Page 62 of Defending What is Mine

Chapter Thirty-Three

Sam:Present—June

Judging by the muted traces of light trickling into the room combined with the familiar aroma and sounds of coffee brewing, it must be morning. Judging by how heavy my eyelids feel, and how hard they’re fighting to stay closed, it must be early morning. I turn over expecting to wrap an arm around my sex-warrior and give him a thank-you-for-the-magical-things-you-did-to-me kiss but find myself alone in the bed. So I lay back and revel in the flashes of last night racing through my mind instead.

After several minutes of naughty indulgence, curiosity gets the better of me. The coffee maker finished spitting and whirring, and I still don’t hear Jack moving around. I rub the sleep from my eyes as I drag myself down the stairs and into the kitchen. I find a mug upside down, drying on a dish towel next to the coffee maker. “Thoughtful as always,” I say with a grin.

With a piping hot cup in hand, I marvel at my ring as I walk to the door, confident I’ll find Jack on the other side, enjoying the peaceful beauty of morning in this place.

I poke my head out. “Mind a little company?”

The look on Jack’s face tells me he’s a thousand miles away—or maybe something closer to five-thousand miles. But my words appear to be enough to bring him back. His eyes linger as they look me over, and his smile warms. “Been patiently waiting for that very thing.”

I quickly pull the door closed and settle into the seat across from him, intent not to disturb his zen any more than I already have. I’m perfectly happy to sip my coffee and stare at the light dancing through my diamond. To my surprise, Jack is the Chatty Cathy this morning.

“Do you like it? I mean, I wanted to talk with Mollie about it, you know, so I’d know what you really wanted, but couldn’t risk you finding out. So, in the end all I had to go on was the jeweler’s recommendation.”

I reach across the space between us and place my hand on his knee. “It’s absolutely perfect.”

Jack covers my hand with his and turns it slightly, almost whispering when he speaks. “About the proposal…”

“No sir,” I interrupt, pulling my hand away and briskly wagging my finger. “What’s done is done and there are no takebacks.”

“What? No,” he says through a laugh. “No takebacks. No way. I just wonder if it was a mistake not following through with my original plan.”

“I’m not sure what plan could have possibly beat that moment last night, but I’m all ears.”

“I had a lot of ideas originally, but Hank and I kept butting heads. So, eventually I thought…”

“Wait, what? I know you and your brothers are close and all, but you felt like Hank deserved a say in how you proposed?”

Jack stifles a laugh. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.” He takes my hand again. “We agreed to keep it a secret until it was done. For both of us. But I suppose you are now officially part of the inner sanctum.” He motions toward the engagement ring. “But you have to promise not to say a word. I mean, in case something goes wrong with his plan. Okay?”

I think I’m connecting the dots, but don’t want to jump to conclusions. “Keep what a secret? What are we talking about exactly?”

“It’s the reason I couldn’t ask Mollie to help me.”

I gesture for him to continue, but Jack gives me a devilish smile.

“I’m sorry. Inner sanctum or not, you have to promise first.”

Anticipation has me not just biting my bottom lip but chewing it. “Okay, okay.” I raise three fingers on my free hand. “I solemnly swear to henceforth keep all secrets shared by you. And to take them to my grave, unless otherwise released from said oath. Scout’s honor.”

“Oh, right. I forgot you were a Scout.” Jack chuckles. “Hank is planning on proposing to Mollie this weekend as well.”

“Shut the front door! Are you serious?”

He nods. “Now you understand why my proposal options were limited. It seemed like everything I came up with, Hank wanted to argue for. So, when I eventually realized I had an ace up my sleeve...” Jack motions around us. “He might ‘borrow’ the cabin while I’m gone without asking, but fat chance of taking it away from me while I’m around.”

As if asking me to be his wife wasn’t big enough to make me question whether I’m dreaming, learning about Hank and Mollie pushes things over the top. Of all the happily-ever-afters, knowing that she and I both get to become a Wilde at the same time seems like I’m living in a dream. “I can’t believe it, I just can’t…”

“Remember now, not a word until we hear from them. I don’t know what Hank’s plan is, and I’d never forgive myself if I ruined it for them.”

“Sure. Yeah. Of course…” My words trail off again as I try to process the information. Mollie and I are both going to be Wildes. And we’ll finally, officially, be sisters. Okay sisters-in-law, but still.

“Care to hear about ‘the plan?’” Jack looks at me expectantly.

My attention snaps back to the present. “Oooh, yes please.”

He pushes himself up from his seat, pulling me up when he stands. “You’ll probably be glad we went with the impromptu moonlight proposal after I tell you. Now that I think about it, it feels a little underwhelming.”

I smile. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

“Basically, it was this.” He gestures between us, then swings his hand to encompass the scenery. “Right here. I mean, this isn’t exactly where we met, but it is where I feel like I got to know you. This is where I realized I felt something for you. So, I thought, what better place to pop the question, then right here?” Jack pauses and nervously runs a hand through his scruffy hair. “The plan was to wait for you to wake up, come downstairs and find me out here. And then, as we sat together, enjoying the morning, I would get down on one knee…” Jack points to a spot in front of my chair. “Right there. And I was going to tell you how much I love you. And how much I need you. And...”

I don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t wait for him to finish. I run fingers through his hair and pull him into me. “That would have been perfect, too,” I say before kissing him.

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