“Ask me again,” she said. “This time, I’d like to be asked.”
Caleb frowned. He took the ring and slid down to one knee. “Lauren Wyatt, see, I do remember your name. Will you marry me for me?”
She looked at him and nodded her head. “Yes. Yes, I will marry you.”
He didn’t slide the ring onto her finger. He got to his feet, cupped her face, and kissed her hard. She laughed as he rained kisses down her neck then back up to her lips.
His touch was everywhere and she loved it, relished it.
She’d gone from feeling so empty, to suddenly, so at peace.
“I’m not going to let you regret this. I’m going to give you everything you ever wanted.”
“All I ever wanted was to be in love.” She wrapped her arms around him and didn’t for a single second believe she could ever be this happy.
****
Six months later
“Were you tempted?” Lauren asked, dipping the strawberry into some vegan yogurt and offering it up to Caleb.
“To leave you at the altar?”
“Yeah?”
“Er, no. My dad asked if I wanted to bow out. I told him no.”
Caleb did the same with the other strawberry. The sun was setting and there was a chill washing over them. As he held the berry to her lips, he caught sight of the wedding ring on his finger.
They were married three days ago, in a small ceremony at his parents’ house with a few guests and family.
For the day, he’d decided to bury his annoyance with William and let him be the best man, as well as his father. Lauren had picked his mother and Cassie as her bridesmaids, and William had also been the man to walk her down the aisle. It had been a beautiful wedding. One he knew he was never going to forget or ever want to forget.
“I wasn’t going to bare my entire soul to you and then leave. Not happening. Not even in a million years was I going to let it happen.” He cupped the back of her neck, kissed her hard, and he relished her moan.
She wrapped her arms around him and he pulled her down so that she lay on top of him. She cupped his face.
There was a look on her face, one he knew. “There’s something you want to tell me, isn’t there?”
“How do you know?” she asked.
“You have this look. You also go to tell me and for some odd reason, always stop yourself.”
She rolled her eyes. “You shouldn’t know me so well.”
“I don’t know you enough. I want to, though. I want to spend every single waking moment getting to know you, Lauren Turner.”
“You’re getting there. You’re doing a lot better than you realize.”
“Good. I want to be able to surprise you.”
“You do, and you’re right. I’ve got something to tell you.” She licked her lips and he could think of more places her tongue could be touching.
“What?” he asked. “Don’t keep me in suspense. It’s our honeymoon.”
“I don’t know if you’re ready to know. We’ve never really talked about the future and what it could mean.”
“I’ve got you. I don’t need anything else in my life. You’re the only woman I want for now, forever, for always. I will love you no matter what.”
“I’m pregnant.”
He stopped.
“I’ve been to see the doctor as I wanted to have it confirmed before I told you in case I was wrong, but I’m not. I’m pregnant. We’re going to be parents.”
At first, he didn’t do anything.
They were having a baby. He was going to be a daddy.
A baby.
It seemed almost too good to be true. He couldn’t believe it.
“Caleb, say something. I know it’s scary. Believe me, I was scared. I realized we’d talked about a lot of things but not a family. Not really. I didn’t know what you were going to say or think, and the fact you’re only staring at me kind of makes me worried. Please, talk, with words.”
“I fucking love you.” He grabbed her, rolling her to her back and kissing her. He took possession of her lips but didn’t linger there for too long as he moved down, going to her neck, sucking on her pulse.
Her moans filled the air, surrounding them, and he knew then, that this was the life he was always supposed to have, filled with love and joy, and everything that was Lauren. His precious wife, the love of his life, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. They were going to have a baby. There was nothing he could think of that would make this honeymoon any more perfect.
Epilogue
Ten years later
“How does it feel to be fifty?” Timothy asked.
Caleb rolled his eyes at his father. “No different than forty.”
“I don’t know. At forty, you were single, a party animal, with no one but your family. Now, you have a wife, four beautiful children, and you’ve been made head of the company. Not to mention four additional nieces as well.”