No, God no, he couldn’t think that—

Her tongue felt thick as she said, “It wasn’t a miscarriage. They weren’t talking about me.”

The hand that was stroking her hair stilled. “Sophie?” He pulled back to stare into her eyes. She watched relief war with disbelief on his face, as if he didn’t want to give in to hope again, only to come crashing back down harder.

“But the blood, I saw the blood.”

She pushed down the sheet and took his hands in hers, placing them over her stomach. Her eyelids felt like they had lead weights hanging from them, but she had to explain. “I had a fibroid in my uterus.” She hoped she was making sense. “A really fast growing one. That’s why Marnie didn’t catch it earlier when she was concentrating on finding heartbeats. They’re going to take me in for surgery to get it out.”

He looked down at their hands, linked over her. “So you’re—they’re—”

“Yes.”

“Excuse me, sir, you can’t be in here. I need to finish prepping Ms. Sullivan for surgery right away.”

She knew that fierce look Jake gave the nurse oh-so-well, and loved that Jake was willing to fight any battles he needed to for her. For their children. He was going to be the most wonderful father. The most loving husband.

As he argued with the nurse, telling her she could take it up with Sophie’s mother in the waiting room if they needed proof that he belonged with her, that she needed him, she held on to his hands...and knew that everything was going to be okay, after all.

Chapter Twenty-four

In the twenty-four hours after Sophie came out of surgery, the entire Sullivan clan invaded the hospital. She’d never been so suffocated by their concern as they hovered over her...or felt so loved. Through it all Jake stayed beside her, his hand holding hers, his strength bolstering hers as they fielded her brothers’ reactions to seeing their baby sister with a man they had thought would never be able to love.

How, she wondered for the thousandth time, could they not have known Jake loved with his entire heart, with every last piece of his soul?

Desperately wishing she had a moment alone with Jake to finally tell him everything that was in her heart, as soon as the door finally closed behind Gabe, Megan, and Summer, she said, “Jake, there’s so much we need to tal—”

Smith pushed through the door before she could finish her sentence. She knew he had walked off his set in Australia the moment her mother called. His arms immediately came around her and he held her longer than anyone.

So many times Smith had been like a father to her, and after working to stay strong with the rest of her siblings, she couldn’t keep the sobs from coming when her favorite brother’s arms were around her. She’d spent so many years hoping and dreaming of a life with Jake. It was still hard to believe that everything she’d ever wanted was finally hers.

Her brother held her until her tears stopped. “We’ll all take care of you and the babies. You don’t have to marry him, Sophie.”

Smith spoke as if Jake wasn’t in the room, as if she wasn’t still holding his hand. She brushed her tears away before reaching for Smith’s hand with her free one, wanting him to understand how she truly felt.

“I love Jake.”

Smith finally acknowledged his onetime friend with a scowl that would have had anyone else scurrying from the room to find a hiding place. “You were just crying like your heart was breaking in half. You don’t have to pretend with me, Soph.”

She could feel Jake vibrating with the need to leap to her defense, with the instinctive urge to claim her. But she also now knew that he loved her enough to let her deal with it on her own while he backed her up every step of the way.

“I’m not pretending. I’m happy, so incredibly happy that my brother has come all this way to see me. And to give me his blessing.” She squeezed her brother’s hand. “Be happy for me, Smith.” She looked at Jake, then back at her brother. “Be happy for both of us.”

He stared long and hard at Jake, neither man backing down. Finally, Smith turned back to her. “If this is what you really want, I’ll try to be happy for you.”

Jake’s voice came as a warning to her brother. “She’s mine, Smith. And no one hurts what's mine.”

Knowing the man she loved had tried his best to let her fight this fight herself, and that she wouldn’t change one single thing about him even if she could, she told her brother, “Jake is right. I am his. I’ve always been his. And I always will be. I want Jake.” She glanced down at her stomach. “I want the babies we’re making together.” Knowing it was time to finally say what she’d held back from her family for far too long, she said, “And I want you, I want everyone in our family, to accept that I’m more than just your nice little sister who can’t take care of herself.”

The silence between them stretched out for a long while before Smith said, “I always thought your nickname was all wrong.”

The laughter bubbled out of her. “Just as long as no one comes up with any for my kids.”

Smith took a deep breath. “Twins, huh?” He looked amazed and so proud her heart turned over with love. “You’re going to be one heck of a parent, Soph.”

As he leaned forward to kiss her cheek, she whispered, “I had a lot of great teachers. Especially you.”

And then, from out of the blue, Smith held out his hand to Jake. “Welcome to the family.”

Mary Sullivan walked in just as Jake said, “Thanks, Smith. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

Smiling at everyone despite the fact that she was clearly choked up, Sophie’s mother said, “I’m so glad you two finally figured out that you’re meant to be together.”

Sophie gasped in surprise. “Wait a minute, you mean you knew all along that Jake and I would end up…in love?”

“From day one, honey. Just like Jake did, didn’t you?”

She could see how much her mother’s approval meant to Jake as he squeezed her hand tight. “It was all I ever hoped for, Mrs. Sullivan.”

Mary smiled at the man who had captured her beloved daughter’s heart. “Actually, Jake, I’d much rather you called me Mom.”

* * *

At long last, Sophie’s mother and brother left, with a promise to be back first thing in the morning with all of her favorite treats. The door hadn’t quite closed behind her brother, but she couldn’t wait another second to turn to Jake and say, “Did you mean what you said? That you’d been loving me from a distance all this time?”