Page 54 of A Damaged Soul
Crickets. Rhett didn't say anything for a solid minute, and every fear I had that he wouldn't be happy coursed through my body.
Then he did the unexpected and dropped down onto his knees in front of me and rested his head against my stomach. "Marry me?"
I had to laugh. As much as I would gladly marry this man who has become the other half of my heart in such a short period of time, I didn't want him to marry me just out of obligation.
"You're laughing at my proposal?"
"No, I'm laughing because the only reason you're doing it is because of the baby."
Rhett leaned back. So when I looked down, I was able to stare into his gorgeous blue eyes. Ones I hoped more than anything our son or daughter would have. "Not true. I would've asked you to marry me the moment I got out of the hospital if I didn't think you would have said no."
"You can't ask someone to marry you after only knowing them for a few weeks." I rubbed my thumb along the apple of his cheek.
"Why not?"
"Because you need time to get to know them and see how they fit into your life."
I don't know why I was arguing with him when I knew, the first time I sat next to him, he would be the man for me.
"What if I said I knew the first time you asked me to be your fake boyfriend?"
I reeled back at the notion. "Seriously?"
"Yup. I might not have known you would one day become my wife and the mother of my child, but I knew you would change my life for the better if I allowed it."
"You fought so hard against it though?"
"Only because I didn't think I was worthy of you. And if I'm being completely honest, some days I still wonder if I am. Like today. Finding out you're going to have my baby. How can you trust me to hold such a precious thing when my hands are stained with the blood of others?"
Tears pooled in his eyes. Seeing this strong man who had been shot and beaten half to death, and not once cared about his own safety, suddenly cry was enough to make me crumble. I joined him on the floor and cradled his head against my chest.
"It's because of what you've seen and done that tells me you're going to be the best father."
"I don't deserve you."
My heart ached. "Yes, you do. You deserve the world, and I'm going to give it to you because I love you."
"I love you too."
Rhett sobbed in my arms that day, but it turned out to be therapeutic for him. I eventually agreed to be his wife—on one condition. We had to get married sooner rather than later because I didn't want to be showing in my wedding pictures.
Of course Rhett agreed, and as it turned out, his sister-in-law was able to whip me up the perfect wedding gown in no time. There was no more talk of Rhett not being good enough even if I was sure he internally struggled some days.
Just as I knew he would be, Rhett turned out to be the perfect husband and father. He attended every baby appointment. Often times flying back early from assignments just so he wouldn't miss them.
There was no doubt in my mind by the time our daughter was born, our little girl would have her father wrapped around her little fingers. Just as I always knew he would be.
EPILOGUE 1
Elle
Nine Months Later
I woke up in bed and immediately knew that I was alone. The mornings where Rhett was still in bed with me, he would be wrapped around my like a boa constrictor.
Instead his side of the bed was cold, and I could hear the faintest humming through the baby monitor.
Getting out of bed, I wrapped a robe around my body and padded across the floor to the nursery next door.
