MIRACLE ON KAIMOTU ISLAND/ALWAYS THE HERO (31 page)

‘I always went for women who were just as crazy as me.’

Abby’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Women like Fizz?’

A tiny nod. ‘And you were the absolute opposite. So safety conscious. I thought that you would stop me chasing danger and getting that feeling that life was so worth living afterwards.’

‘I don’t want to do that.’ Abby pushed herself to sit upright so that she could make sure Tom understood properly. ‘I never want to do that. I know I’m not as brave as someone like Fizz but—’

Tom stopped her rush of words with a gentle finger on her lips. ‘Shh...’ He was shaking his head. ‘Let me finish.’

Abby shushed.

‘The thing that I realised properly today is that it isn’t where the feeling comes from. An adrenaline rush might make you
feel
more alive for a while but what makes life worth living is
this
...’

He kissed her again. And again.

‘I love you so much, Abby. You make every breath worth taking. You
are
my life. You and Jack. You’re my people. My family.’

As if on cue, a small, sleepy figure in a pair of pyjamas patterned with bright green dinosaurs stumbled through the door of the motel’s tiny living area, his Action Man doll dangling head down from one hand.

Jack blinked. And then he smiled.

‘Hi, Dad,’ he said. ‘You came home.’

‘Yeah...’ Tom’s voice sounded a bit choked. He held one arm out to invite Jack closer for a cuddle but then his gaze caught Abby’s and held it as he tugged her closer as well.

‘I came home,’ was all he said.

It was all he needed to say. They were finally together. A family. And Abby knew they would stay that way and she would make the most of every single minute of it.

Home.

Maybe that was the most powerful word in the universe.

Jack’s sleepy feet had brought him close enough to be scooped up by Tom to join Abby on his lap. She put an arm around her precious son, as well. It was a tangle of arms and she ignored the painful poke from the foot of the plastic doll. This was a squeezy hug to end all squeezy hugs.

Because it was their first family hug. Abby knew with absolute certainty that it would be the first of a countless number. That, maybe, in the not-too-distant future, there would be even more of a tangle of small limbs and plastic toys to contend with.

Somehow, over the top of Jack’s tousled curls, Tom managed to find Abby’s lips for a kiss just for her.

‘Marry me?’ he whispered.

Abby could only nod, her heart too full for her head to find words. It wasn’t much of an answer to a proposal, was it?

She’d kiss him again, she decided. Properly. Just as soon as they’d tucked their son back into bed.

* * * * *