Page 61 of Never Yours

“Caleb Rogers, what am I going to do with you?” Just like everything with us, nothing is going to plan.

“Well,” he chuckles, “according to this, you’re going to marry me.” He opens the last page and begins reciting, “Ingrid’s Bucket List. This list isn’t all-inclusive, but it’ll have to do for now. One, let myself fall in love with Caleb.” He looks up at me; that one is crossed off and so is the next one. “Two, move back to Sapphire Lake. Three, enjoy our daughter for the first year before returning to work.” He narrows his eyes. “You just took on the Harriet Alexander adaptation.”

“Shh, keep reading.”

He shakes his head and continues, “Four, practice giving Darcy a baby brother or sister.” Pausing, he bites his lip and laughs. “Five, marry the love of my life.”

“Yep, that about sums it up. What do you say we take that boat ride now?” I stand and keep Darcy on my hip, but she keeps reaching for Cay. Rolling my eyes, I pass her to him. “But I need to get dressed first.”

Cay lifts her in the air, making her giggle. “You have five minutes, or I’ll undress you myself.”

He takes Darcy into the garden and plucks a daffodil for her as I rush into the house. I slip on my white sundress that I wore the day we were on the boat before he left. When I walk out onto the porch, his eyes are molten.

“If we’re going on the boat, we need Cass to watch Darcy,” he growls.

“Keep it in your pants, Rogers. Speaking of, you should change out of those. It’s too warm for sweats, even if you look delicious.”

“Fine.” He hands me Darcy and kisses the side of my neck. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

Several later, he comes out with dress slacks and a button-down shirt that he’s rolling the sleeves of. I bite my lip at the sight. “Damn it, Cay! That’s almost worse than the sweatpants.” I set it out for him. It’s my own damn fault.

We get Darcy into her car seat, and I text Cass.

It’s time.

Cassidy

Fuck, he took forever.

Okay, let’s do this!

“Cass will meet us at the boat.”

Cay hums with a nod and slides his hand into mine, bringing my knuckles to his lips. The drive is short, and as we park, I turn and face him. “Do you still want to marry me?”

“What kind of question is that?” he laughs. “I’d marry you today if you were ready.” I look over at the boat, and Cay follows my gaze. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing! Let’s go.”

“What about Cass?”

Like clockwork, Cass knocks on his window. “Hey, guys!”

I squeeze his hand tightly. “While I was meeting with Harriet Alexander, she mentioned her uncle used to be a wedding planner. So, on your boat is Harriet’s uncle, Ethan, who is certified to officiate weddings and also planned a little party for us after. Travis will be here with Smitten any minute now. Pop and Cass are here. If you’re ready to get married, we can do it right now.”

“Are you serious?”

“I wouldn’t joke about this. Cay, I left the letters out on purpose. I’m ready.”

He takes a deep breath to hide a sob stuck in his throat. “You’re ready?”

“We’re ready.” Cass gets Darcy out of her car seat, while Cay kisses me. “No more lying to government officials that I’m your wife.”

He laughs against my lips. “Fuck, I love you.”

“Come on, they’re waiting for us.”

We get out of the truck and walk hand-in-hand toward the boat. The sun is high enough to create beautiful sparkles on the water, reflecting on our faces as we make our way down the dock. Cay opens the small door for me to step in and whispers, “Are you sure?”

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