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“You…love me?”
He let out another one of those patently masculine laughs that sent shivers up and down my entire body. “Yes, woman, haven’t you been paying attention? I love you and I want us to have a future together. You and me, Shannon. The real deal.”
The real deal. His words felt real, they felt sincere and well thought out, which gave me hope. The kind of hope that blossomed in the chest and spread down to the belly before taking flight all over the body. “What exactly is the real deal, Miles.”
He sighed and shook his head. “Whatever we want it to be. You want me to romance you for a few months? I will.” He grinned and slid forward, grabbing my hands in his. “What I want is, well, everything. I want us to live together, to wake up together every morning and talk about the day ahead. I want to rehash our days cuddled up on the sofa or snuggled in bed. I want to see that look of relief on your face when I tell you I’ll handle the next three a.m. feeding for the baby.”
“That’s a lot, Miles.” It was exactly what I wanted too and hearing him say that’s what he wanted, filled me with something more than hope. It filled me with certainty for the future. Our future.
“I want to give you my last name, Shannon. I want us to be a family. You and me and the baby, and however many more babies we make. I’m hoping for a few more.”
I choked. “A few more? Care to quantify that?”
“Not yet.” His smile was playful and teasing. “If I get my way, we’ll have forever to debate how big to grow our family.”
“That’s an argument I’m willing to engage in with you every day, Miles.” I wanted kids, in theory, but it wasn’t until I became pregnant that the idea of having more children had become a reality. “Two.”
“Four,” he shot back with a smile.
I barked out a laugh and shook my head. “Why stop at four? Why not six?”
Miles leaned forward and brushed a whisper-soft kiss to my lips. “Exactly my thoughts. I figured I’d ask that when I had you naked and satisfied.”
I shivered at his words. “I love you, Miles Anderson.”
“That’s excellent news because I love you too, and more than that, I want you to be my wife.” He produced a ring box from the bottom of the picnic basket and popped it open with a satisfied smile. “I’m asking you today because I want you to know that I’d carry you to the courthouse first thing in the morning if that’s what you wanted, but I’m a patient man.”
I laughed outright at that.
“Okay, I can be a patient man when I want to be. And you’re worth waiting for Shannon, so if you need more time, I’m willing to wait.”
Did I need more time? That seemed like the prudent path to take but I wasn’t known for my prudence. I wanted this man and he wanted me. In a few short months, our baby would be here and we would be a family, one way or another. Did I need more time? The answer came easily, hell no, I didn’t. “More time for what, exactly?” I also couldn’t make it too easy for him, could I?
Miles’ grin stretched across his face. “More time to decide that you want to be my wife, in sickness and in health, all that jazz. White dress, big reception, all of it.”
“That sounds like the dream.”
“So, Shannon Elizabeth Brinkley, my love, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
“Absolutely, Miles. Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes!” My heart was full to bursting and I threw myself into his arms, knowing he would catch me. “I look forward to the day I get to become your wife.”
His arms slid around my waist and pulled me close enough that I could feel his heart beating against my chest. “Do we need to wait, because I gotta tell you, Shannon, I can’t wait to hear you call me husband.”
I pulled back and gave him my best glare. “I only plan on getting married once, Miles, and I want to look so good that you swallow your tongue when you see me walk down that aisle. So we have the rest of this pregnancy plus six months to plan a really spectacular small town wedding. My only request is no hay.”
“Hay?” He shrugged. “I don’t know why there would be hay at a wedding, so I agree. I don’t like waiting a year to make you mine, but I told you, I am a patient man when it counts.”
“I wasn’t expecting you either, Miles. You know that right?” I shook my head thinking about how he’d caught my eye all those months ago. “I took one look at that body and that face and thought you’d be the perfect distraction during my time in Pilgrim. A distraction, Miles.” It was embarrassing now that I knew him and loved him the way I did.
