“I know.” I grabbed her hand, kissing her fingertips. “And they know that too. But they don’t think it’s fair for you and Charli to give up your lives when it would be a lot easier for them to move to Nashville.”
Her eyes widened before she whispered, “Nashville? Seriously?”
Sitting on the secret had been hell, but watching her eyes come alive with excitement made it all worth it. “Yeah. If Charli takes that job with Dade, which we all know she wants to, she’ll be in Nashville. It makes more sense for them to move out there than for either of you to move back here.”
“I guess it does, but are you sure this is what they want? I don’t want them to feel pressured to do something they don’t want to do.”
I laughed. “Uh, have you met your parents, Ce? You really think anyone could convince them to do anything they don’t want to do?”
Her lips twitched before she conceded. “No, I guess not.” Her hands framed my face before she whispered, “You know what this means, don’t you? I’ll still be able to go out on the road with you.”
“That’s kind of the point,” I said, stealing another kiss.
“But if Charli’s on the road with Dade the same time we’re—”
“Don’t worry about the logistics, okay? We’ll work that out.” I brushed her hair aside so I could kiss her neck. “Point is, this is a solution that’ll make everyone happy.”
“You’re right.” She sighed contentedly as she leaned into me. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. I’m just glad Chee trusted me enough to get me involved. In fact…” I lifted my phone out of my pocket and pulled up the pics of the house they wanted. “We’ve already got the ball rolling on this.” I let her scroll through the pics before I said, “You know the house Rosanna was getting ready to sell, her parents’ house?” I pointed to the screen. “That’s it. Thought it would be perfect for your folks.”
“It would,” she said, nodding. “I think they’ll love it. And it’s close to my apartment too.”
More importantly, it was close to my house, which I hoped would soon be her home. “Chee was pretty clear about what he wanted. He said as long as there was a spot for his recliner, a garage and workshop, and a couple of extra bedrooms for his biker buddies to visit, he’d be happy.”
She laughed. “That sounds like him.”
“He also mentioned those guest rooms could serve double duty when we gave him grandchildren.”
She palmed her forehead as the color rose in her cheeks. “He didn’t really say that, did he?” When I grinned, she said, “Of course he did. This is my father, we’re talking about. He has no filter.” She pointed at me. “I warned you this would happen, didn’t I? As soon as they got a whiff of us being a couple they’d be relentless.”
“Hey,” I said, stroking her cheek. “I really don’t mind. In fact, I kinda like it.”
She tipped her head back, letting the sun warm her face. “You like it? You must be a sucker for punishment then.”
“I’m a sucker for you, beautiful.” I nuzzled her neck. “Every little thing about you turns me inside out.” My lips trailed over her jaw, making her shiver, before I said, “Your daddy gave me his blessing. Can’t tell you how much that meant to me, knowing he thinks I’m man enough to make you happy for the rest of your life.”
Her gaze darted to mine, before she whispered, “You seriously asked for his blessing?”
“Of course.” I wouldn’t tell her it was because I was afraid I wouldn’t get the chance if I waited until after his surgery. “Chee’s heart attack made me realize something. You think you have all this time, you never expect your number to get called, but you never know when it might. So when you know something’s right, why waste time?”
“True.”
I reached into the pocket of my black denim jacket and pulled out a box. There were no words to tell this woman how much she meant to me, but since I was supposed to be an award-winning wordsmith, I knew I had to give it a shot.
“Ohmigod…” Cece whispered, her hand covering her mouth.
“So here’s the deal,” I said, clearing the emotion from my throat as I popped the box open to reveal a two and a half carat round solitaire. “Just about five years ago you blew into my life, this sexy little hurricane. Stirred everything up.” I chuckled. “Hell, I didn’t know which way was up for the longest time.” She laid her head on my shoulder, sniffling. “You made me laugh my ass off. Mostly at myself. You wouldn’t let me take anything too seriously. The money, the awards, you reminded me it didn’t mean shit if I wasn’t making music I was proud of.” I tipped her chin, dropping a kiss on her lips. “I have you to thank for my career, Cece. You’re the one who’s kept me grounded all this time.”
She snuggled deeper into my arms and we finally fell into a clearing on the blanket. I wasn’t on bended knee, but I didn’t think my girl cared about tradition. We hadn’t fallen in love in the usual way, so why should my proposal be rehearsed?
Her hand slid into my jacket, resting on my chest, as she waited for me to continue.
“Look at me.” I waited until she tipped her head back before I said, “I never expected to fall in love with my best friend, but it makes perfect sense to me now. How could I not fall in love with you? You just… fit me.”
“I love you,” she mouthed, her eyes shining.
“Baby, I never thought about forever with anyone, until I thought about losing you. That’s when it hit me. I wanted you in my life… forever. As my best friend. But more than that, I wanted you to be my lover. My wife. The mama of our beautiful babies. I want you to be my partner on the road… and in this life.”
