“Shane,” I call his name softly as I tuck my hair behind my ear and lean in to kiss him, all while holding the cupcake away from me so I don’t burn anything. “Sweetie, wake up.”
His hand comes up, gliding through my hair, and he pulls me in for another kiss. “Morning, Angel.”
“Happy birthday,” I whisper, smiling against his lips before pulling back and bringing the cupcake between us.
He opens his eyes, blinking a few times as a heart-melting grin spreads along his lips. “You made me a cupcake?”
“I did.” I giggle. I also baked him a cake for tonight, but he doesn’t know about it since it’s still at the bakery. I’m having Ronnie pick it up before she comes over for dinner.
“You should make a wish and blow out your candle before it melts all over the icing.” I smile softly as I watch it drip slowly.
He sits up, taking the small plate from my hands and looking down at the cake with a wistful look in his eyes. “There’s nothing I could wish for that I don’t already have,” he tells me, looking deep into my eyes.
My heart skips a beat at his comment, and if he didn’t have a lit candle in his hands, I would jump into his arms.
“Actually, there is one thing,” he says, then leans in, closes his eyes, and blows out the candle.
“What did you wish for?” I ask as my heart hammers in my chest.
“For you to be my wife.”
A lump forms in my throat as my face begins to heat. It suddenly becomes hard to breathe, and my head begins to spin. “Shane…”I’m not ready for that. I want it, yes, but it’s too soon.
“I know,” he says quietly as his thumb comes to stroke my cheek. “I’m not saying now, I’m just saying it’s something I’d like.” All I can manage is to nod. He puts the cupcake down beside him and cups both my cheeks. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you panic. It was just a thought, Aubrey. I’m not proposing.”
“I know.”
But it’s not the first time he’s hinted at marriage, and I don’t know what to make of it. Everything is going so fast betweenus. I’ve accepted us dating, practically moving in, a baby. But marriage? I just need time to absorb everything first.
He kisses me passionately, then picks up the cupcake once more, peeling off the liner before biting into it. My man can’t resist my sweets, no matter the time of day. He sighs happily, then frowns, takes another bite and moans. His expression makes me giggle, and I know exactly where the slight confusion is coming from.
“What is this? It’s amazing, but I can’t figure out the taste,” he says, inspecting the inside of the cupcake.
“Peach.” I bite my lip, unsure how he’ll react. I know he doesn’t like peaches, but he doesn’t seem bothered by it if it’s loaded with sugar.
His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. “Peaches? I don’t like peaches.”
“Well, you seemed to like the cupcake.” I laugh as he throws the rest of it into his mouth.
He pushes the plate and liner aside and wraps his arms around me as he turns us over on the bed, spreading me out on my back as he rolls over me. “How can you be this perfect and make everything taste delicious? What kind of sorcery are you using on me, woman?”
I laugh as he kisses my neck and nips my jaw. “It’s a little spell I learned in fifth grade called ‘make him fall in love with you.’ It took a few tries, but I think I finally got the hang of it,” I joke with amusement in my voice.
Shane somehow makes me feel so carefree that I can say anything and don’t instantly feel embarrassed about it. Even my blushing curse feels like it’s starting to lessen. Don’t get me wrong, I still blush intensely, but I’d say it’s only seventy-five percent of the time, instead of ninety-eight percent.Pretty good progress, in my opinion.
He looks up, his swirls of blue and green boring into my light browns. “It’s definitely working,” he whispers as my breath catches and my stomach does a somersault. We haven’t said those three little words yet, but I can tell they’re getting close with how much we keep hinting at them.
I’ve been wanting to say it to him since the first night he kissed me, but I’m scared. I’ve never said them to anyone except for my friends and family. What if I say it and he doesn’t say it back? Like Emma did with Greyson. She loved him, yet she wasn’t ready to say it. What if Shane is the same? It would crush me…
His fingers travel up my bare thigh, under the hem of his shirt that I’m wearing. He squeezes my butt cheeks as his lips trail over my collarbone and down to my breast, where he sucks on my erect nipple through the white fabric.
“Mmm, Shane, we can’t,” I whine, wishing we could.
“Why not? We never get mornings in. I’m here, you’re here, and my family doesn’t arrive for a few more hours.” He moves onto my other breast, doing the same and leaving wet patches with his mouth.
“Because I have to go to the bakery for a little. There’s a delivery being made this morning that should have been arriving tomorrow.” I sigh with annoyance. It’s the third time it has happened in two weeks.
Shane lifts his head, looking down at me with a frown. “Again? Jesus. You really need to find a new supplier. Clearly, they aren’t reliable.”
