Page 77 of Bad News Babe

“I don’t mind the pizza at Penny’s,” she says, thinking I’m treating her to better food than we’ll have tonight after she finishes work.

“This is the spot you were standing when you turned from a dream into a reality,” I say as my thumb strokes her cheek. “Down the street is where I saw you five years ago. I thought it was fitting for this to be the spot where I make my feelings official.”

Alexis’s eyes widen when I retrieve the ring box from my bike’s storage and kneel down in front of her.

“You’re my dream girl,” I say and take her hand. “No one else will ever own my heart. Will you be my wife, Alexis?”

All of her worries flash across her beautiful face. It’s too fast. I’m a Mercer. She’s a Toomey. I only love her red hair. I’ll change my mind and leave her brokenhearted.

Rather than give in to those fears, Alexis bounces and looks at me like I’m the pot of gold at the end of a very long, sometimes maddening rainbow.

“Of course,” she blurts out, offering me the most beautiful smile. “You’re the sun. I want to remain in your orbit forever.”

I slide the ring on her little finger, praying it fits before sighing in frustration when it doesn’t.

“I didn’t know your ring size.”

Alexis slides the loose ring off, kisses it, and shoves it into her bra. “No worries. I’ll lose it if it’s on my finger.”

Her smiling face is my reward. Standing up, I kiss Alexis. She tastes like lemons, and my dick immediately awakens. When I lift her off the ground, her legs wrap around my hips. Once again, I wish we had a private place of our own.

Once our lips break free, Alexis presses her forehead against mine. “I don’t know why you want me, but I love you, West. I promise I’ll always take good care of you.”

My heart breaks a little. Alexis is everything, yet she can’t see it. I want to list off her many qualities, but those are just words. She was alone in the cold for a long time. This new sunnier, warmer orbit feels like a trick.

But over time, I’ll help Alexis see herself the way I do. She’s not just the best Toomey a Toomey can be. She’s the best, period. That’s why she’s mine.

---