Page 68 of Assigned

“Then I’ll be there, or if I can’t, Marge, Taya, and Inara will.” Lucas steps closer. “And guess what? My job limits me. You had to attend that parent-teacher conference because I couldn’t. Hell, I even missed Mason being born. Does that mean I love him any less? Or that he needs me any less?”

My father clears his throat and I pin him with a glare. This time he actually heeds my warning and remains silent. I bite my lower lip and exhale hard through my nose. “They all have their own lives. I don’t want to be a hindrance to anyone.”

Lucas laughs. “Hindrance? Who do you think was in the delivery room with Taya when Otto was born? Because it wasn’t Jim. We were away for work. Being there for each other is what the wives do. They’re their own team. And they adore you.” He pulls me in and wraps those muscular arms that I love so much around me. “Listen, leaning on someone when you need help doesn’t make you weak, Riley. Trust me, SEALs know that better than anyone. I’ve carried teammates out of the field, and they’ve carried me. I don’t think you’d ever call any of us weak. We call on each other’s strengths when we have to and step up for each other when we’re needed. You can turn to them for whatever help you need. You can come home for help like you did this time if you want, too. Just because you want to be independent, doesn’t mean you should exclude your parents.”

My father coughs as if he choked on something. Yeah, I’m sure he didn’t expect that. My mother’s face is red and she’s twisting her hands together. “Maybe we misjudged, Carl,” she says, glancing at my father.

Lucas shifts and his muscles tense. There’s more. He lowers his gaze away from mine. “But none of this matters if you don’t feel what I have to offer is enough for what you want for your life. I have my limitations, based on my job and my son, both of which are important to me.”

Is this man for real?

I reach out and place my fingertips under his chin, lifting his face so his eyes meet mine. “Lucas, you are way over the top enough and I am so lucky. We both don’t have a normal life. But what you try to give is more than many who can, actually do. And during this time, I’ve also learned how much like my father I may be. A big ole stubborn streak seems to run in my family’s blood when we get our mind set on something.”

He chuckles and steps away from me and toward my father. “Sir, I know you feel I’m not good enough for your daughter, but I love her with everything I have. My son loves her. We aren’t a complete family without Riley.” He stands straighter, reaching his full height. He is a towering column of a man, strong and proud. He’s a living, breathing warrior and he’s here to fight for me. “Mr. Thompson, while Riley can make her own decisions, I would still like to ask your permission to ask for her hand in marriage.”

What. The. Hell.

Did not see that coming. Figured he might ask me to move back, take things slow. Date even. But not this. My mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. Tears stream down my face, but not from sadness. Maybe shock. Do people cry from being shocked? My father looks past Lucas to me. I can’t read his expression and I’m not sure what is running through his mind, but he keeps staring at me. So, I nod.

He growls deep in his throat, but then gives Lucas a curt nod.

It’s too much. My father backed down. He conceded to Lucas. Then my mother steps between them and wraps her arms around Lucas in a hug. My whole body shakes. I’m overrun with emotion. Love and relief and hope and joy leave me light-headed, and the man hasn’t even asked me to marry him yet.

As if he can hear my thoughts, Lucas steps forward and gets down on one knee. “Riley Marie Thompson, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

I’m crying so hard no words will form and when I attempt to take a step, I collapse onto my knees. Lucas gathers me in his arms and places a soft kiss on my head. He holds me for what feels like minutes. Maybe it was that long, because all of a sudden, my mother is offering me a box of tissues.

Lucas leans closer and speaks in a soft tone. “As for the other part of your letter. With everything I’ve gone through myself, I’m perfectly okay with Mason being my only child. Not sure I’d want to be a dad again knowing what I know now and how my job is.”

I pull back to look him in the eyes. “What if you change your mind?”

Lucas quirks a brow. “What if you change yours?”

He’s got a point. It has crossed my mind about what would happen if something happened to Taya and Jim. Neither have family outside of the group they can depend on. Though, Bear and Marge would be the most likely to be the legal guardians of their son. But what if Tony and Inara have kids? Lucas is Tony’s best friend. And I would totally support welcoming their kid into our family if it came down to it. So, maybe my mind might change one day, especially with all the ways there are to expand a family.

I wipe my face and pull away from Lucas. His brows furrow, but I pat his hard chest. “I’ll be right back.”

While I want to race up the stairs to my room, my pace is slow, thanks to the incisions that are still healing. Each step takes extra strength and I begin to realize that my parents might not be completely ridiculous. Maybe taking it easy would be in my best interest. But later. Right now I need to do this. I have to do this.

Once inside my room, I pull a shoebox from my closet. Then I grab my wallet from my purse and pull out the love letter Lucas wrote to me all those years ago. I take a few breaths and mentally prepare myself for both Lucas and the trek back downstairs.

When I make it to the landing, everyone is standing at the bottom of the staircase. Lucas bounds up to me and scoops me into his arms. “Uh, why are you pushing the limits here? Your mom said you shouldn’t be walking around so much.”

I scrunch my nose and purse my lips, shaking a finger at him, but he laughs and carries me downstairs. Once he sets me down on my feet, I open the box. “I kept every letter you ever wrote me. This one I’ve kept in my wallet. I’ve read it every day I was in a hospital and every time I couldn’t remember what hope and love felt like. This letter gave me strength.”

I unfold it and read:

I liked you the second I saw you and my feelings are growing stronger and stronger every day. Every new thing I learn about you makes my love grow. Sometimes I don’t think I can love you more, but then you do something brave and smart and kind and I do.

My mother makes a strangled noise and I realize that she is sobbing. My father’s eyes are wet and so are Lucas’s. My own aren’t exactly dry. At least we’re all crying together.

Lucas takes my hand and kisses it. “So? What’s your answer, Riley? Will you marry me? For real this time. Because we choose each other and not because someone else chose for us?”

While I was hoping to draw out the suspense a bit more, I can’t stop the huge smile that spreads across my face. “Yes.”

Lucas kisses me. Hard. With tongue. In front of my parents.

They better get used to it because there is no way in hell I want my husband kissing me any less passionately because of them. Ever.

Now, if only I could heal faster because there is a lot more than kissing I want to be doing with my once again future husband.

Who knew a military spouse-matching program would give me a second chance with the man I have loved my whole life?

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