blessed me with the best daughter and now with the most incredible woman to step in to be her mom. And for the rest of my life, I'm going to make sure I do my part to continue our own love story, even greater than the ones she writes about.

After all, I am the number one book boyfriend.

The End

Do you love a good second-chance marriage story that will tug at your heartstrings, make you cry, and have you blushing? Read on for a sneak peek at book two of the New England Bay Sharks series, Shoot Your Shot.