Eve brushed tears from her eyes as she glanced back at Luis and Sheridan's townhouse. "Julian, that was such a beautiful evening."
"I agree," Julian smiled. "The look on Sheridan's face when she first saw Mother—it's something I never will forget."
"Neither will I," Eve said. "Maybe one day Whitney will look at me that way again . . ."
"I know she's going to, Eve." Julian kissed her forehead. "Trust me—you'll see. Whitney's going to forgive you, and we're going to find the son we lost."
Eve sighed and melted into his arms. "Oh, Julian, I can't believe that we actually found your mother—that we're one step closer to finding our son."
"I can barely believe that any of this is happening." Tightening his arms around Eve, Julian kissed her. "It almost feels surreal, doesn't it—that things are finally going our way?"
Hank flipped through the youth center's books and scanned the budget for the upcoming year. He and Sheridan were going to have to do some serious fundraising to cover all of the programs they had planned. That was why he had taken the books home. He wanted to think about this while there weren't kids running around—when he had a little peace and quiet.
Hank furrowed his brow as he flipped to another page. A small slip of paper slipped out. Hank picked it up and opened it, a grin coming to his face.
SHMILY
See How Much I Love You
Thank you so much for all of your support. It means the world to me. I can't wait to see you tonight.
XOXOXOXO,
Gwen
Hank smiled as he pressed the paper to his heart—as his thoughts drifted to Gwen. Who would have thought his life could change so much? Who would have known he could be this happy? Who would have ever thought—after all of his world traveling—that the right woman for him could be right here in Harmony?
He most certainly hadn't.
Hank looked up at the sound of the door unlocking and rose to his feet as it opened.
Gwen poked her head in and smiled. "Oh, Hank, my father was so wonderful about the whole job search thing!"
Dropping her purse on the table, Gwen rushed over to Hank and threw her arms around him.
"I knew he would be." Hank smiled and cupped one hand around the back of her head. "You're his daughter, Gwen."
Gwen choked back a sob. "It's just so nice to actually have one of my parents support me for a change."
Hank pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "I've wanted that so much for you."
"I know you have, and I can't tell you how much all of your support means to me." Gwen leaned back and looked into his eyes. "You're a wonderful man, Hank Bennett."
Hank blushed; his heart fluttered in his chest. "I can't tell you how much you mean to me, Gwen."
"I'm the one who's lucky to have you." Gwen smiled shyly and looked down. "My father thinks so, too."
Hank's heart skipped a beat. "You talked to your father about me?"
Gwen blushed and smiled. "Yes, I did." Gwen's eyes rose up to meet his. "He'd like to meet you, Hank."
"He wants to meet me?" Hank's pulse accelerated; he ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know, Gwen. What if he doesn't think I'm good enough for you? I mean, the last guy you dated was Ethan. I'm just a no one—a guy from the other side of the tracks."
Gwen's face dropped. "Please don't think like that, Hank. Look at everything you do for the kids at the youth center."
"Yes, with Sheridan's help," Hank said. "Let's be honest, Gwen—she's running the show, not me. Almost all of the great stuff we've implemented so far have been her ideas."
"But she's not doing it alone," Gwen protested. "Just because she's come up with some good ideas, it doesn't mean you haven't been instrumental in implementing all of them. Besides, Sheridan is going to go on maternity leave in a few months. Are you really telling me that you don't think you can handle running the youth center by yourself for a little while?"
"No," Hank said, trying to steady himself. "I see your point. Would you just give me a little time to mull this over?"
Gwen's forehead creased. "Am I scaring you off with this?" she asked, her voice filling with anxiety. "Am I asking too soon?"
"No—if anything, it's the opposite, Gwen," Hank stammered. "I . . . I just care about you a lot, and I'm scared that if I screw this up, I might lose you."
Gwen pulled him into a tight embrace. Burying her head in the crook of his shoulder, she kissed him. "You're not going to lose me, Hank."
Luis looked up from the dishes he was drying as the kitchen door opened.
"Luis, may I help you?" Katherine asked softly. "I know Sheridan went to bed. I didn't want you to have to finish this yourself."
Luis smiled. "I'd be happy for the company. I just wanted Sheridan to get some rest."
Katherine smiled and blinked back tears. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see how good you are to my daughter."
Luis hung his head and blushed. "I love her, Mrs. Crane."
Katherine touched her hand to Luis's. "Please, call me Katherine," she said, picking up a towel and cup.
"Of course, Mrs. Crane . . . Katherine," Luis smiled. "You know, I can't even tell you how happy you've made Sheridan tonight. I'm really glad you're back."
Katherine gave Luis a soft smile. "I can already see how happy you make her, too. I'm glad that you two got together—that my little girl found you."
Luis chuckled and shook his head. "Well, you're the first Crane to react that way immediately. It took Julian a little while."
"So I've heard," Katherine said. "I understand you and Sheridan went through a lot to be together. That my husband and son treated you cruelly . . . that they tried to tear you two apart."
"Yeah, well, that's all in the past." Luis put away a stack of dishes. "The important thing is that Sheridan is happy right now, and I plan to keep her that way."
"Oh, Luis, I'm so happy that Sheridan found you—that you two are so happy," Katherine beamed. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from Martin and Pilar's son, but it's still nice to see for myself how much you and Sheridan love each other."
Luis glanced over at a picture on the refrigerator of himself and Sheridan, taken at Theresa and Ethan's wedding. "Your daughter is a very special person. Sometimes, I can't even believe I found her. She has such a big heart. She brings light into my life without even trying—just by being herself."
Tears swelled in Katherine's eyes. "I can't tell you how much it warms my heart to know that you feel that way."
"Like I said, I love her, Mrs. Crane."
"Oh, Luis, I can't tell you how happy that makes me." Dropping her dish towel, Katherine hugged Luis. "I couldn't have asked for a better son-in-law."
