Page 118 of About that Fling
“I’m okay with weird. It’s Portland, after all. That’s kinda our motto here.” Mia smiled. “We’re all a little fucked up, but there’s also a lot of love to go around.”
“I think I saw that on a tourism billboard,” Adam said, sliding a hand up Jenna’s arm.
Mia ignored him, still cradling her daughter in her arms. “The nurses and administrators and union reps might squabble like siblings, but they’ll figure it out. And a few people might balk at the chief relations officer having an erotica-writing aunt, but that’s all just noise. It’s the stuff that keeps life from getting boring, but it’s not the stuff that matters. Not really.”
Adam watched his ex-wife’s gaze drop to her new daughter’s face. She stroked a finger over the baby’s cheek, her eyes soft and filled with feeling. She looked lovely and serene and more at peace than Adam had ever seen her.
I never made her look like that, he thought.
This time, it didn’t make him bitter. It made him so damn grateful for the way everything had unfolded.
It hadn’t been an easy path to get here. But if things had been easy, would any of them have appreciated where they stood right now? Probably not as much.
He pulled Jenna tighter against his chest, and she turned to smile up at him. “What are you thinking?” she whispered.
“About birth. Rebirth. Fresh starts. The chance to get it right on the next go-round.”
She grinned, and he felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her. “That’s pretty deep,” she said. “I was just thinking I want a donut.”
“I’ll get all the donuts you want. Donuts for life.” He planted a kiss on her forehead, knowing there’d be plenty of time later to claim her lips and all the rest of her.
A rustling in the hall made them all turn toward the doorway. Aunt Gertie bustled in, her white hair flying as she clasped her hands together and looked down at Mia and the baby.
“Oh my word! What an absolute doll. Isn’t she just precious?”
“Thank you,” Mia said, beaming. “Her name is Lola Jane. Would you like to hold her?”
“Absolutely. Soon, very soon.” Gertie shuffled into the room as she slung a heavy-looking bag from her shoulder. “Actually, I brought something for her. It’s a book I’ve been working on.” She looked over at Jenna, and something electric passed between them. “Actually, sweetheart, it’s your mother’s book.”
Jenna’s lips parted. “M—my mother?”
“Yes.” Gertie settled into a chair. “I found all of her drawings and her words when I cleaned out some boxes last week. I just had to put some finishing touches on the story.”
Jenna began to tremble in his arms. Adam held her tightly, absorbing the meaning of this moment. This delicate thread connecting the woman he loved with the women she loved dearly.
“Oh,” Jenna breathed softly. “I’d love to hear it.”
“So would I,” Mia murmured, rocking the baby in her arms. “Will you read it for us, Gertie? Read it for Lola?”
“My pleasure, girls.” Gert set her bag down to dig through it. “I’m not normally a children’s book writer, so I got input from my agent. And we agreed if it sells, your mother gets credit.” Glancing at Jenna, Gertie straightened with a square cardboard book in her hands. “It’s a story about love and families and how they’re all different. Sometimes mommies and daddies live in different places, or sometimes there’s more than one mommy or brothers and sisters with different parents. There are all kinds of combinations, and they’re all beautiful.”
Mark leaned forward, admiring the pages as Gert spread the book open. “Are those spiders?”
“Yes, they are.” Gertie grinned. “The book is called A Lovely, Tangled Mess.”
Jenna snuggled back in Adam’s arms. As he held her against him, he rested his chin on her head. He felt the steady rhythm of her breathing, and matched his own breath with hers. Warmth spread between them as Gert settled back in her chair.
“Once upon a time,” Gert began.
Tipping her head back, Jenna looked up and met Adam’s eyes. “It has a happy ending,” she whispered. “I know it.”
Epilogue
One year later
“Here are the packets you ordered.” Jenna passed off a cardboard box to Allison Ross. “Do you have everything you need?”
“Oh, thank you.” Allie took the printouts and stuffed the box beneath the podium. “I think I’m good.”
