She laughs that watery laugh, and I carefully take the box from her hand.
“Miller Montgomery—”
“Yes! The answer is yes.”
“Okay,” I chuckle. “Thank you for the vote of confidence but I still got to get this out.”
She hugs our son to her chest, her chin leaning on his head as I make this little speech to both of them.
“I wanted to ask you the second you came back, but I was trying to give you the space to grow into this new life without asking too much of you. But I can’t wait any longer. There’s no one else I want to raise him, and hopefully a few more babies, with. You’re my closest friend and the person I have the most fun with. I love you, Miller, and I’m pretty envious that Max gets to call you Mom because I’d really like the opportunity to call you my wife.”
She huffs a choked laugh.
I open the box and Miller’s eyes dart to her dad when she sees the ring, clearly knowing its original intention.
With her tears falling quicker now, her attention comes right back to me where I’m kneeled in front of her. “What do you say, Mills? Will you marry me?” I glance down at Max. “Us?”
My entire world is looking right back at me, this family I’ve longed for, dreamt for, and the three of us have never felt more complete than when she takes a deep breath, smiles at me, and simply says, “Yes.”
THE END
Acknowledgements
The most important acknowledgment is to you all—the reader. Thank you for reading, sharing, and reviewing my books! You all have given me a career I love, and I am so grateful.
Allyson—I’m pretty sure at this point, you’ll be in every one of my acknowledgment pages, but this one especially. This book truly would not have come to life without you. The constant voice memos, texts, chats, and updated google docs. Thank you for reading all 30 versions of this manuscript and helping it become this story I love. So much of Miller’s development is inspired by you. I’m so grateful to not only have you as one of my best friends, but also someone I get to share this whole writing journey with. Love you so much and I cannot wait to be neighbors with you and Marc. （Life goal unlocked!!） Samantha—my wonderful PA. You’re always there for me with whatever I need, whether that be work stuff or just a moment so I can vent. I appreciate you so much, and I’m so thankful to have you by my side.
Megan— my amazing alpha reader. Thank you so much for all your help and for hyping me up! So appreciative of you!
Erica— book three together! I love having you on my team and working with you is amazing. You’re my first stamp of approval and I’m always eager for your opinions! Looking forward to many more books in the future!
Marc— thank you for the music. I’m so appreciative of your help in making sure the playlists are spot on for each couple. It has been so fun to get to have you and Allyson alongside me during all of this!
Mom— the best baker I know! You’ve passed down your love of baking to me, and I felt it was only fitting to finally have a baker in one of my books. Love you so much!