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A king-sized bed frame and mattress took up one wall. She’d even ordered bedding. Joe swept her up into his arms and tossed her into the middle of it. “I also know exactly how to stop you over-thinking.”
Did he ever.
Joe woke up and for a moment wondered how he’d ended up in a full body cast surrounded by something smelly. Then his brain roused and he realized Moose had not only filled the room with his special odor, but that he’d decided that Joe made a great mattress.
At least he hadn’t chosen Lia. She might not have survived.
Moose licked his face and Joe laughed as he shoved the big muzzle away. “That’ll teach me not to close the door. You need to go out, big guy?”
Beside him, Lia laughed. “Moose, you’ve got your own bed. In fact, you have three of them scattered around this place. You don’t need to squash Joe. We need him.”
Moose’s response was to lick her as well, making her laugh harder as she buried her face into Joe’s chest.
It was a hell of a good way to wake up. Laughing with the sexy woman and the ridiculous dog. He could see doing exactly this for the rest of his life. Although there would be many days that he’d close the door so he could wake up Lia in a much better way. But this was good too.
A sense of family. A sense of forever. “You’re going to marry me, right?”
The words popped out before he realized that this was probably the least romantic setting in the world. Moose was starting to do the wriggle that meant he needed to head outside sooner rather than later.
Lia’s laugh eased his worry. “I most definitely am.”
Moose licked him again and then leapt off the bed. When Joe didn’t immediately move, he whined and his eyes turned into begging mode.
He sighed and turned to kiss Lia softly. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
He threw on his jeans and hustled down the stairs to let Moose out before the poor guy exploded. When the dog happily tromped back in, Joe filled up his chow bowl and hurried back up the stairs. This time, he’d be closing the door.
Except Lia wasn’t in the bed.
“If you’re looking for me, I’m in here.”
Her voice drifted out from the bathroom where the door was open a crack. Joe pushed it open further and when she didn’t protest, he peaked around the corner to find her in the bubble-filled tub.
He pushed the door closed behind him and moved across the room. “You wanting some company in there?” The tub looked like it could easily hold the two of them. And maybe Moose too, although the mutt was definitely not welcome at the moment.
Joe shucked his jeans, eyes locked with Lia as he approached. She slid forward and he stepped in behind her, cursing lightly at the heat of the water. “You trying to boil off your skin?”
She laughed and leaned back onto his chest when he sat. “Are you complaining?”
He tugged her in tightly to him and she wiggled her glorious ass against his erection. “No complaints here.”
He moved his hands to play with her breasts and the bubbles. “Now, let’s try this again.”
She hummed her approval and wiggled against him again.
“I love you, Lia. I want to spend forever with you. Will you marry me?”
She turned around in his lap, splashing water over the edges. Bubbles covered her in the most delicious way. But her smile was what he wanted to see.
Outside the bathroom door Moose whined and then they heard a thump as he flopped to the floor. At least he wasn’t interrupting this moment.
Lia laughed at the noise and then turned back to him. “I love you too, Joe. Of course I’ll marry you.”
Their kiss was soft and gentle and filled with all the emotions. His heart beat in time to hers. “I should have done this properly the first time, but it just popped out. I have a ring for you back at the lodge.” He’d planned to bring it with him to propose later today, but they hadn’t gone back to the lodge last night as planned.
Her smile was full of joy. “I loved the proposal. Both of them. And I don’t care about the ring. I care about you, Joe. And this was perfectly us.”
It really was.
