Along Came Mr. Right (22 page)

EPILOGUE

One year later, Olivia and Max returned home shortly before ten o’clock. Upon their entrance, Paige uncurled her legs from the couch and turned to greet them with baby Juliet asleep in her arms. “Did you have a good time?”

Paige had offered to babysit for them on their one-year anniversary. “Dinner was amazing. It was the first time in an entire month I can recall eating hot food.” Olivia sat on the couch beside her. She wanted to tuck the image of Paige holding Juliet away in her heart forever. They were both changing so fast. “How are my two favorite girls?”

Paige gave Olivia a sheepish look. “I know you’re supposed to put babies down to sleep, but I can’t stop looking at her. She’s so perfect and so tiny.”

Max came to join Olivia and Paige on the couch, shifting his gaze between the newborn and teenager. “We feel the same way about you. Watching you grow and change has been a true joy.”

“Jeez, Mr. R., you’re making me feel old.” Paige blushed as she came off the couch. “I’m going to go take Juliet to her crib. I’ll be back in a minute.”

There had been lots of changes in Paige’s life during the past year. Her grades continued to improve, and there was no doubt about her finishing her junior year. Next year she’d be a senior. Then there was graduation. Olivia got teary-eyed just thinking about Paige going away to college.

Max and Olivia’s lives had changed in some ways. In others, not at all. Max still taught at Denny High School, and Olivia continued to run the Tomorrow Foundation. They’d been married last April and welcomed Juliet into their hearts last month. They’d allowed Paige to help them choose her name. When the teenager suggested Juliet, Olivia knew it was perfect. Their daughter would never be a tragic heroine. Instead, her name was a symbol of triumph, of all the things Paige, Max, and Olivia had overcome to be where they were today.

Olivia turned to look at her husband. A slow, admiring grin spread across his face. “You know, Mrs. Right, there is one anniversary present you could give me that will make this day complete.”

“What is that?” she asked, taking his hand, holding tight. She wanted this feeling of utter contentment to go on forever.

He reached toward the end of the couch, for his computer. He turned it on and pulled up the Matchmaker 2.0 start screen. The logo of two hearts intertwined revolved before her. “You could take the Matchmaker test. You never took the test after I fixed the program.”

Olivia laughed. “What is the probability that we could be any happier than we are right now?”

Max contemplated her words for a moment before he shut the computer screen and set the laptop aside. “You’re right. I don’t need to know. I have everything I’ve ever wanted right here in this house.”

Olivia leaned in and kissed him softly. “I love you, Max.”

“I love you, Olivia.”

In that moment, Olivia knew with 100 percent certainty that there really was such a thing as happily ever after. She didn’t need the Matchmaker app to tell her that.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are no unwanted children. Just unfound families.

This book is dedicated to everyday heroes who open their hearts and homes to society’s most vulnerable children.

My thanks go out to all the people who made this book possible. To Mary Jo Chambers and Brooke Lamberson, thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences about being a foster parent with me. What a blessing you are to the abused, neglected, and at-risk children who’ve been touched by your love. I am also very grateful to Jeff Judy, Pacific Northwest executive director of Olive Crest, and Sharon Mooers, Pacific Northwest regional development director of Olive Crest, for sharing the gift of your knowledge and your time.

To three of the strongest, most talented women I know: Teresa DesJardien, Pamela Bradburn, and Karen Harbaugh, thank you for setting aside your own writing to help me. I cannot express how much I value your love and support.

To my niece, Jessica, for helping with all the teenage details. It’s been a while since I was there, and I appreciate your help.

To Maria Gomez, your unfailing support and laughter when times were rough mean the world to me.

And to Pamela Ahearn, who believed not only in me but also this book . . . and kept believing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2015 Barbara Roser, Roser Photography

Gerri Russell is an award-winning author of historical and contemporary novels, including the Brotherhood of the Scottish Templars series and
Flirting with Felicity
. A two-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award and winner of the American Title II competition sponsored by
RT Book Reviews
magazine, she is best know
n for her adventurous and emotionally intense novels set in the thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Scottish Highlands. Her debut novel,
The Warrior Trainer
, was also nominated for an award from
RT Book Reviews
for Best First Historical Romance. Before Gerri followed her passion for writing romance novels, she worked as a broadcast journalist, a newspaper reporter, a magazine columnist, a technical writer and editor, and an instructional designer. In her spare time, she is a living history reenactor with the Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire. She lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her husband and children.