“I love you, sunshine. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Okay,” she says quietly, fingering the ring in the box before meeting my gaze.
“So you’ll marry me?”
“Yes.” She nods, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
“Thank fuck.” I slide the ring onto her finger, then curl my arms around her.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” I grasp her face and tip her head back so I can kiss her. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re happy, baby.”
“You already make me happier than I’ve ever been.” She leans up on her tiptoes while grasping on to my shirt, and I drop my face down to hers and groan as her tongue touches my bottom lip.
As I take over the kiss, I lead her back into the bedroom, then take my time stripping her out of her tank top and panties. Once she’s laid out for me, her hair spilling across my pillows, her lips swollen, her nipples harden and the space between her legs becomes wet. I make love to her, understanding for the first time in my life what love, real love, really is.
And after we’ve both finished and she’s fallen asleep, I hold my hand against her stomach, promising my child that I’ll do everything within my power to make sure that he or she and their mother are always happy.
Epilogue
CYBIL
I pull up and park in front of the lodge and unhook my seat belt before grabbing my purse from the passenger seat. It takes me a minute to maneuver myself and my giant belly out from behind the steering wheel, but I manage with only a little huffing and puffing. Once my feet are on the ground, I slam the door and head up the stairs toward the front door, smiling when Janet steps outside to greet me with a warm hug and a wide smile. The moment reminds me of the day Tanner and I got married six months ago here at the lodge.
“Look at how beautiful you are.” She takes a moment to rub my belly. The belly rubbing is something that has definitely taken some getting used to. “How is she doing?”
“He’s good, healthy, normal.” I listen to her laugh as I rest my hand on my eight-month bump. Tanner and I decided that we would wait until our baby was born to find out the sex, but that doesn’t mean everyone doesn’t have a preference. I for one want a boy who looks like his daddy, while Tanner wants a little girl. More than anything, we just want him or her to be healthy.
“Tanner and Mav are in the office with Everly.” She opens the door for me, and I slip off my jacket. A couple of months ago, Tanner, Mav, and Blake all agreed that they needed to hire someone to help run the office, especially with Tanner wanting to take some time off to be home with the baby and me after I give birth. But even with them all agreeing, Blake dragged his feet on actually choosing someone, so Mav took it upon himself to hire Everly, a cute little brunette with a ten-month-old son who just moved to town.
“How’s that going—is Blake coming around to the idea of having Everly around?” I ask, following her through the lodge.
“Blake is avoiding the office and Everly as much as possible.” She gives me a look over her shoulder with a knowing glint in her eyes, and I laugh.
“I thought I heard your laugh.” Tanner steps out of the office and makes a beeline for me. “Hey, sunshine.”
“Hey.” I lean up for a kiss when he bends down to brush his lips across mine.
“How are my girls today?” he asks while palming my belly.
“Me and your son are good,” I say with a smile, and he chuckles.
“I was just about to make some lunch—are you hungry?” Janet asks, and I shake my head.
“No, thank you—I ate before I drove down,” I tell her, and she nods.
“I’ll be in the kitchen. Come visit with me before you take off.”
“I will,” I promise, and she smiles at Tanner before wandering off down the hall. Once she’s out of sight, Tanner slides his hand up my back, and I turn to focus on him.
“Did you drive the Subaru?” he asks, and my nose scrunches. About a month after we confirmed that I was pregnant, he bought me a brand-new Subaru, insisting that it’s safer than my Bronco, but I’ve only driven it a handful of times, something that I know annoys him greatly. “Baby.”
“I like my car.”
“I know you do, and I understand why, but it’s not safe for you and our baby to be in your car.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not.” He gives me a look that says clearly he’s not happy. “If something was to happen to you, I couldn’t—” His jaw clenches as he cuts off his statement, and my stomach twists because I know that’s his worst fear, and I get it because I don’t know what I would do if something were to happen to him.