Page 70 of My Soul for Sale

My mouth waters, and I can't help but smile as I take in the familiar surroundings of our home.

I was so wrapped up in the bar that I haven’t had time to get furniture or decor and I just can’t wait to fill this space with touches of me.

"Where's Atlas?" I ask, scanning the room for any sign of him.

"I'm right here, baby." His voice comes from the kitchen, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"You were so quiet, I thought you were napping or something," I say, chuckling softly.

"No, I was working on a little surprise for you," he replies, his eyes sparkling mischievously. “Do you wanna see?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

He takes my hand and my heart warms at the fact that my other hand is still enveloped in Rip’s. I eagerly follow Atlas into the backyard, wondering what he’s done now.

As we approach the back door, Rip covers my eyes playfully.

“While we were gone at the hospital, I had a landscape company fix up the backyard. No more rainforest back here for us.” Atlas laughs, and the sound goes straight to my core.

Is sex with two men considered strenuous? Because I want both of them and need to find a way to make that happen ASAP.

When Rip finally removes his hands, I'm met with a breathtaking sight. The once overgrown and neglected yard has been transformed into a beautiful oasis. The grass is neatly trimmed, and the flower beds burst with vibrant blooms and white rock.

"It's amazing," I whisper.

A throat clearing has me looking back to Atlas, and I drop to my knees, tears filling my eyes.

Atlas, the boy I loved as a teenager, is now a man on one knee, presenting me with a ring.

"Sloane, you are the beat of my heart. The air in my lungs. You own my soul. There will never be someone who makes me as happy as you do. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" he asks, his voice filled with emotion.

Overwhelmed with joy, I throw my arms around him, tears of happiness streaming down my cheeks. "Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!"

I kiss him and together we stand. But a realization slams into me.

“Wait. No, hold on. I can’t marry you,” I tell him and my heart starts to crack.

“Why not?”

“I’m in love with your dad, too. Marrying you wouldn’t be fair to him, to you. Hell… to me. I don’t want to choose one over the other. I can’t. I won’t.”

Atlas smiles and spins me around where Rip is waiting on one knee with another ring in a velvet box.

"Sloane, I didn't think I'd ever be doing this again, let alone with you, let alone with my son," he says, his voice trembling with emotion. "I don’t care about the age or Ali, or that I have to share you with my son. I want to grow old with you. Or at least have you watch me grow old. I can’t lose you and this showed me just how much of an idiot I’ve been. Will you marry me, too?”

My heart swells with love as I nod eagerly. "Yes, Rip, yes!”

He stands and I jump into his arms, wrapping my legs around him. “I love you both so much.”

Rip sets me down and slides his ring onto my right ring finger, while Atlas is on my left, and I can't help but feel like the luckiest woman in the world.

I get a case of the giggles, remembering how I have my own news to share and how nervous I was this morning.

“What’s so funny, Little Girl?” Rip asks, swatting my ass.

“I’m glad you proposed and that you’re now stuck with me, because I really didn’t want to raise this baby alone.” I run a hand over my belly.

Rip’s eyes widen, his face pales to that of a ghost, and he faints.

---