AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As he always did, he kissed her to wake her, and Bea’s eyes fluttered open. She smiled and wanted to grab his face and pull it down to hers, but he asked her to scoot up on the bed.
She caught sight of the plate of pancakes, and her stomach grumbled. Pete was way too good to her, better than she felt she deserved. It scared her, although she tried to push those doubts into the far corners of her brain. They still crept in at times like these. Times when she could never imagine being happier than she was in that moment.
Pete’s smile kept growing, and he had this goofy expression she couldn’t decipher. He passed the tray to her. She started buttering the pancakes, lifted the top one, and paused. Her eyes examined the ring placed there, and the panic she thought she’d feel in this moment didn’t come. All the anxiety over a future with Pete disappeared. Something quieted inside her as she picked up the sparkling diamond ring that was perfect for her.
Pete got up on his knees, and his fingers brushed hers as he took the ring from her. Pete told her how much he loved her and explained how he wanted a future with her. Then he said the words she’d thought would terrify her.
“Will you marry me?”
With a grin, Bea held out her left hand for him to slide the ring on. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Pete slid the ring on her finger and took the tray of pancakes off Bea’s lap, bringing her lips to his.
Hudson stops reading and stares at me. “What is this, Palmer?”
I take out the ring and hold it out to him. “Ask me again.”
He shakes his head. “I told you I don’t need you to marry me. I don’t need the marriage license. I can be happy just being with you.”
“And what if I’m not?”
His eyes study me for a long time, and I hold my breath, hoping I didn’t mess it all up. Sitting up on his knees, he takes the ring from my fingers.
“Palmer, I love you. You and Adley are my world. I want to make a million more Adleys with you. I want the crazy life of a chaotic house so that after we’ve put them to bed, I can snuggle with you in the quiet of our home and relax. I want to laugh with you when they do and say the craziest things. But mostly, I just want you. I want to love you through all the good and bad this life will bring us. Will you be my wife?”
I wipe the tears falling down my cheeks. “Yes.”
He slides the ring on my finger, and I tackle him down to the mattress.
“About time,” I joke.
He takes my cheeks in his hands, and I see the question in his eyes. Am I sure? I hope that over time, that question gets answered through my actions.
“God, I love you,” he whispers.
“Will you make me pancakes tomorrow morning?”
He laughs. “Every morning for the rest of my life.”
I lower my body onto his, and we seal it with a kiss.
