Page 24 of Mountain Man Crush
I shrug. “I beg to differ.”
She smiles but goes back to eating. “So, how was work?”
“Good. Business is booming and we’re selling more than we can even make right now. Shepard is running the numbers on hiring a few more employees to get orders out faster.”
“That’s great. I can’t believe it’s taking off so well. Usually new businesses have a hard time their first year.”
“I don’t think that applies when the guy running the show already owns and operates a hundred different hotels throughout the country.”
“You may have a point there.”
We finish eating and begin cleaning up. She’s standing at the sink, washing dishes and I’m putting all the leftovers into the fridge. I finish and hand off the dishes to her to wash and then I pull the ring out of my pocket and drop down on one knee behind her. I don’t say anything. I just wait, knowing that eventually she’ll turn around to say something and I’ll leave her speechless.
My knee is starting to hurt, but I’ve planned this out and I’m not changing it now. Mentally, I will her to turn again and again. Finally, she does. “Hey, babe…” she starts. Then her eyes land on me and her mouth drops open.
“Bethany, I know we’ve been planning out our lives since we got together, but I’m tired of planning and I want to start living. I swear I’ll love you until the day I die. I want you to be my wife, by my side through it all. I want you and me until the end of time and when nothing is left, I still want you. Will you please do me the honor of being my wife?”
Tears fill her eyes and slowly roll down her cheeks. She lets out a giggle and nods her head. “Yes, of course, I’ll marry you.”
I slide the ring onto her finger and then stand, picking her up against me where I press my lips to hers as I send a quick thank you to whatever force put her in my life to begin with. Her arms wrap around my neck and she pulls me closer, deepening the kiss. When her legs wrap around my hips, I know exactly where this night is going, and those dishes can wait until tomorrow. The rest of this night belongs to us, and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.
Epilogue
BETHANY
This year has been amazing, and I know the rest of our lives will be just as magical as the last year we’ve been together. I can’t believe he proposed. We’ve talked about it over and over again and I always made it clear that we didn’t have to be married to live out our lives together. All that mattered to me was that we were together. I never expected him to propose, especially like this when I thought it was just any ordinary night.
With him holding me against him and our lips locked on one another’s, he starts carrying me to the bedroom. “Wait,” I say, pulling back.
He sets me on my feet. “What is it?”
“I have something to tell you.”
“Okay. What?” His eyes level on me and suddenly I’m full of worry and panic. He laughs. “Bethany, just tell me.”
I nod and think over how I’m going to tell him.
“Is it bad? Do I need to sit down?” he moves back a few steps and sits at the table. His eyes land on the margarita I didn’t drink. He picks it up and nearly chugs it. Then his brows pull together. “Why didn’t you drink this? Did I make it wrong?”
I shake my head. “I couldn’t drink it, Jack. I’m pregnant.”
His brows skyrocket causing lines to mar his forehead. His mouth falls open as he takes in the news. He doesn’t respond though. He doesn’t move. He just sits, frozen.
I wait, not wanting to freak out. I want to give him time to process. We’ve always talked about having kids although the date was never set. We never actively tried either.
After several long minutes of watching his frozen form sit there in front of me, I walk over to him and kneel between his knees, putting his eyes in line with mine. “Are you okay?”
He doesn’t reply.
“Jack?”
Again, nothing.
“Jack, talk to me. If this isn’t okay, I… well I don’t know what we can do about it now, but please, talk to me.”
He snaps out of his daze. “You’re pregnant?”
I nod.
