Page 38 of Tucker

“The dogs—”

“I’ll get them after you’ve sat down. You’re shaking.”

She hadn’t realized it, but now that he said it, she felt the tremors attacking her limbs. “Reaction, I guess.”

At the top of the stairs, he picked her up, carrying her over the broken glass and displaced furniture, going down the hall. Inside his bedroom, which was luckily still intact, he lowered her to the bed, and asked, “Will you wait here?”

She nodded. She wasn’t sure she could get her legs to work anyway.

Shoulders tensed, face still grim, Tucker walked back out.

He loved her. He didn’t look particularly happy about it, but she could work around that.

By the time he returned, she was in a state, pacing the bedroom, looking out the window at the devastation left behind, wondering what to say to him and where they’d go from here.

He stepped into the bedroom, his muscled arms filled with squirming puppies, the blanket thrown over his shoulder, Mama on his heels.

She blurted, “You love me?”

“God, yes.” He lowered to one knee and oh-so-gently put down the puppies. “Their eyes are open.”

“They are?” Ensuring their safety had occupied all her focus, so she hadn’t even noticed. Now she peered down at them, and her heart almost melted. “Aw, so cute.”

As if pained, Tucker closed his eyes again. When he opened them, she got caught in his heated green gaze. Still on one knee, he asked, “You really do love me, don’t you?”

Without hesitation, she said, “Yes. I have for a while.”

“Good.” He looked around the bedroom as if unsure what to do.

“It looks like your kitchen got the worst of the damage.”

“Yeah.” He stroked the back of one puppy, then stood with determination. After running a hand over his head, he exhaled heavily and flexed his shoulders, attempting to shake off tension. He ended all that by scowling at her. “You can’t ever scare me like that again.”

Kady bit her lip. “I’ll try not to if you don’t scare me, either.” She wasn’t as self-possessed as he was and waiting, not knowing if he’d be hurt, had been pure torture.

Hands on his hips, he half turned away, then slanted her a look. “Will you marry me?”

Kady dropped back heavily to sit on the bed again. This day was just full of surprises!

Before she could say anything, he came to stand before her. “It’s a small town, Kady. People notice things. Plus you have a massive, very concerned family.”

She opened her mouth, and he continued, “But I want you to marry me because I love you. I know it’s fast.”

“Fast?” she scoffed. “I’ve wanted you for five years.”

“And I know you have a lot to experience yet—”

“I want to experience it withyou.” She wiped her eyes with a shaking hand and sniffled. “Only you, Tucker.”

He breathed a little faster. “So you’ll marry me?”

“Of course.”

Smiling now, he sat beside her, touching her hair, her cheek. His voice went low and gruff when he whispered, “I look forward to waking up with you for the rest of my life.”

“That would be wonderful.” Joy bubbled up inside her, but oddly, she had to fight off a sob. “And I can help with all these dogs.”

His smile went crooked. “That, too.”

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