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“I’d love to.”
This is the first time I’m at the ranch, and I’ve been dying to look around. A lot is different since I last saw it fifteen years ago, and I didn’t have time to catalogue every change when we arrived. Stepping out of the tent, I take in the facade. It has been completely redone, as was the roof. I had expected them to have added a wing since they turned it to a B&B, but the size and shape of the house is intact. I can still tell where everyone’s bedroom was.
What I did notice right from the get-go is that the color of the gate is the exact same shade of vivid green it was when I first stepped through it when I was nine. We’ve almost reached the gate when we see Eric and Pippa in the far corner of the yard, each carrying a twin.
“Those girls are so beautiful,” I comment with a sigh. They are dressed with identical miniature white dresses. The only difference between them is that they wear headbands of a different color.
Max’s eyes light up at this. “Can’t wait until we have a few of our own.”
It takes a few seconds for the meaning of his words to become clear to me, and a few seconds more to form a witty response. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. You didn’t even put a ring on t
his.” I tap my ring finger playfully.
His lips twitch. “Planning on doing it soon, but I already lived up to my non-romantic reputation by blurting I love you in the middle of the street. I’ll do this by the book. It’ll be a nice, grand gesture.”
“Will it involve Christopher distracting me while you prepare it?” I bat my eyelashes playfully. “Might give him the chance to finally kiss your girl, get back at you.”
Max growls. “I’ll never live that down. But no, Christopher won’t be involved in the proposal.”
Butterflies spring in my stomach, my heart beating at lightning speed. “Only you can do a preproposal and not even realize it.” Lacing my arms around his neck, I add, “Six months ago, you were claiming that kids and marriage weren’t on your radar, and here you are. What happened to you?”
“You did.” He cups the side of my cheeks, kissing the tip of my nose. “I’m so happy you walked through this gate twenty years ago.”
“Good thing I lost my key.” Even to this day I remember how scared I was, and how warmly the Bennetts welcomed me. One thing became clear to me after seeing my father again. Grams said blood is blood, but blood isn’t necessarily family. Family is love and support, and Grams and I have found our family with this loud and meddling clan.
“You did it again,” he murmurs, tilting my chin up.
“What?”
“Had an entire conversation in your head without including me. Care to share?”
“I was just thinking how lucky Grams and I are for having all of you. And how much I love you.”
“Damn, and I thought you were making plans to get rid of my tux.”
“My mind isn’t as dirty as yours,” I reply, even as my body heats up from his nearness, the way he rubs my lower lip with the pad of his thumb doing unspeakable things to my senses.
“I love you, Emilia, and I won’t tire of telling you this every day. In fact, it’ll be a privilege to tell you this every day, and to take care of you and future mini Emilias.”
“Or mini Maxes.”
This moment here in front of the gates is so perfect, I want to store it in my memory forever. It’s pure and beautiful, and ours.
Until someone interrupts.
“Lovebirds,” Pippa calls to us. “I need your help.”
“I bet Pippa can’t tell her girls apart if they didn’t have the headbands,” he whispers to me as we head to Pippa.
“She’s their mother. Of course she can tell the difference.”
“We need you to hold the girls for a few minutes until we do some pictures,” Pippa says.
“Sure.”
As Pippa places one girl in Max’s arms and Eric places the other in mine, I ask, “Which one is which?”
“Mia wears the pink headband, and Elena the red one.”
