Jake looked at Jack. “What one?”
“This one.” His friend waved toward the playground. “The woman you love is following a boy who calls her momma and you’ve got a ring in your pocket.”
“She already said no.”
“So ask again. Keep asking until she says yes.”
“I don’t want to pressure her.”
“For fuck’s sake, Jake, it’s not pressure if it’s what you both want.”
“Does she want it though?”
“Only one way to find out,” Ry added.
Jake watched Lory lift Mad onto her lap. She always swung with him, didn’t trust the swing designed for small children even with the straps that held them in. They were laughing as she pushed off with her feet. Both of them arching back as their feet went up.
“Higher, Momma, higher!”
An idea formed and Jake was moving before he thought it all the way through. He heard Ry and Jack follow but he had eyes only for the two loves of his life. Taking care not to bump them off, he stepped in front of the swing when it went backward and grabbed Lory’s ankles.
Bringing them to a stop, he put her feet on the ground and steadied them before dropping to his knees in front of them.
“What are you doing? We were having fun,” Lory pouted, his son following suit.
“Swing! Higher!” Mad yelled.
“In a second, Madman; Daddy wants to ask Momma something.” Shoving his hand in his pocket, he yanked out the ring box and held it out on his palm. “Can you give this to Momma?” he asked his son.
“Momma.” Mad grabbed the box and lifted it up. “Momma.”
“Lory. Marry me. I know what you said last time I asked. I didn’t agree then, I don’t agree now. My son is yours, he calls you Momma. He knows no other and he loves you with everything he has. He’s not the only one. I love you with everything I am, everything I will ever be. I don’t want to get married because it’s what we should do. I want to get married because I want to know I’m yours and you are mine. Forever.”
“Yes.”
He took in a breath to start begging when he registered what she’d said. “Yes? You’ll marry me?”
“Yes. But I have one condition.”
“Anything!”
She laughed. “You haven’t heard the condition yet.”
“Don’t care. I’ll give you anything, do anything, for you to wear my ring, share my life, give Mad siblings.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
“I… It’s good?”
“Yes. Because in about seven months, Mad’s going to get his first sibling.”
It took a second for her words to sink in. And when they did he wasn’t quite sure he’d heard her correctly. “In seven months Mad is getting a sibling?”
“Yes.” She waggled her hand in his face. “Now are you going to put a ring on it?”
“I. Yes. Of course.” He took the box from Mad and removed the ring. He stared at the simple solitaire diamond and wondered if she would want something fancier. “If you don’t—”
“Put the ring on, Jacob. It’s perfect.”
