Page 108 of Love In The Spotlight

“She is,” he said. Janelle was in the room next door with his daughter. He wanted this night with him and Laken alone.

Maybe he wanted to get on Aileen Carlisle’s good side too by doing this now and knowing they could tell her and the rest of the family in person.

He’d even cleared it with West. The big brother who was like a father to his girlfriend. He’d been brought up to do the right thing and he would. Maybe it was old fashioned, but he didn’t care.

“I’m just glad to get out of the dress and relax now. It’s been a long couple of weeks of events. My mother is going to make Easter into a huge production too. She said she’s going to make sure there are eggs hidden for Penelope. She didn’t want her to miss the Easter Bunny.”

“Your mother told me,” he said. He appreciated that his daughter wouldn’t miss that as she was at an age now where those memories and milestones might be important to a child.

“You’re not upset she is taking that from you?” she asked.

“No. I think it’s great your family has accepted us so easily.”

“We are good that way,” she said, flopping into the chair in the suite.

He wasn’t sure why he was fumbling this so much and couldn’t get up and get the damn ring and get it over with.

“I can’t wait another minute,” he said. He opened a drawer and pulled out a ring box. “I’m working myself up trying to get this perfect.”

Her eyes were wide on the box, but she was smiling. “Sometimes you spend too much time doing that when you should just go with your gut.”

“You saying that made me realize that you’re the perfect one and that is all that matters. I love you. I love how you accepted my daughter into your life. That you’ve never once judged me on my past or how I raise my child.”

“Never,” she said. “I never will. And I love Penelope as much as I love you.”

“No reason to wait another day. I just can’t. I want you as my wife. I want to have more children and I want them with you.”

He saw the tears in her eyes. “I want those same things,” she said. “Are you going to ask me or make me keep waiting to get that gorgeous ring on my finger?”

He took the three-carat oval diamond in a thick platinum band out of the box. The ring was simple, the band he had made more complex. Maybe it was a mixing of their pasts and present. Simple to complex, but it seemed to be right in his mind.

“I asked West for permission to marry you,” he said.

This time her jaw dropped. “You did? Why?”

“Because in every sense of the word, he’s been the stand-in Dad for you. It’s the right thing to do.”

“He knows this is happening now?”

“He does,” he said. “Or before Easter. Got to get on your mom’s good side too and make sure she was around for it.”

Laken started to laugh. “Talk about perfect. Now ask me the question. Good lord, I thought you had better delivery than this.”

He laughed and got down on his knee in front of her. “Laken, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she said. “Or should I say touchdown?”

Jamie slid the ring on her finger and then lifted her in a hug. “I’d say we both scored tonight!”

The End!

The next in the series, Wishing For Love

Prologue

“What do you mean you can’t get me the shipment next week?” Phoenix Westerly asked. He pushed his fingers through his brown hair, messing it up more than normal. How had life turned out this complicated when he thought everything was going to fall into place?

“Sorry, Phoenix,” Scott said on the line. “I have some staff out sick and other open positions. I can’t get it done on time.”

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