Page 111 of Mountain Protector

“Knox?” Lark touches my cheek. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Except my throat feels like the Sahara. And I’m lightheaded with nerves. “I… You know I love you. Right?”

She shoots me aduhlook. “Yes. Of course.”

“I’m… crap. I’m messing this up.”

“Messing up what?”

Reaching behind me, I pull out the small velvet box. “I told you months ago that I wanted to marry you one day.”

“Knox.”

“I’ve been wanting to ask. But I wanted to give you time, after everything. Time to recover. Time to do your counseling and get a chance to feel safe again. It didn’t seem right to spring such a big question on you yet.”

“I do feel safe,” she whispers. “I always feel safe with you.”

“Maybe I should have asked sooner. But… I don’t know, Lark. I’ve never done this before. Falling in love. Proposing?—”

Lark’s lips lift. “Areyou proposing?”

My ears go hot. “Well, I’m trying to. But I’m not doing a very good job of it.” Taking a deep breath, I flip open the box, revealing the ring I’ve been holding onto for months. “I love you, Lark. I’ve tried to think of the perfect words to tell you how much, but they don’t exist. This feeling is so much more than words. It’s in my heart. My hopes. My dreams. I want a life with you, songbird. Decades of waking up by your side. Of watching those Hallmark movies with you. Of making every holiday special for us?—”

My voice cracks. “And our kids. I know it’s important to you, and it is to me, too. However we want to do it. Whenever you want. Fostering. Adopting. If you want to find a surrogate, we’ll make it happen. And if you change your mind and only want dogs or cats, or no kids at all, I’m fine with that, too. As long as I’m with you, I’ll be forever happy.”

“Knox.” Tears brim in Lark’s eyes.

I pluck the ring from the box and hold it out to her with trembling fingers. “Will you marry me, Lark Weber? Be my wife? Spend a lifetime with me?”

In the moment before she answers, I stop breathing.

Please.

“Yes. Of course.” Lark frames my face with her hands as tears spill down her cheeks. “There’s nothing that would make me happier. You are everything to me, Knox. Everything. I thought I knew what it meant to feel joy. To feel complete. But I had no idea. Not until I met you.”

Her lips meet mine, tasting slightly of salt. “You showed up that day when I was cleaning my gutters, and I was all dirty and aggravated. The last thing I wanted was company. But then you looked at me, and my heart just stopped for a second. The frustration fell away. And when you talked to me? Offered to help? Even though I kept telling myself I didn’t want a relationship, a part of me knew from the start. Kate used to bug me about meeting someone. But I couldn’t imagine being with anyone but you.”

“Songbird.” I slide the ring on her finger, marveling at how perfect it looks. “So you’ll marry me? Make me the happiest and luckiest man in the world?”

“Yes.” Beaming, she kisses me again. “Absolutely. I can’t wait.”

Hugging her to me, I pepper kisses all over Lark’s face. “I can’t wait, either. How about next week?”

Lark laughs. “Maybe not next week. I want to make sure Kate can come. And Tom should be there. Plus, we want to invite all your old teammates.”

“True. So. Should we celebrate by making love again? Or should we go down to breakfast and share the news, eat something for energy, andthenmake love?”

“Hmm.” She taps her lips. “I like both ideas. But since we are guests here, let’s do breakfast first.” A beat, and then, “I can’t wait to telleveryone.”

“Same.” I jump out of bed and scoop her into my arms. “Let’s take a shower. And eat quickly. Then we’ll come back here so I can make love to my fiancée.”

“Myfiancé.” She nuzzles my neck. “I can’t wait to make love to my future husband.”

Fifteen minutes later, we rush into the kitchen downstairs, still damp and flushed from the shower.

Well. And the very quick sex we couldn’t resist. Despite my best intentions not to, once I saw Lark all wet in the shower, wearing my ring, and she called herself the future Mrs. Buchanan… How could I not make love to her again?

Devin and Mal are at the kitchen counter, dishing up plates of eggs. At the stove, RJ is frying bacon, while Jake tries unsuccessfully to steal a piece. And RJ’s father, Gunny, is sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through the newspaper and muttering at it.

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