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“Nothing,” he said quickly. He chugged the rest of his beer and pulled her onto his lap. She squealed and threw her arms around his neck. “Nothing’s wrong, and that’s just what I was thinking about.”
She grinned and smoothed his messy hair. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me.”
“I don’t think I’d use the word ‘stuck.’ Blessed, maybe.” He nuzzled her neck and breathed in her scent, letting it soothe his nerves. “You make me so happy, Maggie. Happier than I’d have ever thought possible, or even believed in. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
Her gaze dipped down, lighting up with appreciation. She wriggled in his lap, brushing her sweet ass against his hard cock. Around her, he was always hard. Like a fast food joint, he was open twenty-four hours a day and ready to serve her at a moment’s notice. “Watch yourself,” he warned, nipping at her throat.
“I can’t help it.” She trailed her fingers down the buttons of his shirt. “You might not be the beast anymore, but you’re one hot beast in a flannel, jeans, and a five o’clock shadow. Who knew South Dakota would suit you so well?”
He rolled his hips up, his attention on the door to the living room. Maggie’s parents were the opposite of his mother—loving and kind and embracing—so they wouldn’t be alone much longer. “I can show you just how well it suits me, right now, in our room.”
She watched him through her dark lashes. “Oh…?”
“Yeah.” He stood up, holding her in his arms. “I have something to show you outside first, though.”
She blinked at him. “But it’s snowing and freezing.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you warm.” He set her on her feet and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. His legs felt a little bit weaker than normal, but he ignored that. “Come with me?”
“Okaaaay.” She eyed him as if he’d gone a little mad, and maybe he had. “Let’s go, then.”
He’d spoken with her father earlier today, and it was almost midnight, which meant it was almost Christmas, which made this their official one-year anniversary—and he knew exactly how he wanted to celebrate it. And where.
He threw his arm over her shoulder and led her to the front door, winking at her father as they left. Glen nodded once, and whispered something to her mother—who covered her mouth. Maggie missed all of this.
She was too busy watching him with a wrinkled brow.
“Are you feeling okay?” She stopped on the porch and rested a hand on his forehead. “You look a little green.”
“I’m fine.” He pulled her hand down and held on to it for dear life. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
She followed him, shivering, but didn’t argue. When they reached the huge willow tree in the middle of the backyard, he stopped, smiling up at the dark sky. Snowflakes fell, drifting down slowly and magically. “It’s snowing.”
“Yeah.” She glanced up at the sky for two seconds, but her gaze came back to him. “What’s going on? Why are you acting so strange?”
“Give me a second. I need to work it all out in my head. It has to be perfect.” He let out a soft chuckle and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “You deserve perfect, darling.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “Okaaaaaayyyyy.”
Turning to face her, he rubbed her slim arms through the blanket. He could feel her goose bumps even through the thick material. “This past year has been heaven, Maggie. Pure heaven. You gave me myself—and helped me remember the kind of man I wanted to be. A man who loved, and laughed, and lived. I love you so damn much. You have no idea.”
She smiled. “I love you, too, Benji.”
“But you don’t understand. I didn’t really live until you. I existed as a shadow of myself, sure, but that’s not the same.” He caught both of her hands and held on tight, smiling. “You taught me that, just like you taught me what real love feels like.”
Awareness dawned on her, as if she figured out why they were out here, in the cold. He saw it in her expression. “Benjamin…”
“You are my everything. My life. My love. My heart.” He squeezed her hands and laughed, because tears rolled down her cheeks. “Do you know what this tree is?”
She nodded, not speaking.
“Then you know that your father brought your mother out here, when they first started dating, and they planted the tree together. He told her that the tree would grow, like his love for her, and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.” He let go of her hands, wiped the tears off her cheeks, and reached into his pocket. “This is where he asked her to marry him. The tree was a lot smaller, but you get the idea.”
She covered her mouth. “Oh my God.”
“Maggie Louise Donovan, you have made me the happiest man on this earth, so I might be getting greedy now, asking for more, but I’m going to do it anyway.” He sank to one knee and pulled out a little blue box—one she probably recognized all too well. “You are the one person I never have to wonder about, the one person I always want by my side. Will you make me an even happier man and agree to be my wife? To spend the rest of our lives together—here or in New York, I don’t give a damn, as long as I have you—loving one another? No matter what comes?”
