Page 73 of Playing With Forever

“We’re having a baby,” Carrie shyly shared.

“Hooray!” Josie shouted, then promptly busted out into a coughing fit.

“For the love of God, please don’t do that again.”

“I’m having my first grandchild, Evan I can do whatever I want.”

“Fair point,” I conceded.

The beaming smile Josie aimed my way made every concession I knew I’d make in the future worth it.

“Which means, if the two of you are getting married, you have six months, or you have to wait until after the baby’s born.”

“Damn, but you have a big mouth, DJ,” Kane muttered.

“I didn’t blab,” DJ defended. “I said if, not that he—fuck.”

“Mouth,” Josie scowled.

“Not that he did what?” Josie asked.

I sighed and rested my head against the back of the couch, and asked the ceiling, “Maybe I wanted to wait to ask your mother to marry me when she wasn’t recovering from stab wounds.”

“Ask their mother to marry you?” Josie parroted.

Damn, but she was cute.

I lifted my head and looked down at my woman, who was lying on the couch, pillows behind her head, looking as classy and beautiful as ever after almost dying six days ago.

For four hours, I thought she’d never again be lying on this couch, or in our bed, or in my arms. I never thought I’d see her smile or the way her eyes lit up when she spoke about her boys and Lindy.

All of this would’ve been forever lost.

Josie was the glue that held six soon-to-be-seven of us together.

“Yes, Josie, I asked the boys' permission to marry you.”

“They better damn well have said yes.”

“Of course we did, Mamalious. Jeez.”

I heard Lindy laugh, and damn, but I thought I’d lost that forever too.

“Can I go get the ring?” Lindy asked.

“Oh my God, it’s so beautiful. You’re gonna love it, Josie.” Now Carrie was blabbing, too.

“Please, Dad.”

Good Lord, I was a sucker.

I waved my hand in the direction of my room.

“By the way, I call dibs on Godfather to this watermelon.”

“Of course you’ll be the Godfather, idiot. Who else would we pick? You and Lindz will be the Godparents.”

Lindy skidded to a halt on the hardwood floor, something I hadn’t seen her do since she was a kid.