Page 60 of Taking The Shot

Her brows pulled together. "What’s wrong?"

"It’s midnight."

"And?"

Instead of answering, Keith crossed the room and reached into the entryway closet, stretching up onto his toes to retrieve something he had tucked away before his trip. He shut the door quickly to keep the kittens from sneaking inside, then turned to face her, a slow smile spreading across his lips as he held out a small package.

Constance blinked in surprise.

"What’s this?"

"Open it," he murmured, stepping into their bedroom and nudging the door shut behind him. His pulse picked up as he watched her fingers brush over the wrapping, hesitant but curious. He suddenly felt self-conscious, almost foolish for doing something so sentimental—but to him, it wasn’t just a gift.

It was a moment.

A memory.

A promise.

Constance perched on the edge of the bed, carefully undoing the ribbon before peeling back the brown paper. As soon as her gaze landed on what was inside, she inhaled sharply, her eyes flicking up to meet his in recognition.

"Happy anniversary," he whispered, his voice tender.

Her brow furrowed. "But it’s not our anniversary," she breathed, the emotion in her eyes making his chest tighten.

"It’s been the best six weeks of my life, and I felt like celebrating."

Her mouth parted slightly, her fingers tightening around the frame in her hands. "What? Oh, Keith…"

"It’s just a little something, you know?"

When they had gotten married, Keith had rushed to buy the newspaper, clipping out the black-and-white photo of them kissing in front of the courthouse. That moment was everything to him—the second his world shifted, the second she became his wife. It had been impulsive, reckless,perfect.

He had framed it then, and now he had written something new on the back, something that had been weighing on his heart since the moment he had left for the road trip.

"Turn it over," he whispered.

She did, her hands trembling, her eyes glistening with unspoken emotion as she read the inscription.

No matter what happens this season or the next, I already won when we said ‘I do.’

~ Keith

A shaky breath left her lips. She swallowed hard, blinking away tears as she lifted her gaze back to his.

"I thought about what you said," he admitted, his throat tightening. "I’m truly happy, and if you want a child with me—I would be honored. I can’t think of a more beautiful way to show how much I love you than creating something that takes the best parts of us."

Her lips parted in surprise, a tear spilling down her cheek. "I wanted to talk to you about that," she whispered, nodding as she wiped her eyes. "I love you so much, love our life, and I think I do want another baby."

Keith let out a breathless laugh, relief crashing over him like a wave. "Oh, thank God," he groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face.

Constance burst into laughter at his reaction, shaking her head.

"I didn’t want to be the deciding factor," he admitted, grinning. "And we both know I have such a hard time telling the girls no—can you imagine me with our own baby? My stars, he’s gonna be so spoiled."

"He?" she teased.

"He. She. They," he chuckled, meeting her gaze. "It could be a ‘they’ if we get lucky. If it becomes a ‘them,’ then we might need a bigger house."

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