January 1, 1997 —

My heart is bursting with love for this man that I've only known a few weeks. I've always been fiercely protective of my heart, hesitant to enter a new relationship for fear of misjudging him and ending up divorced again. But…James is different. He's normal. Boring, sometimes. But incredibly perfect for me.

We spent the evening with his niece and my heart melted at how sweet he is to the young girl. He would be a wonderful father, and for the first time in my life, I can picture myself as a mother, raising children, starting a family with James.

I hoped and prayed that I would not screw this one up.

"Did you have fun in Times Square tonight, Sabrina?"

"Yes, it was so cool! I can't wait to show my friends the pictures when we're back in school," she said.

"Did you brush your teeth and wash your face?" Miranda asked.

"Yep! Goodnight Uncle Jim, goodnight Miranda," she said.

"Goodnight, Sabrina."

"Come wake us up if you need anything," James said.

Once she shut the door to the guest bedroom, Miranda straightened up the kitchen, loading the dishwasher and wiping down the counters, leaving a glass out in case the young girl needed a drink of water in the middle of the night.

James came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She set down the sponge and turned around, kissing him softly. "Uncle 'Jim?'" she asked.

He blushed. "Yeah, um, everyone I know calls me 'Jim.'"

Miranda raised her eyebrows in a look of confusion. "Why didn't you ever tell me that? You introduced yourself as 'James,' so I always went with that."

He shrugged. "Seemed too common. You are too beautiful to be seen with an ordinary 'Jim.'"

Miranda laughed and wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You are too funny—and anything but ordinary." Then, she pulled away and looked at him in all seriousness. "What do you prefer? Would you like for me to start calling you 'Jim?'"

"No," he said. "At first, I thought that maybe once we got to know each other better, I would ask you to, but there's something about the way 'James' rolls off your tongue. You're the only one that calls me that, aside from my grandmother when I was about three."

"Comparing the girlfriend to your grandmother, now?" she quipped.

"You're too sexy to ever be a grandmother," he said.

Miranda frowned at that comment, and he definitely noticed. She didn't want to have the children discussion—not tonight. After spending the time with his niece and for once in her life being hopeful for a family of her own, she wasn't ready for the rejection. They had only been dating for a month, and she just wasn't ready to push things.

"Tell me, are there any other nicknames I need to know about?" she asked, reverting to the previous topic.

"Yeah, a lot of people call me 'J.P.' too. Mostly my college buddies. And my sister. 'Uncle J.P.' just doesn't have the right ring to it, so in front of the kids I'm 'Jim.'"

"Well, maybe I should just stick to calling you 'Mr. Priestly,' to be safe," she said.

"A fine choice, Ms. Princhek," he said, extending his hand and leading her to the bedroom. They left a dim light on in the kitchen for Sabrina, then made their way to his bedroom.

Miranda got ready first, and wore a modest silk cap-sleeve nightgown that hit just above the knee. James looked shocked, and a bit disappointed, but she reminded him that his twelve-year-old niece could come in at any moment.

They crawled into bed, James in his boxers and Miranda in her nightgown.

"Happy New Year," Miranda said as she curled up alongside him.

"Happy New Year," he replied, wrapping his arms around the woman. "I think 1997 is going to be an amazing year," he added.

She sat up and looked down at him. "Do you really think so?"

"Of course. Why not?"

She sighed and laid back against the pillow.

He reached over and turned on the light, sitting up against the headboard. "What is it?" he asked.

"It has been great spending time with you lately, but my new job starts today," she explained. "I want to give you fair warning that I have no idea what it's going to be like for the next few months, that I might not be able to see you as much. I essentially promised the Board of Directors that I would make money for them, and I have no idea whether or not that's even possible at this point. Tuesday morning I'm meeting with our CFO to get the numbers. I may have signed up for an impossible task, and well, I just want you to know that even if we're not seeing each other much because of my schedule…well, I can't ask you to make any promises, but just…talk to me, first, if it's not working out…okay?"

"Darling, what are you trying to say?"

"I don't want to lose you," Miranda said, burying her face in her hands. "You're going to get bored and angry with me, and you're going to find someone else."

James hugged her tightly and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Darling, you are getting too far ahead of yourself. If it makes you feel better, I promise that I will say something to you if I'm frustrated, even if I know it will make you angry. What can I do to make you trust me?"

"Just keep your word. That's all."

"Okay, sweetheart. I promise you. We'll make it work. I tend to be busier during the first half of the year, too. I meant what I said—I won't ask you to sacrifice your career for me," he said.

"James, how do you feel about children?" she asked after a few minutes.

He paused for a moment and looked down into her eyes. "Look, if this is because of that grandmother comment from before—I didn't mean it like that. I think that when the time is right, you would be a wonderfully loving—and stylish—grandmother. Okay?"

Miranda nodded. "You're a good uncle to your sister's kids, if tonight was anything to go by," she said.

"I love kids," he said with a sigh. "I'm guilty. But, I know that it doesn't work for everyone, so if I don't have kids of my own someday, I would just be the best damn uncle ever. And great uncle, maybe even great great uncle."

"For some reason, everyone assumes I don't want children. Maybe it's because I'm in my thirties and not married and living in Manhattan. I don't really understand," Miranda said. "For the record, I adore children, particularly babies. I would very much love to have my own some day, if things work out."

"Miranda, you'd be an amazing mother," he said.

At that moment, Miranda knew she loved James Priestly. She wanted to shout it from the rooftop, but instead, she kissed him. He turned out the light, and they went to sleep, in silence.