Page 142 of Playboy

I nod, signaling for her to move on to the next letter.

“You.”

“Next.”

She narrows her eyes and shakes her head, a little smile playing on her lips.

“Marry.”

This time she stops herself, but I hold up a hand, telling her to go on.

“Me.”

I press a kiss to her temple. “Now put them all together.”

With an exaggerated sigh, she shuffles the papers so they’re in order. “Will. You.” Smiling, she peers up at me. “Marry.” She picks up the last page, the final word barely more than a breath. “Me.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” I say with a smile.

“Daniel.” Her lip quivers, her teary eyes locked on me as I drop down to my knees and grip her thighs. “You started writing these letters a month ago. Was this always your plan?”

“I had to write it down. If I didn’t, I’d get it wrong.” I blow out a breath as emotion clogs my throat. “I’ve done a lot of things wrong in my life, but I must have done something amazing in my past one to deserve you. Our life together—” Voice catching, I drop my head and just breathe, trying to collect myself.

When I look back up, tears flow freely down Hannah’s cheeks. “I love you,” she whispers.

It’s just the thing I needed to keep going.

“Our life together is my dream come true.Youare my dream come true. If I had to describe my perfect girl, I would say she’s a little older, with a lot of sass.”

Hannah laughs through her tears.

“She’s got beautiful blue eyes I could get lost in, and these lips I think about at least once an hour. And her ass? It’s incredible.”

She shakes her head, her eyes dancing in amusement.

“But all of that is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s your heart, Han, the way you love your friends, the way you love our son—” I choke on a sob. “And the way you love me.”

She nods along with every word.

“So marry me. I’m not asking you because I won’t risk the chance that you’ll say no. I’m taking you. I’m making you ask me.”

With a deep breath, she places a palm to my cheek and looks at me with enough love to knock me on my ass. “Will you marry me?”

“Why?”

Maybe it’s ridiculous, but I need to know why she wants to do this. I need to be sure this life is what she wants.

“Because,” she says, voice cracking, “if I had to describe my perfect person, I’d say he’s six foot something, cocky, with the biggest heart I’ve ever had the privilege of getting to know. He’s the standard I’ll use for every book boyfriend I create, though none will compare, and he was the first person to ever truly love mejust for me.”

“That’s crazy.” I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, then stroke the sensitive spot just below it. “You are loved by so many.”

She shakes her head. “No one has ever loved me the way you do.”

I nod. “And no one ever will. I promise that for the rest of your life, you’ll know that you and our children come first for me. You will always have my heart and everything else I have to give.”

“So is that a yes?” she croaks.

I reach into the pocket of my sweats and pull out the ring, pinching it between my thumb and forefinger.

---