Chapter 147

All of a sudden, Craig stood in front of us, blocking the way. Frank saw Craig approach and crossed the room. "May I speak with you both for a minute?"
My heart suddenly sank, wondering what he had done to Alyssa. But I held my cool. If I hadn't learned anything else over the years, it was to curb my jealousy. I looked down at Alyssa, and she nodded. Anyone else would have walked away and let them speak alone. But from what I remembered of Craig, there was no way in Hell that I was going to let that happen.
"What is it, Craig?" Alyssa asked, stiffening.
He stole a quick glance at me, and then focused on Alyssa. "Look: I'm sorry for what happened the other day for the kiss " I stiffened as I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to hold my cool until he finished. " but I wanted you to know that it'll never happen again. I'd like to continue our professional relationship, and I promise that nothing like that will ever happen again."
"It better not," Alyssa said, her voice harder than usual.
Craig held out his hand to Alyssa. "No hard feelings
She looked down at his hand and softened. "Come here," she said as she pulled him in for a hug. "We've been friends way too long for that."
Then the tension seemed to fade. Especially within me. At that moment, I realized that Alyssa could take care of herself. I wrapped my arm around her and proudly pulled her to my side. But then I gave Craig a warning look that told him not to try anything with her again.
"So, you want to do this?" Frank asked, giving me a manly slap on the back. Then, he raised an eyebrow expectantly.
I nodded as I forced a smile.
The audience applauded as Tasha finished a song, and then Frank was on the stage beside her. "So, how about that Tasha Granger?" The crowd erupted in cheers and applause filled the room. Frank held his hands up and silence fell over the room. "I'd like to call Logan Ambrose and soon to be Senator Logan Ambrose to the stage!"
The crowd cheered.
I looked down at Alyssa, and she was clapping, too, as she looked at me with pride and admiration. "Go ahead," she said.
"Oh no; you're coming with me." A sly smile spread across my face as I pulled her along. She looked at me with a question in her eyes as I led her up the stairs and onto the stage. She gave Tasha a tight hug, and then Tasha stepped back.
"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for coming tonight and for your generous contributions," I said into the microphone, never letting go of Alyssa's hand. "I hope you'll indulge me, but I have something in particular that I need to ask this beautiful lady here."
Everyone "ooohhhed" and "aaahhed", knowing what was coming, as tears sprang to Alyssa's eyes.
I knelt down on one knee, took her hand in mine, and looked into her tear-filled eyes. "Alyssa Collins, I have waited for you my whole life. You are the love of my life, and I promise that I will love no other for as long as I live. Alyssa Collins, would you do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my wife?"
She reached for my other hand as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Yes. A thousand times, yes."
Then, I reached into my jacket and pulled a box from the inside pocket as I rose to my feet. Standing before her, I opened the box. Inside was the original engagement ring that I had given her before; the same one that we had picked out together ten years ago.
"But but how did you " Alyssa asked.
Alyssa looked over, and Alanna held up her glass and grinned.
"It was the only way I could get it out of your condo," I said.
"Alanna," Alyssa said, her voice merely a whisper.
But, somehow, I knew that Alyssa would forgive her. It had to be that ring. It was the ring that symbolized our future, and the only ring that I wanted to put on her finger besides a wedding band.
"You may or may not know this," Tasha said into the microphone, "but Alyssa and Logan are musicians!" Everyone clapped. "Maybe we can persuade them to sing us a song?" The crowd cheered and clapped.
"Well, what do you think?" I asked with my arms around her waist.
She shrugged as a smile lit her lips. "Sounds good to me, as long as it's with you."
As we took the stage and musicians shoved guitars into our hands, I knew that we had come full circle. We turned to face each other, and Alyssa's eyes sparkled in anticipation. I nodded to the drummer, and as he counted it off, I knew that I had finally come home.
***
Alyssa
One Year Later

"There he is!" Logan's mother said as we stepped into the foyer of his parents' mansion. Physically, she hadn't changed a bit over the last year. Her plastic surgeon must have been making a fortune from her over the years.
Christmas decorations adorned the home. Although they were tastefully done, probably by a designer, there was not one corner of the house that was left undecorated. And everything matched to perfection as gold, silver, red, and green assaulted my senses, along with the heavy scent of pine and spice.
"Mr. Senator!" his father greeted his son proudly as he shook his hand, and then pulled him in for a manly hug.
"Thanks, Dad," he said, smiling. Logan had won the senatorial election by a landslide, and he had already started making good on the promises that he had made while campaigning.
His mother pulled me in for a hug. "I'm so glad you both could make it. How's married life?"
I laughed. "Great," I replied. Since we had married six months before, I couldn't keep from smiling. It appeared that our rocky fairy tale had a happy ending, after all. Or it had started off to be, anyway. "Everything looks wonderful," I said as I looked around. "Merry Christmas."
She patted my back. "Merry Christmas to you, too," she said, and then turned her attention to her son. "I'm glad you came."
"Of course," he said as he reached over and rubbed my back. Then, he looked at me and smiled. "We wouldn't have missed it."
Across the room, Alanna was standing with Curt by her side. When she saw me, she crossed the room right away. It was funny that she and Curt had hit it off the year before and were still together. From what she said, he tried to pull some dominant shit on her once. But by the time she was through with him, he never tried to pull it on her again. From the smile on his face, it was clear that she was good for him, too.
"There she is!" Alanna said as she pulled me in for a quick hug, giving me air kisses over both cheeks, careful not to smudge her lipstick.
"I'm so glad you came," I said, knowing how busy she was. "How's the new girl working out?" After Logan and I married, he had to travel so much for his job as senator that I sold Alanna my half of the business and retired early, much to her dismay.
"Eh, you know. Still breaking her in," Alanna replied. Her new partner seemed nice enough. Alanna had sold the business in Nashville and had relocated to New York, since she and Curt were together. They had tried to make the long distance thing work, but they both decided that she should move to New York. And it had been a good move for them both.
"So, when are you two getting married?" I coaxed.
Alanna laughed so hard that tears came to my eyes. "When Hell freezes over."
"Hey. Don't knock it until you've tried it."
Alanna shrugged as she smiled. "Well, you never know."
"You know what they say-never say never," I said as I pulled her in for a hug.
"May I trouble you to dance with my wife?" Logan asked as he slid his arm around my waist.
"You can have her for now," she said, and then gave him an exaggerated wink and smiled at me as she crossed the room back to Curt.
"So, Mr. Senator," I teased as he led me to the dance floor and curled my hand to his chest, the way he always did when we slow danced. "I have a Christmas present for you."
He laughed. "You already gave me what I wanted six months ago when you married me." He pretended to think. "Actually, it was eleven years ago."
I smacked him lightly on the chest. "Get your mind out of the gutter."
"Okay." He scrunched up his nose as if he was trying really hard to get his mind out of the gutter as I laughed.
"So, it's that hard for you?"
"Getting my mind out of the gutter around you?" he teased. "You have no idea."
"Well, I think I can help with that."
He laughed. "And how's that?"
I stopped dancing and looked into his eyes. "I'm pregnant."
He placed his hands on my shoulders as he looked in my eyes with disbelief. "Pregnant? Really?"
I nodded as a jubilant smile spread across my face.
"Whoo hoo!" he yelled as he picked me up and swung me around. Then, his lips descended upon mine as my heart pounded within my chest. "Hey, everyone! I'm going to be a father!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as everyone applauded. Then, he turned back to me. "Maybe he'll be a future president."
"Or maybe she'll be a musician," I added.
He smiled. "Why don't we agree to let them be whoever they want to be?"
"There's only one thing I want him or her to be," I said.
"And what's that?"
"Happy," I replied, making a mental note not to interfere in my child's life, and to support him or her in whatever profession he or she chose.
"You're right." Logan's face lit up. "I'm going to be a father!" he repeated as he picked me up and spun me around again. As the world whirled around me, I was glad that we had found each other again. Happy that a new chapter of our life together had just begun
END OF VOLUME TWO: IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES, PART 2