Page 110 of Chasing Forever
“Lottie, you can’t get mad. We got married in Vegas. Drunk. I swindled you into some dates to keep you from getting the marriage annulled. We’re here, and I love where we are. My head is a mess, and I just want to give you options. I don’t want this to end, and I know you don’t either, but I don’t know if you want to be married to me.”
I release his hand and turn toward the lake, wrapping my arms around me. I’d assumed we were on the same page. “I don’t want options.”
He slides his arms around my waist and puts his chin on my head. “Does that mean you don’t want to annul me?”
“We still have one more date, but I wasn’t going to call the lawyers or anything.”
He chuckles, and his arms tighten across my middle. I rest my hands on his arm.
“It’s crazy, right? I mean, where do we go from here? We kind of started at the finish line.”
I circle in his arms, sucking in a big breath. “I’m going to be really brave right now and tell you where my head is. And if yours isn’t there, Brooks, I’m begging you, please tell me. You’ve been so forthcoming with your feelings for me, and I want to do the same, but I don’t want you to pity me or anything.”
“God, Lottie, I would never pity you. I’ll always be truthful with you.” He tucks a wisp of hair the breeze has caught and blown across my face behind my ear.
I inhale and exhale, staring into his eyes. Eyes that I’ve learned show everything he’s feeling, and I know I can trust him with my heart. “When I woke up married to you, I wasn’t completely disappointed, despite how it may have seemed. I mean, it was insane, but I was way more worried about what people would say than I was worried about my life with you.”
He smirks, the same one that drew me to him in the first place, but also the same one that drove me crazy when he was fighting the annulment so hard.
“Oh god, think you can keep your ego in check? Can I continue?”
He waves for me to keep going, still grinning. “Please. So far, I love where this is going.”
“I thought you would. Anyway, I wanted the annulment because I didn’t want to let you get close to me. I didn’t want to give you the chance to crack my armor and risk feeling all that pain all over again. But you’re a stubborn bastard, so you did it anyway, and somewhere along the way, I fell madly in love with you. You couldn’t just do what I wanted you to, huh?”
He chuckles and tugs me into him, securing me in one of his hugs that always makes me feel so safe and taken care of. “So, what do you want now, Lottie Owens?”
“I love you, and you don’t even know my name.” I circle out of his arms and throw my arms in the air. “It’s Lottie Watson.”
He doesn’t say anything, waiting for me to say the actual words. I’ve delayed it enough and need to put it out there.
“I want to stay married. I want to move in together. I want to have a big reception and celebrate our love with all our friends and family. I want to make you crappy dinners you swallow down, pretending to like them, and I want to make you honey-do lists. Most of all, I just want Mack.”
“Always the dog.” He shakes his head, smiling.
“But if you want to wait and see?—”
He puts his finger on my lips and stops me saying anything else. “I’ve wanted all those things for as long as I can remember, and I want to give them all back to you. Well, except Mack. He’s already mine. I guess I’ll share him.”
“So, we’re on the same page?”
Brooks nods. “We’re on the same page.”
He gives me a kiss as if we’re sealing our agreement.
I draw back for a second. “We’re going to be late, but all I want to do is make love to you right now.”
“I’ll still be here after the dinner. We have all night after we’re done at your parents’.” He takes my hand and guides me farther along the path.
“A quickie at my house?” There’s no way I can wait.
“You have no idea how fast I can be.” He swoops me up over his shoulder and runs back to my house.
I’m sure we won’t miss anything. Romy’s probably eating all the appetizers anyway.
By the time we walk in the door at my parents’, everyone is seated at the dinner table, with annoyed expressions on their faces.
Whoops.
