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“Yeah.” And from his pocket he pulls out a small box. He opens it and the single diamond catches the light overhead. It isn’t a huge rock, but it’s beautiful and I stare at it and then him. “I know this is fast, but… will you marry me?”
And to my utter humiliation, I burst into tears.
“Fuck.” I hear a snapping sound, no doubt the lid shutting on the engagement ring, and then Travis is there, arms about me, holding me close, and I sob and sniffle against his soft T-shirt. “That wasn’t the response I was expecting.”
“God.”
“Hey, it’s okay, I… Forget it—”
“No! Don’t you dare say that,” I say, raising my head as his fingers pass soothingly over my hair. “I just didn’t expect that. At all. And the answer is yes, of course it’s yes. Only an idiot wouldn’t fall in love with you.”
He guides me to the couch and sits me down and opens the box again, taking the seat next to mine, those blue eyes searching my face as I take in a gulping sob, trying to get my emotions back under control.
Silently, he removes the ring and takes my hand, but I snatch it away. “There’s something I need to tell you. I… I just found out, and I didn’t know how to say it.”
“Okay. Just say it.”
I suck in a deep breath of air. “I’m pregnant.”
I don’t look at him; I can’t. Instead, I stare at my hands. The short nails and my ringless finger.
I want that ring, desperately, but my heart doesn’t know what to do. What if he changes his mind? This is like being handed a ready-made family when you didn’t ask for it. But he’s asked me to marry him, so…
“I should have told you the day I took the stupid test. But I didn’t want you to leave. I didn’t want you to think I trapped you.” Now I raise my eyes and look at him, sitting there, gorgeous and big and strong, his gaze steady on me. “I didn’t.”
“I never said you did.” He takes one of my hands. “And if you don’t want this, then we don’t have to. But if you’re having a baby, I want to be part of its life, no matter what. I know I’m rushing things, but I wanted to make sure you know I want to be with you. I don’t see the point of messing around.”
“Dive right in, huh?”
I don’t say like with his first wife. Because this is different. Isn’t it?
“Something like that.” He kisses my fingers. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes. I already said yes.”
And Travis laughs, sliding the ring onto my finger and pulling me into his arms and I feel safe and right there. “Good.”
And then he kisses me long and deep and all doubts are forgotten in that moment.
Every single one.
Until he opens his mouth.
“We’re gonna go to dinner with my mom tomorrow night after I get off work, if that’s okay?”
In a haze of pure happiness, I agree.
It’s only too late that crippling anxiety makes me want to take it back. And by too late, I mean the moment he sends me a message telling me he’s going to be late, and I end up asking Maya to drive since there’s no way in hell I’m going to be able to focus on the road.
I can’t remember when I’d last been so nervous. I stare anxiously out the window of the car to the restaurant I’ve eaten at a hundred times before. Then I turn to Maya, who sits behind the wheel. “Are you coming in?”
“To meet your future mother-in-law?” My best friend grins, shaking her head. “Hell no. And Travis should be there, not me.”
“Late. He texted he’d be late.”
Maya squeezes my arm. “Because of work,” she says softly. “It’ll be all right.”
“Yeah.” I hesitate, suddenly feeling way more lonely than if I’d driven here alone. My car is back in the shop, and the guys there looked at me like I’d done something to it. But I didn’t. Unless something is being female and driving. But I can’t focus on that, no matter how much I want to. “They just got back into town a few days ago and apparently she wants to meet me.”
