“Another one bites the dust,” Ben quipped.
Ethan bumped him with his shoulder. “You’re next, Mr. Wright.”
“Never! I’m nobody’s Mr. Right.”
“That’s for sure,” Josh said.
Everyone laughed.
He joined his family, taking a seat on an open chair and pulling Ally into his lap, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He whispered in her ear, “You gonna be Mrs. Case or Ms. Bloom?”
She turned and smiled. “I’ll be Mrs. Case if you give me a bun in the oven.”
His eyes teared up, his throat tight, so glad she was on board. He’d hoped, but he didn’t know for sure until now. “I want that so much. I want wild kids that hike and camp and fish—”
“You want mini park rangers. Ha! What if they’re girls?”
“Same thing.”
“What if they want to play dress up and have tea parties? I did.”
He thought about that. “I’ll do that too as long as the tea parties happen outdoors.”
She laughed and snuggled close. He breathed in the soft flowery scent of the woman he loved with a full open heart, finally one hundred percent content.
