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She threw her arms around his neck. “I think you need me to marry you to keep you in line.”
The press of her warm lips against his made him forget about the cold water trying to drag them down.
When she pulled away, lights danced in her blue eyes. “That’s a yes in case you weren’t sure.”
Twenty-Two
Annie couldn’t take her eyes off the magnificent ring on her finger. She turned it this way and that in the sunlight streaming through the cabin’s windows. Jon wanted her to look at the engagement video frames and pick out some pictures, but it was hard to take her attention off the beautiful promise on her finger.
Jon touched her chin with his fingers and gently turned her head. “Check out this one, Annie.”
The smile in his voice touched her. He’d put so much thought into this. When he told her how he’d overnighted the ring and had this planned so meticulously, she realized how much he had wanted the day to be special for her. And it was.
She scooted her chair closer to his at the table, then tilted the screen so she could see better. The resolution was sharp and clear, much better than she’d been expecting. Tears flowed as she watched the video through to the end where she couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous they appeared falling into the water.
Jon pulled the band from her hair to let down the wet locks. “I’m going to tell our kids you tried to drown me.”
“‘Kids’? You want more?” She tried to make the question sound casual, but her pulse sped at the thought of another baby.
“Of course. The sooner the better. Kylie needs a sibling.”
“She has asked for one often.” She turned her attention back to the laptop to avoid thinking about how much Nate had wanted another baby.
Jon’s hand covered hers. “You okay? Your smile went away.”
“Nate always wanted another baby,” she blurted out.
The sparkle in his eyes faded, and she squeezed his hand. “That was a dumb thing to say.”
His gaze lowered to their linked hands. “You loved him.”
She leaned over and tipped his chin up so she could gaze in his eyes. “Yes, I loved Nate, but not like I love you. Like I’ve always loved you. You’re the love of my life, Jon. It’s amazing and wonderful we got a second chance. That doesn’t often happen.”
His smile came, but it was a little crooked. “I might need to hear you say that some even after we’re married.”
“I’ll say it all the time.”
“I messed up so much. I don’t deserve a second chance, but I’m thankful you gave me one.”
“Just remember that while I’ll mention Nate sometimes, it doesn’t mean you aren’t first in my heart. You have always held that spot.”
“I’ll try to remember.” He leaned over and kissed her. “I need to call Nate’s parents and get that stupid lawsuit settled. Things have been so crazy I haven’t done it.”
“I’ve thought about it too. Maybe they’ve cooled off by now, and when they heard we have proof you’re her father, they will realize the lawsuit is futile. Maybe we can do it tomorrow. I don’twant any unpleasantness to spoil our day.” She turned back to the computer. “Let’s see what else we got.”
“We can go through this frame by frame and grab some of the best ones for still photos,” Jon said.
He advanced the video little by little, and they picked out eleven pictures as they evaluated expressions and stances. In the final few seconds of the clip, she caught a flash of something she didn’t recognize in the water. It was red, which wasn’t a normal color for fish.
She put her hand atop his. “Hang on. Can you blow that up?” She pointed out the red blob in the water behind them.
“Sure, hang on.” He made a few keystrokes, and the picture expanded.
She leaned closer and pointed. “Move the screen to the left.”
He complied and shook his head. “I can’t make it out. Maybe it’s something from the boat accident this morning.”
She stood and moved toward the back door. “Let’s go see.”
