Page 155 of Test the Ice
I break in half, right there in front of him, in the middle of the courtroom.
A sob climbs from the deepest parts of my body, and before I collapse, he’s there to catch me.
“Dimples,” he whispers against my hair. “It’s okay.”
It is.
For now.
Hopefully forever.
“I’m so sorry,” I choke out.
I furiously wipe my tears but stay pressed against Malaki. His heart beats as quickly as mine. Being wrapped in his strong arms has me hating myself for pushing him away.
“Please stop crying,” he pleads. “I really can’t take it. It’s almost as bad as when Charleigh cries.”
I sniffle and shake my head against him. “I am so sorry for what I said. I’m so sorry I pushed you away and told you that you were going to make things worse.” I sniffle again. “It’s not true. My life is so much better with you in it.”
“Obviously,” he jokes.
I finally pull back and stare into his eyes. A line of worry etches in between his eyebrows. He grips my face and uses his thumbs to wipe my tears.
“You hired a PI?”
He nods. “There was no way I was letting him take you or Char from me.”
“And you were going to take custody of her if it came down to it…” Another tear slips from my eye. “You really do love her, huh?”
He wipes my face again. “I love both of you, Reese. Don’t you understand that?”
My lip wobbles. “Why? I’m a–”
Malaki’s hands weave through my hair as he brings me closer. His breath fans across my face, silencing me.
“You’re you,” he says. “That’s why. I love everything about you. Your kind heart, the way you take care of everyone aroundyou, your dimples, your laugh…” His mouth hovers over mine. “I think about you every single minute of the day. Coming home to you and Charleigh—hell, even Zoe—is the one thing I look forward to above everything else.
“Did it come as a surprise? Maybe a little. I didn’t necessarily think our fake engagement would turn into forever,but goddamn do I want it.”
I’m completely swept off my feet in love with him too, and this may be the first time I actually let myself feel all of it.
I wrap my fingers around his wrists. “I love you too.”
His perfect smile is the last thing I see before he’s pressing his mouth to mine. I close my eyes and let the warmth of stability and love fill me to the point that I forget where we are.
Someone clears their throat, and we break apart.
The bailiff stands there with an awkward smile on his face.
“Sorry.” Malaki removes his hands and interlaces his fingers with mine. “We will see ourselves out.”
The bailiff chuckles as we head for the doors.
Right before Malaki pushes through, he stops walking and peers down at me. I look up at him, my eyes puffy from crying. “Unless…”
“Unless what?”
His eyebrow crooks upward. “Wanna get married? We’re already in the courthouse.”
