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“It won’t happen today.”
“Practice. We’ll need lots of practice.” He takes a hunk of my neck into his mouth and gives me one big, ravenous kiss, sending tingles down my spine, then pulls away, quickly putting space between us. He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip and squeezes his fists, staring at me like I’m the hottest thing he’s ever seen. “I am going to be senseless tonight thinking about knocking you up, baby girl.”
“Aren’t you supposed to make an honest woman out of me first?” I say coyly.
He threads his fingers through mine, and his words consume me in the best possible way. “You’re already an honest woman, Joey.” He tips up my chin. “You’re my today and every single one of my tomorrows. You’ll be Mrs. Dane soon enough. When I ask, you better say yes.”
I flutter my eyelashes. “We’ll see.”
A kernel pops against the lid, disturbing our moment and reminding me Gareth is waiting. He’s probably gone through all the licorice by now. I shake the pan, and Ashton slides in behind me one last time, holding me in his safe, strong arms. He breathes in my hair like he does and moans gently against the shell of my ear.
“I’m so damn in love with you.”
The kernels pop like crazy now, and Ashton glides hishands down to my tummy. “Can’t wait to put a bun in this oven.”
His words wash through me from top down like some sort of elixir for eternal life. Because that’s how I feel about Ashton, he’s as ever present as the beating of my very own heart. He’s the first boy I ever loved and he’ll be the very last, too.
But the one thing I learned along the way is that Ashton was actually right back on prom night, suggesting I might have been ever so slightly delusional about my love for him. Happily ever after isn’t a magical fairy tale. It’s a choice. Still, even going through hell to get here, choosing Ashton is the easiest thing I’ve ever done. He loves me without restriction and demands. He trusts me without fear and accepts me for who I am. I’m not just in love.
I’m content.
And I can’t wait to start writing the rest of our love story.
Epilogue
FOUR MONTHS LATER
I lieon the bed in our bedroom at Bird’s Eye, reading about playoffs and stats on the players who made it to the Stanley Cup final. The Scorpions did not. We had an amazing run, a super season to be sure, but again, got knocked out just before the end. I wish we would have gotten farther. Given my impending retirement, I do feel thepressure for next season. I want so damn badly to achieve that childhood dream with Logan on the ice.
Joey pops her head, but nothing else, through the doorframe. “Whatcha doing?”
“Just looking at predictions for the Cup. Maybe I’ll have Logan drop a bet for me in Vegas for laughs.”
“Oh.”
The smile on her face is something new, and I can’t read her. She still hasn’t stepped into the room.
I narrow my eyes. “What are you up to?”
“Just…” She changes her voice to be sultry. “Do you remember when you brought that stick home? For…” She cocks an eyebrow. “Fun?”
I lick my lips, hoping she’ll be coming into the room naked in a minute. “How could I forget?”
“Would you believe it? I found a stick we can have even more fun with.”
Instantly, I’m thick in my boxers.
She pushes open the door, and there she is in a little pair of panties and matching bra. Her arms are behind her, and I try to get a glimpse of what she has in her hand, but it doesn’t seem like she could fully hide a hockey stick. Has she been to that sex shop out of town?
She keeps her arms hidden and crawls onto the bed on her knees, shuffling until she’s right next to me, still kneeling. I rub my hand over her soft, feminine hip.
“Are you going to show me what you got for us?”
A moment of nerves spreads across her face. How could she possibly be concerned about me and a sex toy? Jesus, we’ve used her vibrators a million times. But this is different. Very different. When she pulls her hands from hiding to reveal what’s hidden behind her back, it’s a stick all right. A pregnancy test to be exact.
She beams, and her cheeks bloom. “Look what I got you.”
My jaw goes slack. “Wait…” I push myself up and take the test from her.Oh my God… “You’re pregnant?”
