A Very Special Delivery

been, the near-tragedy had given her hope that she and Chloe could be sisters again.
    Shivering with reaction and cold, Molly bent
to retrieve the tablecloth. As her shaking fingers touched the vinyl, Ethan swooped it up. He placed the soft flannel backing around her shoulders, along with his strong arm.
    “You were amazing.” He gazed down at her with an expression that almost made her forget how scared she’d been.
    “So were you.”
    “No. I mean you were more than amazing. You saved that little boy from a certain drowning. You didn’t panic, Molly. You took control and did what had to be done to save his life.”
    The truth washed over her. She’d been scared, but she hadn’t panicked. She had faced a crisis with a child, and she had not crumbled into hysteria. She had not lost control.
    Both she and the little boy were fine.
    For the first time in two years, her thoughts became crystal-clear as the truth awakened within her. She turned her face into the warmth and protection that was Ethan’s chest. “I have been such an idiot.”
    He said nothing, only rubbed his hands up and down her shivering arms. And then, as if he understood, he heaved a great sigh and enfolded her.
    Burrowing close, Molly absorbed his wonderful warmth, the scent of his skin, the essence of him. “I’ve been scared for so long that I had forgotten how to live. Only an idiot would hold on to crippling fear and let go of you and Laney.”
    His grip tightened.
    “Are you saying what I hope you’re saying?” he asked, his voice a deep purr of hope against her ear.
    “I need you in my life, Ethan. You and Laney. Will you forgive me?”
    “Forgive you? All I ever wanted was to make you see yourself as I see you. A woman of compassion and love. Brave and strong.” He rocked her back and forth. “The past is the past. Let it stay there.”
    The past is the past. Yes, she could accept that now.
    Tilting her head back, she contemplated his wonderful face. She was incredibly blessed to be loved by him. Why hadn’t she seen that before?
    She raised a fingertip to tenderly trace the long scar over his eyebrow. “I love you, Ethan Hunter.”
    “Scars and all?” he asked.
    “Scars and all.”
    The doubt lingering in his expression faded away. He rocked her back and forth and said, “I think you’ve seen the end of the panic attacks, don’t you?”
    “Maybe. But even if I haven’t, I won’t let them interfere with us again. I’ll get through them and keep going. Someday they’ll only be a bad memory.”
    A sigh of relief shuddered through him. She’d hurt him, and yet he was here, ready to give her another chance.
    “We’ll get through them together,” he murmured, placing a kiss on her wet hair. “Marry us, Molly. Me and Laney.”
    Her heart slammed into her ribcage. Her breath came in short puffs, but this time only happiness came along for the ride.
    It wasn’t the kind of proposal she’d dreamed of, but somehow it was perfect. “Okay.”
    Ethan tilted her away from him a little and stared into her eyes. “Did you just agree to be my wife? And Laney’s mom?”
    “Yes, I did.”
    With a whoop of joy, Ethan lifted her high into the air, twirling her round and round. In the distance, their friends turned startled faces in their direction.
    Molly didn’t mind. Cold and wet and absolutely ecstatic, she laughed down at this man who’d helped her escape from her frozen prison and step into the warm sunlight that was life and love.
    Slowly Ethan lowered her to the sand, pulled her close, and warmed her shivering lips with his.
    From the rise a hundred yards away, Molly heard the sound of applause.

Epilogue
    A winter storm watch had been issued by the National Weather Service for the entire quadrant of southeastern Oklahoma. As yet, nothing fell in Winding Stair and the temperatures hovered above the freezing mark. None of this mattered one whit to Ethan. Like the postman, no amount of rain, sleet or snow could keep him from his appointed rounds. Not today. No way.
    Heart thump-thumping like the blades of a chopper, he stood in front of the Winding Stair Chapel’s sanctuary wearing his Sunday best and waiting for a glimpse of his bride.
    With his brother beside him as best man and
his parents beaming approval from the second pew on the left, he experienced an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all that had transpired over the course of a year.
    On the advice of family and pastor he and Molly had waited most of a