Jack fell into step next to her, one hand on the gurney. Em could smell his good Jack smell—grapes and laundry detergent and sun. He smoothed some hair off Faith’s forehead, and the gesture made Em’s throat tighten.

He was such a good guy.

They went through the automatic doors of the hospital, Levi murmuring to his wife. Behind them, the Holland clan followed, chattering like magpies.

A couple of kids were waiting to be seen, one of them running around with a paper airplane, the other holding gauze on his chin as he wiggled his front tooth. Crazy Matthias Pembry was talking animatedly to himself—time for a medication adjustment, no doubt. An old lady in a wheelchair was glaring at the runner, and a man clutched a bloody dishcloth to his ear.

“Are you a nurse?” he asked. “I seem to have torn off part of my ear.” He held something up. Ah. The ear. A small trail of blood ran down his neck.

“That’s nasty,” Faith said.

“Step away from my wife,” Levi said, not nicely. So cute, men!

“Oh, another contraction. God, I’m amazing. Look at me, talking through these. I rock.”

“No ego problems here,” Jack murmured.

“I really want to push,” Faith said, a little breathlessly. “Can I push? Technically, we’re at the hospital.”

“Don’t push yet,” Emmaline said. “Shelayne? You want this baby born here, or shall we get moving?”

“Everyone’s a critic,” Shelayne said, coming over. “Hi, Faith. About time. You ready to meet the baby?”

“Good luck, guys,” Em said. Suddenly, she was choked up. She punched Levi on the shoulder, and off they went, a chorus of “Good luck, Faithie!” and “We love you!” floating behind them.

“I still think I should be her birthing coach,” Prudence said, flopping into a chair. “I’ve done this twice. Ned slid out like he was greased, all bloody and cute—”

“Mother. Cease,” Ned said.

“I’m hungry,” the grandfather said. “Who brought food?”

“Fred Norbertson?” a nurse called.

The man with the ear wound started forward, but his, um, fragment fell to the ground. He didn’t notice.

“You forgot your ear,” Em said. Abby dry heaved.

“Oh! Thanks.” He picked it up and smiled at Emmaline, giving her a quick up-and-down scan.

The entrance doors opened, and Colleen came in, sliding her phone into her bag. “The vigil begins! Connor’s sending over sandwiches. Are we waiting here, or are we going upstairs to Maternity? How many of us are there?”

Time for Emmaline to go. She was the outsider here. “Good luck, Team Holland,” she said with a self-conscious wave.

A chorus of goodbyes and thanks rose up from the ranks.

Her eyes stopped on Jack. “Bye,” she said.

“Thank you, Emmaline,” he said. He smiled. And that was it. For a second, she thought he was going to say something more.

He didn’t.

The drive back to the station seemed long and lonely.

It was after five, so technically, she was off duty. Carol and Everett were gone, though Ev was on call tonight.

She tidied up the department kitchen and sat down at her desk. As she filled out a few reports, her mind kept going back to the hospital. She hoped everything would go okay. Nice, that whole mob there, waiting for news of the baby. Hard to imagine, being a part of that, when her own family was so small.

Speaking of her family, maybe Ange wanted to do something tonight. Go for a run with Sarge, maybe get some nachos at O’Rourke’s afterward. She picked up the phone.

Then the station door opened, and Jack came in. Em stood up fast. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Everything’s fine.”

“Did the baby come already?”

“I don’t think so.”

Em took a quick breath. “Then what are you doing here? You should be at the hospital.”

“Would you want your brother there?” he asked. “I can go over later. When everyone’s clean and not bloody.” He put his hands in his pockets. “I came to see you.”

“Oh.” She sank back into her seat. “Um...hi.”

“Hi.” He smiled, just a little, his eyes crinkling before his mouth moved.

“How are you?” She swallowed.

“I’m fine. How are you?”

“I’m... That’s...yeah... Good, I mean.” So smooth.

Jack came closer. As in, right next to her desk. “I took Hadley back to Savannah. She won’t be back. In case you didn’t hear.”

“I didn’t. That’s...that’s great. I mean, it’s great if you say it’s great.”

He looked at her hands, then back up at her. “Emmaline, I’m so sorry for what I said about you being a bully. You’re not. You couldn’t be if you tried.”

“Right.” Her voice was a whisper now. “Thank you.”

“Also, I’m in love with you.”

“Is that right. Wait. What did you say?” She felt her face flush, and her heart, God, it was hummingbird fast.

He smiled, a full-on, 100 percent smile, a smile so good she felt it in every molecule. “I love you, Em.”

“But...I thought you weren’t, uh, looking for a relationship.” Her eyes seemed to be filling up.

“I wasn’t. I seem to have found one anyway.”

“Oh. I...that’s...that’s good.”

“Glad you think so.” He reached into his pocket. “I brought you a present.”

He handed it to her, and she had to laugh, because it was a bag of Skittles. “Got any chocolate cake to go with that?” she asked.

“I do at home.”

Home. Now that was a nice word. There was a whole future in that word. He took her hand and looked at it for a second. “I got you this, too,” he said.

And then he dropped on one knee, and Em found that she was shaking, and this was quite a surprise. But holy bleep, Jack was proposing. Or he had just lost a contact.

Except he didn’t wear contacts.

He looked up at her with those blue, blue eyes. “You’re the best person I know, Emmaline Neal. Give me another chance. Marry me.”

He had a ring. A ring. Good God, he had a ring.

“Okay,” she whispered, and it came out in a squeak, but it didn’t matter, because he slid the ring on her finger, and then he stood up and was kissing her, his mouth warm and firm and smiling against hers.

“I love you,” he said again.

“It’s about time,” she whispered.

EPILOGUE

Well, of course we’re here at Jack and Emmaline’s wedding! Where else would we be? What a beautiful day they got, too! The barn looks beautiful, doesn’t it? It’s a Holland family tradition to get married here. Faith did, and so did Honor, just last year, remember?

Hmm. The wedding party’s a little big, but with Jack’s family, how can you blame them? Look at the program. The groomsmen are his three brothers-in-law—Levi, Tom and Carl—and his nephew, Prudence’s son. And Connor O’Rourke, they’re old friends, of course. I see Emmaline made his sisters and niece bridesmaids. Doesn’t Faith look wonderful, and with little Noah just a few months old. Good for her.