Hallie froze, her eyes widening comically so, but her expression didn’t hold a candle to the shock written all over the faces of the women who had interrupted their meal. Their eyes bounced from him to Hallie and back again. Then the second woman choked out an excuse about needing to leave and they both hurried away.
“Wow, that was easier than I thought,” Jacob hummed as his eyes followed them.
“Fiancée, huh?” Hallie lifted an eyebrow, all shock faded from her face.
“Yeah, I was thinking… I don’t want my sponsor or Kai to have any excuses about letting you come along with me next year.”
She snorted.
“What do you say?” He pressed.
Hallie’s eyes narrowed. “You’re serious?”
Jacob nodded. “As a charging bull.”
“No.”
He stilled, his burger halfway to his mouth. Then he slowly put the burger down. “No?”
“Yeah…” she drawled. “No. I’m not going to accept a proposal after one day of being back together. I might be desperately in love with you, but I’m not actually desperate.” She grew quiet for a long, tense moment. “You really hurt me. Twice. It’s going to take a little more time to build back that trust.” Her eyes met his and she smiled, easing the tension surrounding them.
Jacob smirked. That was fair. “But youarein love with me.” That confession eased the panic that had suddenly attacked on all sides.
Her expression softened. “Of course I’m in love with you. I came all this way to be with you, remember? What person in their right mind would pick up and leave in the middle of the night if they weren’t in love.”
He was grinning ear to ear. “You love me.”
She groaned and placed a hand over her eyes. “Yes, we’ve gone over that.”
Prying her hand free, he studied her. “I guess I can accept that.”
“Accept what?” she asked, her tone suspicious.
“That you’re in love with me. The whole marriage and kids thing can come later as long as you’re mine.”
Hallie coughed out a laugh. “Marriage and kids? Boy, when you commit to something, you really commit.”
“Always,” he murmured, knowing full-well there was enough heat in his gaze while he looked at her to get his point across. “I always get what I want. And honey, I want you.”
She made her best attempt to fight the smile that pulled at her lips, but she failed miserably.
Well, maybe not miserably. She certainly looked happier than he’d seen her in a while.
He was once again floored by just how much she meant to him. How with something as simple as letting go of his preconceived notions of her happiness, he’d managed to bring more joy to her life than either of them had thought possible. “I can’t wait to make you smile like that every single day of your life,” he insisted.
This time she giggled and he pointed at her.
“That, too. It’s my new favorite sound and I’ll not miss a single day of hearing it.”
Hallie shook her head. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Maybe I’ve just finally allowed myself to reach for a different kind of fulfillment. A different brand of happiness.”
She stared at him thoughtfully. “Yeah, maybe.”
“So, you’re really not going to marry me, huh?”
“Oh, I’ll marry you. But I’m definitely not going to agree this soon. And I’m not going to let you propose…” She gestured at him then around them. “… like this.”
