Page 93 of Fate

Carson pulls backthe covers when I enter the room. “How’s he doing?”

I shrug, pull off my yoga pants and sweatshirt, and slip into bed beside him in only my cami and undies. “Gillian says he’s going to make a full recovery.”

“Of course he is.” He pulls me into his warmth and holds me close. “Are youokay?”

“Yeah.”

“Why do you keep leaving my bed to go to him?” His voice carries a hint of something I never expected fromhim.

Jealousy.

“I…I need to see him breathe.” I split myself open wide and let all of my worry spillout.

“You feel responsible?” He holds me close. I rest my head on his chest right above his heart.

“Yeah.”

“But she was my mistake. Not yours. I’m the one who fucked up.” The way his voice sounds, this is something he’s been carrying around with him for a while aswell.

I sigh and nuzzle into the smattering of soft chest hair. “We both messed up, but we’re fixing that. And besides, now we’ve got Cora, and our baby on theway.”

Carson runs a hand down my back over my waist until he tucks it around me. “You have to marry me before this baby comes.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Surprise and awe coat his tone. “That’s it? Justokay?”

I shift my shoulders and sigh sleepily. “No reason to wait. Just as long as Chase walks me down the aisle.”

“That could take a few months,” he whispers.

“Then we have time.” I’m not at all concerned with his need to rush a ceremony.

“Where do you want to get married?”

“On the beach in front of our house. Just close friends and family. Barefoot. Ocean. The girls and a flowy white dress designed by Chloe,” I mumble, imagining it already.

“Sounds perfect. There’s just one thing left.” He lifts and scoots to the side of the bed, opens the nightstand drawer, and pulls out a box. I can barely see what he’s doing in the moonlight, but he opens it, claps it shut, and something sparkly catches the light. “Give me yourhand.”

I lift my left hand over his chest. “Are you going to askme?”

“No.”

“What?” I push up as he slides a ring on my finger. Of course, it’s a perfectfit.

“No. I told you. This is it. No going back, no pushing, no running, no anything. You could have died. We could have lost the baby. We are not fucking around. You are marrying me the second Chase can walk you down the beach. End of discussion.”

Holy fucking shit. Carson has never been so forceful and serious in his entirelife.

“And furthermore, the next time you slip out of my arms and our bed, you kiss me goodbye and tell me where you’re going. After what’s happened in the past few months, hell, the past few years, you owe me that much. So, if you’re going to slip out to ease your conscience by checking on my cousin and his wife, you give your man a heads up. Okay?” He lifts my hand and kisses the ring on my finger.

I lift it up to the moonlight and smile as streaks ricochet out in all directions. It’s a perfect oval diamond with two matching ovals on each side. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.

“The big oval diamond is you, right in the center. And the two diamonds on each side, that’s you accepting Cora and me as your family. The three of us until we bring home our newest member. Until death do uspart.”

“Until death do us part.” I slide over his body, straddling him so that my heat is centered over his. He groans, cups both cheeks, and grinds into me. “I love you.” I lean forward, seal my mouth over his, and set about showing him just how much I love him, this ring, and our future.

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