Page 249 of Small Town Firsts
The last sparks of the waterfall fireworks lit her beautiful, smiling face. She dropped her trusty knapsack by her feet and folded her arms as I slowly puttered to the dock. Brad and JT hooted behind her, and a few catcalls from other members of my team rang out as well.
The front of my boat bumped into the mooring as I tossed up a rope to tie me off before I drifted back out to the cove. She rested her sneakered foot against the sloping bow and tipped her head. “Had to make a spectacle, huh?”
I widened my stance against the wild rocking from the waves. “Yep.”
“Don’t you do anything small, Hamilton?”
“Nope.” I leaned forward and lifted my voice. “I’ve got a secret.”
“Is that right?” Her lips twitched as she tried not to smile.
“Yeah. It’s kinda a big one. Though maybe not such a big secret now.” My stomach pitched in time with the waves banging my little boat against the moorings.
She pushed her dark hair out of her eyes as it whipped around her shoulders. “I’m listening.”
I looked behind her for a second. No one was dispersing. At all. Everyone was leaning in to hear what I had to say.
God, please help me not to fuck this up more.
I took a deep breath. I valued my privacy, but this was important. “I love you, Alison. In a big, stupid, crazy way. So much that I can’t even put it into words.”
Her dark eyes widened and her hands fell to her side. “What?”
“Don’t ‘what’ me. Deep down, you had to know.”
Her hand flew up to her mouth and a smile broke between her fingers.
I glanced behind her and growled when I spotted JT with his hands over his heart.
She waved her hand toward the idiots catcalling behind her. “Never mind them. I’m not sure I heard that.”
I pulled out of the slip that was too far away from her and moved closer. I didn’t want her to have to strain to hear a word of this. “I love you. I wanna marry you.”
“Marry me?”
I gripped the throttle and spun the boat around until it was sideways at the end of the slip. I held out my hand to her. “Yeah, you. This is the marrying kind of love. Being the mother of my kid kind of love. The one I already have,” I quickly corrected at her crestfallen face. The last thing I wanted her to think aboutright now was that ridiculous contract. “I want to build a life with you. A family. I want forever, Ally Cat.”
She blinked madly and looked down at me, her hands fisted at her sides.
“Please take a chance on me, Al.”
She lifted her bag and tossed it into my boat then jumped in and I caught her. There was nothing else I could possibly do.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and dragged her into me. “You’re killing me, Alison.”
“I love you so much.” Her voice was ragged and her eyelashes starred with tears. “Besides, if I didn’t, I would have after you gave me fireworks, for God’s sake.”
“Go big or go home, baby.”
She lifted her arms around my shoulders and went up on her tiptoes. “I really like the idea of going home.”
Jessica let out a “Whoop, whoop!” and everyone clapped on the pier.
Fairytale achieved? Maybe. At least the start of one. I had a lot of work to do yet.
I settled Ally in the seat beside me and waved as I throttled back away from the dock.
JT curved his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Lucky bastard!”
