Page 60 of Bewitched

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Sunday, May 7

Blake stood in the small kitchenette of their room and made coffee. Looking over at the bed, he saw Paige sprawled across the left side with her face pushed into a pillow. He felt a little guilty because he’d kept her up late last night. Once hadn’t been enough for either of them, so they christened the room from one end to the other. It hadn’t been his intention to take her three times, but that’s what occurred. Whatever was happening between them wasn’t diminishing. In fact, it was starting to burn out of control. As far as he could tell, it was the first flush of love, excitement, raw lust, and baby hormones.

That part of their lives was working perfectly, and he was going to do everything he could to make sure that it always did. The part they had to work out was how they were going to be together. He glanced over at his bag and thought about the box nestled under his jeans. It was time to tell her how he felt and ask her to be his. It was a huge leap for both of them, considering they had been together only a month, but he felt confident that Paige was the one for him.

The sound of the coffeemaker must’ve woken Paige because she rolled over and lifted her hair out of her face. “Morning.”

“Hi, honey. Coffee will be ready in a minute.”

“Okay.”

He watched her sit up and then stretch. The long line of her back had him wanting to tumble her back in the sheets. When she stood and walked past him to the bathroom, he gritted his teeth. Control. He had been famous for it, and it was about time he started using it when Paige was around.

He took their coffee cups, went out to the porch, and admired the sun lighting up the rolling hills. Before he sank into the rocking chair, he went back into their room and grabbed the box in the bottom of his bag. Glancing back, he saw the bathroom door was closed, so he went back out and settled into the chair. Lifting his cup, he drank his coffee and rehearsed his speech. It was perhaps the most important one of his life and he wanted to get it right. After all, his future happiness depended on it.

He heard the screen door open and turned to see Paige walk outside. She was wrapped up in a big white terrycloth robe. Her hair was up and her face was scrubbed clean of makeup. As far as he could remember, he’d never seen anyone more beautiful. She was the answer for him, and it had everything to do with who she was and not what she was giving him. “Coffee?” he asked.

Sinking into the chair next to him, she smiled and took the coffee cup from him. “Don’t you love it here? I spent a lot of time with Ivy’s family when we were in college. Her mama and Grams are a surrogate family for me.”

“I figured that out last night when they thoroughly interrogated me. Grams was particularly interested in my intentions. If it hadn’t been for Ryan, I’m not sure I would’ve made it out of there alive.”

Sipping her coffee, she tucked her feet underneath her and laughed. “The world needs more women like them. They love me as much as my own family. It seems that Ryan has been included and accepted. I’m so happy that Ivy has found her heart. Ryan is everything I could’ve hoped for my sweet friend.”

“What about you? What is it that Paige Bennett hopes and dreams of?”

Rubbing her tummy, she looked out at the view and shrugged. “I hope for a healthy child and a life I can be proud of. I’m not sure what that looks like yet, but I’m hoping to figure it out before he’s born.”

He stood and kneeled before her. “Paige, I want us to build a life together. I want to be the answer for you. I’ve fallen for you, and I’m not sure how I would ever live without you. You’ve become my favorite…everything. Your eyes are the ones that I want to see every morning. You are my favorite way to spend an afternoon, my favorite voice to hear. Fill in the blank, because you are my favorite. I spent a lifetime without anything close, and now that I have you, I’m holding on. I love you fiercely, without reservation, without conditions. I’m never going to let you go, and I hope to God you’re going to let me.”

Looking up, he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. “Honey, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He dug the box out of his pocket and held it up. “Paige Bennett, will you marry me? I promise to love you every day for the rest of my life. I promise to make you as happy as I can. I love you.” Sliding the ring out, he kissed her hand. When Paige didn’t say anything, he looked up and saw her covering her mouth with tears streaming down her face. “Baby, are you breathing?” She shook her head. Standing, he picked her up and held her tightly. He collapsed back into his chair and held her. “I’m hoping that my confession is welcome news and you’re overwhelmed with happiness.”

He felt her nod her head against his chest and took a breath. God damn, he’d almost had a heart attack. Rubbing her back, he rocked back and forth in the chair. Maybe when you proposed to a pregnant woman, you had to do it differently. He wasn’t even sure what he’d said. All he’d done was speak from the heart. Maybe he hadn’t said enough, or maybe he’d said too much. It was all sort of a blur.

A loud sniffle told him that she was starting to pull herself together. “I’m going to get a tissue. I’ll be right back.”

He waited until she crawled out of his lap and walked back into their cabin. Leaning forward, he watched her enter the bathroom. As far as he could tell, his proposal had failed. The tears, the lack of an answer weren’t good signs. Sitting up, he stared across the empty field and wondered what he could have done differently. Several minutes passed, and he felt his future slip away as each minute ticked by.

The screen door opened and Paige emerged. She pushed her hair over her shoulder and then crawled back into his lap. What the hell was going on? He thought of saying something and then held himself back. He’d said everything he could think of, and none of it seemed to be working.

“Yes,” she said.

Sitting back, he braced his hands on her hips. “Can you repeat that?”

“Yes, I want to marry you.” She took a tissue out of her pocket and dabbed at her eyes. “You are the most amazing, brave, handsome, funny man I’ve ever met, and I would be honored to be your partner in life. And smart—did I say that? You’re smart and…sexy. Can I say that when I’m accepting your proposal? I’m not sure if I’m supposed to, but you are, and by the way…thank God.”

He had no idea how to respond. This was one of the world’s worst proposals and he had no idea what to do. Except that she’d said yes. That was good. “Should I ask you again? I feel like the first one didn’t work out all that well.”

“If you want. But if you’re going to ask again, then I’d like to take a shower and do my hair. That way, when we take a picture, I’ll look good. I mean…it’s not like I can put a picture of this in the album. I look like I was rode hard and put up wet. That’s not a memory the children need to see when they flip through the photo album. That’s really between us.”

Throwing his head back, he let out a laugh. “I love you, Paige Bennett, and I would like to marry you.” He dug the ring out of his pocket and held it up. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes, I will marry you. I love you, by the way. I didn’t expect to, but I do. With my whole heart and with every fiber of my being.”

Laughing, he held up her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. “That didn’t go like I thought, but hell, that’s pretty much par for the course.”

Paige lifted her hand and admired the ring he’d chosen for her. “I guess this means you’re stuck with me. No escaping. This is it—all me for the rest of your life.”

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