Page 29 of Redemption

I laugh. “Deal.”

We say hello to several friends as we make our way to the makeshift dance floor. When Beck pulls me into his loving arms, everything else disappears. I don’t know how he does it, but this man has a way of making me feel like there’s nothing we can’t handle, as long as we have each other. Initially, I was upset when I learned I was pregnant. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared, but that doesn’t mean I’m not happy about it. Beck was right; we’re legal adults, and this baby was conceived in love. He or she is a product of our love. Plenty of children have been brought into the world under lesser circumstances.

Beck’s hand moves from my hip over to my baby bump. I’m not sure if it’s a conscious move, but he’s been doing that a lot lately. I don’t know how many songs we’ve danced to at this point, but we haven’t moved out of our close embrace, regardless of the music’s tempo.

He rests his cheek against mine and whispers, “You and this baby are everything to me, Pres. I can’t wait to officially make you mine.”

I tighten my hold on him. “I’ve been yours since we were five years old, Beck.”

He pulls back and smiles. “You wanna get out of here?”

“Sure.” I take his hand as he leads me out of the building. I had assumed we were heading to the parking lot, so I’m confused when he takes me to the football field. “What’re we doing here?”

Beck walks backward, still holding my hand until our toes touch the sideline. “I can’t wait any longer to do this, but I didn’t want an audience. This should be ours.”

My eyebrows pinch together. “What should be ours?”

I figure it out quickly enough when he gets down on one knee and produces a small velvet box from his jacket pocket. “Presley Anne James, I’ve been in love with you practically my whole life. You’re the reason I look forward to each new day. You’re the reason I strive to be a better man.” He briefly glances at my stomach. “You’ve given me the ultimate gift, and I can’t wait to show you how grateful I am by being the best daddy that I can be. Pres, you’re my best friend, and I would be honored if you’d also be my wife. Will you marry me?”

I nod furiously as tears drip down my face. Marrying Beck was always a when, not an if, but having an actual proposal makes it official.

“Yes, Beckett. I’d marry you ten times over if you asked me to.”

He jumps to his feet and slides a beautiful diamond ring onto my trembling hand. “It’s not much—it’s all I can afford right now, but I promise to get you a bigger diamond one day.”

I shake my head as I stare at the thin platinum band with a small round diamond in the middle. “I don’t want another one, Beck. This is perfect.”

He grins. “Yeah?”

I sniffle. “Yeah. I love it, Beckett. So much.”

He cups my face in his hands. “I love you, Pres. So much.”

“I love you so much.”

He pulls me into a sweet kiss. When we break away, he says, “I want you to be my wife before the baby is born. What do you think about making it official this summer? We can have a small ceremony on the ranch—just a few friends and family.”

“That sounds perfect, Beck. Absolutely perfect.”

Chapter Eighteen

Presley

“You were so good to me over the years, old girl. I’m sorry it took me this long to come back to you.”

Magnolia eagerly takes the sugar cube from my flattened palm while I stroke her forelock. Now that my bruises have faded enough to hide with strategically applied makeup, I can roam freely around the ranch. Unsurprisingly, the stables were the first place I gravitated toward. Being here, smelling the horses and the hay brings me a sense of peace I haven’t known in far too long. I spent my entire childhood on this land, interacting with the animals daily. I never realized how much I missed this until now. How much I needed it.

I close my eyes and suppress a shiver as electricity suddenly shoots through my veins. My heart is beating wildly. My lungs are momentarily robbed of breath. I’m no longer the only person standing in this stable—of that, I’ve no doubt. I can feel every atom in my body lighting up like a summer storm. I knew this moment was inevitable—I’ve been expecting it—but the thought of facing Beckett Armstrong after all these years terrifies me. Yet... I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t also some underlying excitement. I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to anything, but having him this close, is almost... exhilarating. I have few memories of my childhood that don’t include this man. He was the love of my life. I gave him all of my firsts. He breathed life into me by merely existing. When I left this town, I not only left pieces of my heart behind; I left part of my soul, too. I just didn’t realize how much of it until this very moment.

I take a fortifying breath as I step away from Mag’s stall.

“So the rumors are true.”

The timbre of his voice is much deeper than I remember. That southern twang rolls over me like Tupelo honey—thick and sweet and oh, so seductive. I worked really hard on ditching my accent when I first moved to New York, but Beck’s time away seemed to do nothing to diminish his.

“What rumors?” I slowly turn around and do my best to quell the shock from seeing him in the flesh.

Neither one of us dares to look away. It’s like the space between us is shrinking, even though we’re both frozen in place. The wasted time, the buckets of tears, the ache of longing. It’s all passing between us right now, zinging back and forth, hitting its mark, driving the pain of our shared loss deeper and deeper. Countless what-ifs and never-beens thicken the air, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

---