Page 131 of One Reckless Night

“I’m guessing Shawn is happier about that than we are,” she said. “Poor guy. I owe him an apology.”

“For what?”

“I kind of abused the poor man. I might have broken his hand.”

“Eh, he’ll survive,” I shrugged. “He was probably just honored to be there. And mildly terrified.”

Amelia settled against the pillows. “Good thing I texted you as soon as my contractions started.”

I gave her a look. “Pretty sure you wrote I THINK THIS IS IT in all caps. Nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“That was not even the crazy part,” she said, shaking her head. “I was in the lab, totally fine and bam—active labor.”

“Are you serious?”

“I barely made it to the car,” she admitted. “Thank god Shawn saw me in the lobby.”

“And here I thought being stuck on a plane was stressful. The doctor told us it would be hours. I thought we had a lot of time.”

“You’re lucky you missed my hysterical phase. There may have been some very loud yelling involved.”

“Not so different from now then,” I teased.

Amelia swatted at me gently, laughing despite herself. “It just happened so fast. I’m not complaining.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “And here he is—our little guy.”

She sighed contentedly, watching our son with wonder. “Every minute of chaos was worth it.”

We sat in silence for a moment, just the three of us, lost in our own little world. It was late, well past the time we were supposed to be on our date. I hoped the restaurant didn’t hold it against me. I couldn’t help but laugh at how things had turned out. My grand plans—the ring, the proposal, the romantic dinner—had all gone out the window. But this… this was better. This was perfect.

I stood and carried the baby to the little basinet.

I returned to her, sitting on the edge of the bed once again. “Amelia.”

She looked up at me. “Yeah?”

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding. “I had this whole plan for tonight. Dinner, wine, maybe a walk on the beach. I was going to propose to you.”

Her eyes widened, and she sat up a little straighter. “Jared…”

I held up a hand, cutting her off. “But this… this is better. Because right now, in this moment, I can’t imagine anything more perfect than asking you to be my wife while our son sleeps three feet away. Clair told me proposing while you were in stirrups was tacky. But technically, you’re not. And this seems like a good time.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Jared…”

I reached into my pocket, pulling out the ring I’d been carrying around for weeks. I held it out to her, my hand trembling slightly. “Amelia, I love you. More than I ever thought possible. You’ve changed me in ways I can’t even explain, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You’ve made me so happy. Beyond happy. I didn’t know this kind of feeling even existed. I never allowed myself to consider what it would be like to love and be loved. Will you marry me?”

She stared at me, tears streaming down her face, and for a moment, I thought she might say no. But then she nodded. “Yes. Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”

I slipped the ring onto her finger, my hands shaking with emotion. I had never been an emotional person, but with her, it was like there were no barriers. I leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. It was gentle, tender, and filled with all the love I felt for her.

When I pulled back, she was smiling up at me, her eyes shining. “I love you, Jared.”

“I love you too,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “More than anything.”

We sat there for a while, just holding each other, until there was a soft knock at the door. I looked up to see Clair and Shawn peeking in, their expressions a mix of excitement and concern.

“Can we come in?” Clair whispered.