Page 128 of The Bad Girl List

“Dominique,” he says softly, “will you marry me and make me the happiest dog daddy in the world?”

“Of course I will!” Tears overflow from my eyes as I throw my arms around him.

He’s only half way to his feet when I barrel into him. He catches me in his arms, but the balance is off. We tip over into the dirt beneath the oak tree, laughing. Tequila is barking non-stop, her tail wagging as she hops back and forth.

Trevor drapes himself over me, cradling the back of my head with his hand. “I like you better underneath me anyway,” he says. “I love you, Dom.” He picks up my hand and kisses my fingers, then leans forward to kiss me on the mouth. It’s a deep kiss that promises more to come.

Then he slides the ring on my finger. “Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect,” I say, turning the ring to admire it. It’s a simple platinum band with four little butterflies engraved on the top. My heart melts at the sight of them.

“You can pick out a diamond that you like before the wedding,” he says. “I thought it would be better for you to choose something since you’re going to wear it for the rest of your life.” He leans down and kisses me again.

I feel him getting hard. I finger his top buttons, wondering if we’ll make love out here under the tree.

But Tequila is going crazy. She comes right up to us and barks in our ears.

“All right! Damn dog.” Trevor pulls me to my feet. “You’ll have to excuse her. She’s a little excited for this next part.”

“There’s more?”

“Yes, come on.” Leading me by the hand, we return to the bungalow.

“I noticed you cleaned up,” I say as we duck inside. “I was impressed. I wasn’t sure Megan ever taught you how to make a bed.”

“I figured if my housekeeping skills haven’t scared you off by now, you must really love me. But yeah, I didn’t want to propose to you with my house looking like a bachelor pad.”

“I do, you know,” I say, squeezing his hand. “I love you, Trevor.”

“I know. I love you, too.”

We stop in front of his dresser, which has a special place in our hearts after our first night together. He smirks as we stand beside it, which he also does often if one of us mentions the dresser.

With a flourish, he pulls open three of the drawers.

They are all empty.

“What did you do with all your clothes?” I ask. I know for a fact that he keeps extra clothes around so he doesn’t have to do laundry as often.

“These aren’t my drawers anymore,” he says. “I want you to have them. There’s something else, too.” He nudges a roll of paper sitting inside the top drawer, which has been tied with a brown bow. It’s longer than regular paper.

“What is this?” I ask, taking out the roll.

“Open it.”

I tug off the bow and unroll the paper. It takes me a second to figure out what I’m seeing. “Are these blueprints?”

Trevor’s smile is wide. “I know you need an office. These are plans for an addition. We’ll put it here.” He pulls me over to the bedroom window that overlooks the vineyards in front of his house. “We’ll put French doors here where the window is. You’ll have everything you need. A built-in desk, filing cabinets, the works. There will even be a door to the outside in case you need to bring in clients. We have a family friend who’s a contractor. He’s going to break ground next week.”

I stare at him, my head swimming with emotions. “Trevor, this is too much. I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll move in with us as soon as your lease is up in the city.” He runs the back of his hand along my cheek. “We can get married whenever you want, but I want you to move in as soon as possible. Tequila and I can’t stand not having you around all the time. What do you say?”

I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand, marveling at this amazing man who loves me. “Trevor Moretti, I would love to move in with you and become Tequila’s official dog mommy.” I run my hands up his chest and cup his face between my hands, bringing him down for a kiss.

The kiss deepens. It isn’t long before he’s unbuttoning my pants and I’m tugging his shirt free from his jeans.

“What do you say to another round on the dresser?” Trevor asks. “Think my furniture can withstand the abuse?”

“If it breaks, we’ll get a new one with our wedding registry,” I say. “We–”

A loud sigh rustles across the room, cutting me off.

We both turn to find Tequila sitting on her bed, head resting on her paws, eyes closed in an expression of pure bliss.

AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

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