Medical Romance November 2016 Books 1-6. Kate Hardy

       EPILOGUE

      ON EITHER SIDE of her, a small hand clutched hers as she walked slowly towards the waiting plane. After a ton of paperwork and countless trips to their solicitor’s office, Annabelle and Max finally had their answer. Two boys with special needs were on their way to a brand-new life on a brand-new continent. Ready to join their sister, who was being cared for by Annabelle’s mum.

      Six months after Hope’s surgery, the baby had come home to live with Annabelle and Max. The same solicitor who had handled this adoption had done a bit of digging and found a similar case where a preemie baby had been adopted by her nurse. It was enough to convince the courts that Hope belonged with them. Now two years old, she was growing and thriving and had brought such joy into their lives.

      She glanced to the side where Max was making the final arrangements for the flight back to England. He stood tall and proud, no sign of the angry, frustrated man who’d walked out of her door all those years ago. And Annabelle had finally made her peace with never having a biological child. If it happened, it happened.

      They’d compromised on that front. Max had agreed to not using birth control—with a sexy smile as they’d lain in bed after making love one night—and she’d agreed not to seek extraordinary means to have a child.

      The life they now had was enough. More than enough.

      Max meant the world to her. As did Hope, who had given them the best Christmas gift of all: a chance to rekindle their romance and to fix what was broken between them.

      And now these two small gifts had come into their lives, both with heart defects that had needed surgery. Max and Annabelle had met Omar and Ahmed on a brief Doctors Without Borders trip they’d made four months earlier. A colleague of Max’s had performed the surgeries and Annabelle had fallen in love. With those two boys, and with Max all over again. His selfless need to help ease the suffering of others had been more than evident. Then and now.

      They’d both vowed to communicate. And they’d learned how with the help of a counsellor right after they’d moved into Annabelle’s home. At the end of the process, Max had promised to stick with her no matter what. As had she.

      ‘Baba anakuja!’ said Omar, and he gripped her hand even tighter.

      Annabelle glanced up, her eyes watering to see that ‘Papa’ was indeed coming towards them. It was the first time one of the boys had referred to Max that way, and she envisioned many more years of it as they all grew to know one another even more.

      He came and stood in front of her, his gaze searching her face. ‘You’re sure this is okay?’

      ‘Do you even need to ask? Hope will be so happy to finally meet them. So will the rest of the family.’

      Glancing down at the two kids flanking her, he then leaned in and kissed her, his lips warm with promise. A small giggle burst from Ahmed at the PDA.

      ‘It means we’ll have even less privacy.’ He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the gesture making her smile.

      ‘No, it just means we’ll have to be more inventive.’

      ‘More? I don’t see how that’s possible.’ Luckily the kids didn’t have a strong grasp of English yet, but they would learn. Just as they would learn about their own heritage, possibly even returning to Africa one day to give back to their culture.

      ‘You’ll just have to wait and see. I have some ideas.’

      Max leaned in and kissed her again. ‘I think we’d better leave this topic of conversation for another time, or I’m going to be pretty uncomfortable on the trip home.’

      Home.

      Max had explained how seeing their wedding photo on her parents’ wall had made something inside him shift, had made him realise he still loved her.

      That picture now hung over their bed as a reminder of what they stood to lose. It was something that Annabelle kept in mind each and every day.

      There were no more jokes about getting pregnant. She knew just how painful a subject it was, and she was more than willing to leave it behind. For Max’s sake.

      Besides, they were complete just as they were. Adding Omar and Ahmed to their household was just icing on an already beautiful cake.

      And Nate... Her nephew’s surgery had been a complete success, and there was no reason to think the brain tumour would ever return. Jessica was ecstatic, as was everyone else. It seemed they’d all got their happy endings.

      It’s enough.

      Those two words were now the motto of her life. No matter what her problems or difficulties, she would weigh everything against that phrase. Because it was true. Life with Max, no matter what it brought, was enough.

      She wanted to reach up and touch him, but the fingers squeezing hers prevented it. But there were other ways to touch. ‘I love you.’

      ‘I love you too, Anna.’ He kissed her again before moving to the side and gripping Ahmed’s hand, forming an unbreakable, unified line.

      Then they walked towards the open door of the plane, knowing it would soon carry them to a brand-new phase of their lives.

      Where they would wake up to face each and every day.

      Together.

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