Page 73 of Sadie's Guarded Harbor

“Tommy? Amelia?” She picked up a jacket from the floor and hung it in the closet before moving further into the home she now shared with the most wonderful man she’d ever met.

“Back here.” His strong voice came from the kitchen.

Resisting the urge to clean as she went, she made a beeline to the kitchen, the savory smells of garlic and oregano urging her forward. The table was set with two plates filled with spaghetti and meatballs, two glasses of wine, and a single candle in the middle.

“Mommy! You’re home!” Amelia’s little voice reached her seconds before her daughter catapulted herself into her arms.

Sadie hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head. She focused on the sweet display in her kitchen and the two people she loved more than anything and not the sauce-splattered stove and dishes piled in the sink. “What did you do?”

Tommy grinned and pulled a chair out for her to sit. “We cooked.”

She laughed and hobbled across the room with Amelia still attached and placed a kiss on his cheek before sitting.

Amelia skipped over to Tommy and sat on his lap.

“I see that. Why?” Tommy had a long list of positive qualities, most of them surrounding his total commitment and devotion to her and Amelia, but preparing meals wasn’t one of them. Which was fine with her since cooking was something she loved.

He shrugged and circled his arms around Amelia. “Wanted to be nice. Between work and helping at the women’s shelter, you’ve been so busy. We thought you deserved to be pampered a little bit, didn’t we goose?”

Amelia giggled at her new nickname.

Warmth spread all the way down to Sadie’s toes. She picked up the wine glass and took a sip of the dry red wine. “Pampered is nice.”

He pulled out his phone and showed her the screen displaying a grand resort nestled along a beautiful coastline. “That’s not all I have. We never took that vacation. What do you think about escaping this nasty March weather and heading to the beach? Warm weather, sandy beaches, and maybe a sitter to help with the rugrat when we need some alone time.” A wicked gleam lit his eyes.

She grinned. “Sounds like heaven. When do we leave?” Mentally rolling through her to-do list, she tried to think of the best time to take some days off for a much-needed escape.

“Next week.”

She dropped her jaw and set down her glass. “What? That’s too soon. I don’t even know if I can take the time. I have things to get done before jetting to the beach. And Amelia has school.”

“I already talked to the sheriff, who agreed we both deserved a week away. Laura has plenty of help at the shelter and Mrs.Collins said she needs a break so she can come with us. Amelia’s teacher said she can give her all the work she’d need to do while we’re gone. And there’s only one thing on that to-do list of yours that needs handled before we can go.”

“I don’t have a list right now,” she said, hiding her grin behind a smirk.

Amelia jumped off Tommy’s lap and grabbed a crumpled sheet of paper from her pocket. “We made you one.”

Sadie took the note and read the list the two troublemakers had made. Each line listed the tasks Tommy had already seen to with a check mark beside all but the last sentence, which readGet final answer.

He slid a ring box from his pocket and dropped to one knee. “Marry me.”

She gasped and pressed her hands to her mouth. “Are you serious?”

Amelia hopped up and down on her toes and clapped her hands. “Say yes! Please, Mommy. Tommy wants to marry us! He wants to be my daddy.”

Tommy winked at Amelia then smiled up at Sadie, dimples flashing. “I wouldn’t put it on the list if I didn’t mean it. And Amelia’s right. I love you both more than anything in the world. I want to be her daddy. I want to be your husband. I want us to be a family. Forever. If you’ll have me.”

She’d never dreamed she could have the kind of happiness Tommy brought into her life. A lifetime with him was more than she’d dared to hope.

Tears filled her eyes, and she dropped her shaking hands. “Yes.”

A whoop of joy erupted from his mouth. He sprang to his feet and scooped her and Amelia up against him. She laughed and framed his face with her hands. How had she gotten so damn lucky to find this man? A man filled with joy and kindness andpassion. A man who loved her for exactly who she was—who loved her daughter as his own. “I love you, Tommy Wells. I can’t wait to be your wife.”