Page 63 of His Christmas Gift

DEAN

Istared at the front door of Autumn’s parents’ house, telling myself that now was the time to be the bravest that I had ever been.

This moment meant more to me than any business pitch or presentation. My work was important, but it wouldn’t care for me or make me feel alive like Autumn and our child would.

We both ran away before, but I wanted us to face each other now. We had no other choice, but I didn’t think that was a bad thing. I wanted to believe that something good could come out of this. Hopefully, she opened the door.

I lifted my hand and knocked my knuckles against the sleek wood of the front door before taking a step back. I waited for a few seconds, listening for any noise or voices from inside the house. At first, I didn’t hear anything. What if she wasn’t here any longer?

My heart rate spiked at the thought, but the door then swung open. I watched Autumn gradually appear in the doorway, and the sight of her red, puffy eyes made my chest ache. I never meant to make her upset like this. I never wanted to hurt her.

“Autumn…”

Autumn put her hand up to cut me off. She leaned her side against the doorframe, letting me see past her where her parents lingered at the entrance of the hallway.

“I’m sorry for running off like that,” she told me with a guilty look on her face.

I frowned as I peered at her. I didn’t want her to apologize for needing to be alone. I knew that this was overwhelming for her. Even if the baby was mine, she was the one carrying it. That put even more pressure on her.

“Like you, I didn’t expect for this to happen,” Autumn continued. “I know you’re really career driven. So am I, and I know a baby can complicate that.”

Our lives would change, but I didn’t want to think of our baby as a complication. This pregnancy was a surprise, but I believed that it could be a happy one. There was no one else on the planet that I wanted to have a child with but Autumn. She would be the perfect mother, the perfect partner.

“My career isn’t my life, Autumn,” I told her as I shook my head. “Not anymore.”

Autumn’s face softened slightly, but she still swallowed hard and continued.

“I’m not going to force you to do anything. If you want to be in this baby’s life, I’d love that. If not… I can’t stop you,” Autumn said, her voice shaking slightly during the last few words. Her eyes glistened slightly, but she blinked the moisture away.

I felt a little hurt that she thought I would walk away from our baby. It didn’t matter what was going on in my life. I would never abandon her or our child. What kind of man would I be if I did that? She must not realize how much I cared about her and the future that I hoped to have with her.

“We’re raising this baby together. I would never ever walk away,” I replied, needing her to know that I would never disappear. She didn’t have to worry about doing any of this alone.

A hopeful expression filled Autumn’s face.

“Really? Are you sure? This is a huge responsibility,” she asked me before shaking her head at herself. “But you know that.”

“I’m all in,” I replied as I took a step toward her. I was all in when I agreed to help her. I just didn’t know it at the time.

Autumn gazed up into my eyes looking conflicted despite what I just told her.

“Everyone knows that we aren’t engaged. You’re off the hook now,” she said with a weak laugh.

I could hear the fakeness in her tone. She wasn’t amused or relieved. Something was still bothering her, and I hoped that I was right about my guess because I was about to do the riskiest thing I had ever done in my life.

“Can I have the ring back?” I asked her, nodding to the engagement ring on her finger.

Autumn’s eyes immediately widened in shock. My words took her completely by surprise, and I didn’t miss the devastated look on her face as she looked down at the ring. She then swallowed hard and nodded, slowly slipping the ring off her finger. She held it for a moment, gazing at it for one more second. Then, she placed it in my hand.

“Here you go,” she said, her voice shaking slightly.

I felt terrible for doing that to her, but she would understand soon. And I meant now.

“Autumn,” I murmured softly, reaching out with my free hand to cup her cheek. When her eyes met mine, I smiled at her, making her look confused. The last thing that she probably expected me to do at that moment was lower myself to one knee in front of her.

“Dean, what are you doing?” Autumn said, her voice nearly sounding like a whisper. She froze in place, staring down at me as her parents looked on with wide eyes.

I presented the ring to her, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement. I was excited that I got to propose to her for real, but I was nervous that this wasn’t what she wanted. I couldn’t predict her feelings, but I knew mine very well. I wanted her to be mine forever, and this was the first step to that.

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