Page 23 of Teacher's Pet

I study her and I should be surprised that he did this. Should be shocked.

But the man’s a bastard. A crazy bastard on a power trip.

“Harley! Tally!” Strong arms surround me and I cough again, my eyes shutting as pain wracks me.

I’d know those arms anywhere.

“Foster,” I growl, coughing.

“Don’t talk. Rest.” He pulls my head to his chest and then reaches out for Harley.

The paramedic tries to pull me away from him and he growls at him, pulling me away.

Tom laughs. “Foster, man! They want to take them to the hospital.”

The blond man nods. “They will probably have to stay at least overnight. But we need to leave now.”

“Fine. I’m going too.”

He holds hands with both of us and lets them load us into the ambulance. I swallow a lump in my throat when I feel his hand gently push a stray, singed hair behind my ear. “I’m an idiot, Tally. I fucking love you and I should have said it the other night instead of letting you push me away.”

“I shouldn’t have jumped to pushing you away. I know you loved her,” I cough and my whole body convulses in pain.

The paramedic glares at us. “She needs to keep quiet.”

Foster glares back at him. “Fine. I’ll do all the talking.” He turns back to me. “I want you to marry me, Tally.”

I jump and squeak and the paramedic glares at us again. “Do I have to put you out of here?”

Both of us shake our heads. But I smile. I can’t breathe right, my eyes are full of smoke and hurt like hell. My body feels like it’s on fire. But I’m so damn happy right now that I don’t fucking care.

“I love you too.”

“ I want to make us a family.” He smiles at Harley. “What do you think, baby?”

She smiles at me through the mask and she looks as happy as me. “I want Miss Carter to live with us and be my mom.”

I hold out my hand to her and tears roll down my face. “I would love that,” I rasp, my voice like nails on a chalk board.

The paramedic sighs and shakes his head and all of us take the hint and shut up. But Foster doesn’t let us go. Not for one minute when they’re checking us out, when they put us in a room together for the night, not when I fall asleep with him holding my hand, stroking it gently while he lies in a bed with Harley and holds her tight.

And the smile never leaves my face. I’m exactly where I was always meant to be. I’m with the man I was meant to find, to hold and to love. And I have a daughter who I adore and can’t wait to hear her call me Mom one of these days.

I never thought I’d find perfect, but I’m a lucky woman. No matter how much I had to go through it, it was all worth it to be sitting here with the love of my life, looking forward to all the years we’ll fight and make up and raise our kids together.

I can’t wait for all of it to start. Especially the make-up sex!

I fall asleep, smiling, dreaming about our future and our family and all the love in Foster’s eyes as he holds me close, cradling Harley.

“I love you, baby girl,” he whispers to me and I smile, finally content to rest.

Knowing that I’ll wake to him and my daughter. Knowing that I’ve found my home.

EPILOGUE: TALLY

“I’m home!” I holler and then pause when Harley doesn’t come charging down the stairs.

Then Foster comes out of the hall and advances on me, his smirk growing as I stare at him, confused. “The new principal started today. McBride was charged officially today too.”

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