It took a second for his words to sink in. Alexis leaned away, scanning his face for any sign of an explanation. Was he joking?
"Well, at least you will be soon," he clarified.
She swallowed hard, confused by his teasing smile. He moved, digging for something in his pants pocket. Her heart went to her throat when she recognized the velvet jewelry box he opened in front of her.
"Ohmygod!" she gasped, her eyes nearly bugging out when they landed on the platinum ring with the huge, 2-carat square cut diamond set in an antique setting. Her eyes flew back up to his. She knew what it meant, but didn't want to jump to any conclusions. What if he was just presenting it to her as a gift?
Still, she felt the tickle in her nose, and her eyes burned with tears.
"It belonged to my grandmother." Reid removed it from the box. "I got it when we went to my parents for Christmas." He picked up her hand, placed it on the tip of her finger, and met her eyes. She saw the flicker of worry before he masked it. "This isn't a promise ring, babe. It's not a fucking friendship ring. I want you to be my wife. I want a life with you. I want kids--fuck, I want it all. But none of that will matter without you."
Tears were streaming down Alexis’ face.
"Will you marry me?"
She couldn't speak, but she could nod her head. Reid slipped the ring further down her finger.
"Perfect," he said, staring down at the ring, which sparkled on Alexis’ freshly manicured hand. A sob escaped her, causing Reid to grin. "I sure hope that was a yes."
She laughed. She couldn't take her eyes off the ring. "It's beautiful," she whispered with a watery smile.
"For a beautiful lady," Reid murmured. She reached up and wiped her cheeks. He took a deep breath. "Now, about that sex…"