“Drink that so you’re not miserable in the morning,” I told her, handing over a couple of painkillers.
She gave me a thoughtful look. “This is like déjà vu.”
“A little,” I replied.
“I’m not puking this time.”
“Luckily.”
“I am in an unfamiliar bed, though.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “But you didn’t steal my samosas this time.”
Bonnie gasped and placed the water on the bedside table. “I did not.”
“Oh, you definitely did. And you ate all my pakora. I had my takeout sitting on the bar, and I only turned my back on you for a minute, but it was long enough.”
She covered her face with her hands and mumbled between her fingers, “I couldn’t figure out why I was craving Indian food the next day. I always wondered what happened that night. You never really told me.”
I folded back the covers and encouraged her to wiggle underneath. Then I lay down beside her.
“That was the beginning of the rest of our lives,” I said simply.
She rolled over to face me, a soft, sleepy smile on her pretty face.
Something warm moved through my chest.
“I’ll always be grateful you came to Magnolia that night instead of going to Mattie B’s,” I confessed.
“Even though I’m a troublemaking local?” she asked with a grin.
“Yep.” I laced my fingers with hers in the narrow space between us. “You’re the best trouble of my whole life. And I’m kind of an expert on the subject.”
Her hand tightened around mine. “Not anymore. Now you’re a respected business owner. A beloved neighbor and friend. An award-winning soccer coach. A dedicated grandson. A sexy woodworker. A rabbit dad. And”—she paused dramatically—“the love of my life.”
The ring was still in my pocket. I could feel it digging into my thigh beneath the blankets. Her sweet words had my fingers eager to pull it free.
Tonight hadn’t gone as planned, but I could still ask. Suddenly, I didn’t want to wait for the perfect moment. Who needed perfection when there were moments like this? When my heart felt too big for my chest, and everything I never knew I wanted was close enough to touch.
But in the time it took me to wiggle the box out of the pocket containing it, Bonnie’s eyes drooped. Two slow blinks later, and she was out.
I sighed, but I could feel the smile on my face.
There would be more opportunities. Our lives were filled with them.
In fact, my life was much bigger these days—fuller than it had ever been. There were more people in it, and strangely enough, I liked it that way.
I pressed a kiss to Bonnie’s forehead. Then I turned out the light.
Sleep would find me soon enough, but I knew my dreams couldn’t possibly compare to the life I had with the woman by my side.
Bonnie
I blinked awake in an unfamiliar bedroom. In the dim gray morning light, I found Jack by my side and breathed a little sigh of relief.
He was shirtless, his dark hair pulled back while he slept, a few strands loose around his neck and temple. I liked the way he looked in our bed.
Ourbed.
