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I held out the box, and my right hand.
"Will you put it on me?"
"Of course." He pulled the ring free of its velvet surrounds and slid it onto the third finger of my right hand. "Next ring will be for the same finger on the other hand."
Those words left me breathless, my head in a spin. If they came from anyone else, I might run away, or laugh.
I looked Bam in the eyes and knew he meant every word.
"I love you so much," was the only response I could give to that.
"I love you too." He kissed me again, longer this time and deeper. "Do you think they'll notice if we don't go back to the party?"
"They might," I said reluctantly.
He slipped an arm around me. "Well then, it must be time for another grand entrance."
"If you don't mind that Harvey Danbury is in there." I grimaced.
"Sooner or later, we have to face the asshats of the world," Bam said. "We can get it over with if we do it today."
"That's true," I said. With Bam by my side, I could face anything the world might throw at me, including the front page of some sleazy paper. What did it matter? We knew who we were, that was what counted.
"Okay, let's do it."
He stood and offered me his hand.
I took it and stood too. "I hope this doesn't mess with the good work you did to build your reputation."
"To hell with that," he said. "I care more about you than I do football. Besides, I have an announcement to make that will give me brownie points for years."
I eyed him sideways. "Should I be worried?"
He wiggled his eyebrows and smiled. "Naw, it's nothing bad. I promise that too. In fact, I think you'll like it. Trust me."
"I did until you said those last two words," I teased.
He chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind for next time."
Next time? I had a feeling I'd just stepped foot in the car of a rollercoaster. I couldn't wait to enjoy every minute of it.
We strolled back into the ward, hand in hand, matching smiles on our faces.
Hawk was the first to notice. He grinned almost as widely as Bam. "It took you long enough. I think everyone but you two knew it was coming."
Bam shrugged. "You can't rush some things, bro."
Hawk looked toward Bec, who smiled. "No, you can't," he agreed. "But the wait is worth it."
"You bet it is," Bam agreed. "Since you're all here." He paused until Harvey Danbury turned around. "I have something to say."
I thought for a moment Danbury was about to make some inappropriate comment. He caught himself before he did and closed his mouth. Evidently he could behave around children.
That was good to know.
Bam drew himself up taller than he already was. "I've decided to set up a charitable foundation to help out kids like these young heroes here." He gestured around the ward with his spare hand. "I expect you all to donate a ton of money and time. And play nice with my girlfriend Grace here, because she'll be heading up the operation."
Parents, players, partners, nurses and even the kids applauded his announcement.
