Two and a half years later...

I entered the house from the front door. "Hello."

Emma appeared at the top of the stairs, smiling down at me. Déjà vu overwhelmed me. She stood barefoot with her hair curly. It was after she moved into my house when I discovered the curly hair I remembered from the festival.

I climbed the stairs to meet her. "How was your day?"

She smiled. "Really good."

Her lips beckoned me. Her sigh made me hard. Did we have time?

"Do you want to fool around, Mrs. Sumner?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No time."

As if on cue, squawking came from the nursery. "I'll get her."

My three-month-old daughter smiled at me. She was Daddy's princess. I hoped her eyes would be green, and she'd have curly hair. I lifted her out of the crib. Emma stood beside me, smiling as I spoke.

"Were you a good girl for Mommy? You were."

I carried her downstairs. Emma was an amazing mother, but she still fell. It made me feel better to carry the baby when I could.

Emma hollered. "Watch out!"

Oreo ran right by my feet, chasing after Duffy. My brother teased me about Emma's cat every chance he had.

I stayed on my feet and laughed. "I started falling for you the day I caught you."

"I fell for you ten years before."

Our family was everything I wanted. The house turned out amazing. Emma wouldn't be going back to Keene. She wanted to focus on family.

Reluctantly, I looked at my watch. "I have to change." She nodded. "I'll just make an appearance."

"I know it's important to you."

"I'll wish the happy couple well and come home."

"Have a drink."

I shrugged. "Maybe."

"I would have gone to this one, but I'm not ready to leave her."

"Everyone will understand."

We didn't write terms about evenings out into our prenup, because my mother convinced my father we didn't need one. Emma felt more comfortable at events, but we often opted to stay home and write a check. We picked which invitations to accept and it wasn't unusual for me to stop in alone for a few minutes. It was a win-win because Emma liked when I took off my tuxedo. Sometimes she waited for me, wearing absolutely nothing.

When I returned in a fresh suit a half hour later, Daphne was content in her seat and Emma tripped on a toy right into my arms.

I kissed her softly. She put her hand on my shaven cheek.

"I'll be waiting for you."

As I drove away, I thought of my life before Emma. It was dull and lonely until she fell in my arms. She was too young the first time we kissed, but the second time I knew she was the only one for me.

Thank you for reading voting and commenting. Check out Dex's story, Bet on You.

I love crossovers and the Roche-Sumner Publishing world will cross with The Point Next Gen story, Amazing Love Story.