Page 140 of Could Have Been Us
I laugh as he kisses me, it’s awkward and filled with me giggling, but I don’t care. His big arms wrap around me, plastering me to his solid chest. I hold on, loving how it feels with him. Grateful that, even with the loss we feel, we’ve found strength in each other.
He pulls back, and before I can stop myself, I say, “Marry me.”
“What?”
Okay, I didn’t mean to propose to him, but as we’ve already established, we’re not normal.
“I want to marry you, Jack. I want you to be my husband, and . . .”
“Did you just propose to me?”
I bite my lower lip, feeling a little stupid. “I guess I did.”
He chuckles loudly and then rests his forehead against mine. “You insane, silly, amazing woman. I couldn’t love you any more if I tried.”
“I’m feeling a little dumb.”
“Why is that?” he asks.
“Because I proposed, which . . . well, you know isn’t the way it goes. More than that, you haven’t answered.”
I can’t imagine how men endure this. Usually they plan it out, get a ring, and get down on one knee. I’ve seen a few proposals at the Park Inn, and when you’re not the one asking the question, it’s sweet and amazing.
This is fucking torture.
Jack releases me, and my heart plummets. Oh, God, he doesn’t want to marry me.
Okay. I’m okay. I’ll be okay.
I’ll probably throw myself off a cliff later, but that’ll be fine.
He doesn’t let me go far before he’s cupping my cheeks. “I planned to propose to you next weekend.”
My lips part and I inhale quickly. “What?”
“Yeah, I’ve been working on something and was already planning to ask you to marry me.”
“I ruined it.”
He shakes his head. “Your proposal was much better than mine will be.”
“I doubt that.”
“Would you like to wait for that one or do you want to be the one who pulls my man card?”
I let out a nervous giggle. “I think I can wait.”
“Good.”
Lifting up onto my toes, I wrap my arms around his neck and grin. “After this, I don’t want to wait for things, Jack. I want to live with you, love you, and grow old and happy together. We’ve waited forever, and I want it all now.”
Jack kisses my nose, my lips, my cheeks, and then my forehead. “I plan to give you everything, Stella.”
Chapter 42
Jack
If Stella knew what I was up to, she’d probably kill me, but to save her the heartache, I’m going to do what I can and keep her out of it.
