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“That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen,” I retort. “There’s a lot of stuff you don’t know about Loren and me. About me in general.”
He takes a step back. “If you say so, man.”
JD pats him on the back, more gently this time. “I think what my brother’s trying to say is that he’s not the same guy he used to be.”
“Yeah,” Brock agrees. “You’re both whipped now and don’t care what any of us think anymore.”
I roll my eyes when they all laugh, but I still feel myself smirking.
“All right, I get it,” Jase says after a while. “I guess it’s not easy convincing everyone you’re settling down after so many years of beingthatguy.”
I frown again. “You could say that.”
“You probably would’ve had an easier time of it if you’d picked a more likely candidate, though. Like I was saying before, it’s a little harder to take you seriously after hearing you’ve quit partying to screw around with Landry Reed’s baby sister. I thought it was a joke at first. I mean, no offense, but I couldn’t help but wonder if you were just trying to settle an old grudge or something.” He’s grinning as he says it, nudging some of the other guys and trying to get them to agree.
I swallow hard, my blood starting to boil. “No offense, huh?” I mutter.
Jase shrugs. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s hot, even if she dresses like my weird great-aunt. But wasn’t she the last virgin in our class? Unless you’re trying to tell us you were secretly hitting that in high school the whole time?”
By now I’m clenching my jaw so hard that I’m starting to worry my teeth might crumble. If I allow myself to move, I’m afraid I’ll end up choking him.
“That’s enough, Jase,” JD tells him.
Jase coughs out a laugh. “Aw, come on, Blake. When did you start letting Junior fight your battles for you? You really have gone soft, bro.”
“Notthatsoft,” I growl.
The rest of them are all quiet, and JD’s eyes flash to mine. He’s trying to convey that it’s not worth it, but it’s taking all I have not to knock this asshole out right here and now.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Loren asks, glancing at me as she approaches. “Everything okay?”
“Your boyfriend’s gone off the deep end,” Jase mumbles.
“Maybe I have,” I say under my breath. She furrows her brow in confusion, so I continue. “I just … I need you and everyone else to understand how lucky I am, because you are … so incredible in your own right. You’re beautiful, smart, funny, sexy as hell, and literally the most interesting woman I’ve ever known. You’re my favorite person in the whole world.”
Her expression softens slightly. “Um, thank you?”
“I love you, Lo, and I can’t bear the idea of anyone making you question my loyalty to you or how I feel about you.”
She blushes, and her eyes lock onto mine, though I can tell she’s mostly trying to avoid having to acknowledge the way everyone is staring at her. “I love you, too, Blake,” she replies, her voice barely above a whisper.
And the mere fact that she’s willing to say it in front of all these people is enough to fuel me on. My heart starts drumming loudly in my ears, and I look away to find JD’s face behind her. He smirks and nods encouragingly, and I exhale slowly. Then I see the way his hand curls around Tenley’s side when she joins him, and I know, without a doubt, that I want that too. I don’t care if my brother did it first. I just know I want my own family, with Loren.
I mouth the words, “In my nightstand” to him, and he nods quickly before darting off into the house. Then I clear my throat and reach for Loren’s hand. She takes a step closer, still staring at me carefully.
“Lo, I know you’re still worried our relationship wouldn’t have progressed this far if you hadn’t gotten pregnant. But to be honest, I’m grateful it happened, because I don’t know how else I would have tricked you into falling for me.” I lean in and kiss her softly, and her cheeks are bright red.
“But a generally unwise man once told me that only a lucky few get to experience this once-in-a-lifetime, undeniable chemistry with another person. And that at first this attraction may seem wrong or inconvenient, until you recognize it as a nudge from the Holy Spirit. Because this person is meant for you, and your desire is just a gift that makes it easier to commit to spending forever together.”
She’s quiet for a while as she considers it. Meanwhile, my heart feels like it’s beating out of my chest as I wait for her to acknowledge that I’ve basically just confessed to thinking she’s my soulmate. She’s got to sense my desperation if I’m spouting all these mushy lines in front of everyone, especially since I obviously borrowed them from my brother.
“And … you believe that’s what’s happening here, with us?” she asks hesitantly.
“I do. Except, I think it’s always been that way for us, but we were too stubborn to see it before. So God must have figured it was time to step it up,” I add, sliding my hand over her belly.
She laughs. “I guess I could see that.”
“Loren,” I begin, closing my eyes and leaning down to catch her rose scent on the next inhale. Then I open my eyes again and stare into hers, imagining we’re all alone and not standing in the midst of all these people. “Stay with me, please. I know you may not be convinced yet, but I don’t have any doubts. I want … I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy, making you feel loved, and trying to get you to see yourself the way I see you. I don’t want to miss a minute of watching you with our girls, because I know you’re going to be an amazing mom. I want a family with you.”
