“Do you want to go check it out?”
“I don’t understand. Are you looking at this for you and me?”
I reach out and wrap my arms around her and pull her soft body to mine. “Yeah, Baby. It’s for you and me, unless you want to keep staying in the dorms in a bed by yourself.”
“I don’t want that, but don’t I have to?”
I run a thumb down her cheek. “I talked to your coach. If we were married, you don’t have to stay on campus, even as a freshman. You wouldn’t risk your spot on the team.” I say all this and watch her carefully. “The last thing I want to do is push you into something you’re not—”
“Are you asking me to marry you, Reid Marshall?” She lifts an eyebrow. “Because certainly you wouldn’t do it before you were ready and had an actual ring to make it legit.” I’m already moving. I drop down to one knee in front of her and find the small box I’ve carried around for weeks. Her mouth drops open in shock when I hold it up to her. “Wait, what?”
I smother my smile. “Riley.” I wait for her to look at me. “I love you and have for a very long time. You’re my mate andeverything to me. I don’t exist without you. Would you do me the honor of—”
“Yes!” She throws herself at me before I finish, but I catch her anyway. I’ll always catch my girl.
“I didn’t even get to finish the question,” I tell her.
She pulls back to look at me. “Okay. Finish.”
I grin. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” My heart thunders in my chest as I take the ring out of the box and slide it onto her finger. She gasps. “Reid.”
“Do you like it?” I ask, framing her face with my hands.
“It’s gorgeous.” I breathe a sigh of relief as she continues to admire it. I knew it was the one for her the second I saw it. It’s 14K rose gold and totally unique in that the two sides never really touch. There are two hearts, one at each end; the hearts lay next to each other. Only the hearts touch. The effect is stunning.
“The two hearts represent you and me.”
“Reid, I love it so much.”
The fit is perfect, and it looks so good on her finger. “My ring on your finger...” I shake my head. “You are just fulfilling one fantasy after another for me, Baby.”
Her eyes meet mine. “What other fantasies have you got?”
I groan and kiss her but only for a moment before I stand up and set her on her feet. “Let's check out the house another time.” I start to tug her towards the car, but she laughs and pulls her hand free.
“No, we’re here now. Come on; I want to check it out.”
“You’re killing me,” I grumble but follow her up the steps. I use the code Dan gave me and unlock the front door. It takes a moment to find the lights. When I do, we both stop.
“Oh, Reid. It’s perfect.” I take her hand in mine, and we begin to explore. We check out the kitchen and dining room area, the living room with the huge fireplace and mantle, and the bedrooms. Last, we check out the backyard that has anamazing deck overlooking a large yard that disappears into the trees. That’s one of the reasons I specifically requested to see this house. “It’s even got a swing.” I follow her to the swing, and we try it out. I wrap an arm around her, and she lays her head on my chest. “It really is perfect,” she echoes her earlier sentiment.
“It is. If you like it, we can live here during the duration of your college years.”
“What about you? When you finish?”
I tighten my arm around her. “I’m not going anywhere, Baby. I’ll be right here beside you until you graduate.”
“But what if you want to play ball after college?”
“I don’t.”
She turns to look at me. “You say that now, but...”
“I’m not going to change my mind. I want to be here for your college career. “
“But what if—”
