Page 170 of Angel

He answered with a deeper pressure, his lips groaning against mine, sealing the promise of our future.

He lifted his mouth off me, eyes locked on me, fierce and intense.

The sun hovered at the very edge of the horizon, ready to dip away and paint the lake in deep crimson as Angel slid off the bench.

He dropped to one knee on the grass in front of me.

He took my hand, his eyes locked on mine.

‘Roxy, will you choose me again? For real this time?’

I let out a soft laugh, my chest bubbling with joy.

‘Yes. Yes, I do.’

He pulled me into his arms, shifting on the bench with me on his lap.

His hand went to my stomach, his palm caressing our bump.

‘I’m looking forward to every single second with the three of us,’ he whispered against my neck, his timbre thick with emotion. ‘This little one is going to have the best life, and hey, down the road, maybe we’ll add two or four more to the crew.’

I gasped, feigning shock. ‘You want me to suffer through nausea again?’

As I spoke, though, a massive smile spread across my face because I wanted the same thing and would endure it if I had to to make our dreams come true.

We held each other, curled up on the seat as he threw the jacket I brought over us and tucked my head beneath his chin.

‘I adore you. Forever and a day, babe.’

We remained entwined for a long time.

Eyes fixed on the sky above as twilight surrendered to a velvet sky filled with constellations that lit up the darkness, charting a map for our brand-new beginning.

ANGEL

We moved inside when a damp autumn wind chased us from the lake.

I built a fire in the hearth, stacking hickory logs until the flames took off.

I heated milk on the stove, whisking cocoa powder and sugar into two mugs.

I handed one to Roxy to warm her up.

Then I fired up the gas range and seared beef in a smoking cast-iron skillet, basting the meat with crushed garlic cloves and fresh rosemary sprigs.

I tossed asparagus into the pan with lemon and butter, the rich sizzle filling the kitchen with an incredible aroma.

Roxy perched on the island stool, her gaze locked on my hands as I carved the medium-rare meat into perfect strips.

‘I’m starving, honey,’ she murmured, reaching out to pluck a piece of steak before I could plate it.

‘Hands off the merchandise, Rox, not until its ready,’ I teased.

I added herbs and a sprinkling of herbs and slid the loaded platter in front of her alongside the asparagus and fresh bread rolls.

‘Now, you can indulge. Eat well, babe; you’re building a human.’

We ate right at the counter, our knees bumping, trading laughs over old road stories from my touring days.