“I love you,” I said. I had so many words inside that I could say to try and express my love and thankfulness for him, but those three words pretty much covered it all.

He held me and kissed me for a long time. We probably would have stayed there for hours, but Madison interrupted us.

“You two! Everyone’s been looking for you guys. I mean, this is your party and all,” she said while staring at us in exasperation.

I grinned as I stepped out of Scott’s embrace. “You’re just irritated that you had to get off your chair and come looking for us,” I teased her as I rubbed her heavily pregnant stomach. She was due any day now and her cranky mood was at epic levels.

“Fuck you,” she muttered and turned to stomp back inside.

Scott placed his arm over my shoulders and we followed her. “It’s a shame your Mum isn’t here for the party,” he said. “Where is she now?”

She’d come home for Aurora’s birth and had stayed a few months, but had flown out of the country again two weeks ago. “I Skyped with her this morning, she’s in Hawaii, and she’s met another man.”

“Fuck, I hope this one is better than her last one because I’m not fuckin’ joking, Harlow…if he breaks her heart, I’ll break his goddamn legs.”

J met us at the front door of Trilogy as Scott issued his threat of breaking legs. He raised his brows. “Whose legs are we breaking, brother?” he asked.

“Don’t encourage him!” Sharon chastised J, but I took in the happy smile on her face. She now held Aurora who reached for her daddy as soon as she saw him come in.

I couldn’t hold them in any longer – my tears began falling. They weren’t tears of sadness, but rather of happiness. As I stood in the entry to the restaurant and surveyed the room full of our family and friends, I knew deep in my soul that I was beyond blessed.

For all the struggles we’d been through, we’d come out stronger.

We’d fought for love and we’d won.

And life was even better for it.