I have both hands wrapped around her neck, but I let her pull back. She covers my hands with hers and pulls them down between us. “I’m not leaving.”
Now it’s my turn. “What? I thought... your brother said...”
She’s nodding, and she’s so caught up with emotion she starts to ramble. “He wanted me to go back to the city, but I told him no. I told him that I couldn’t leave Cherry Falls and I couldn’t leave you.”
I shake my head. “I won’t stand in your way.”
She cups the side of my face. “I know you won’t. And that’s one of the reasons I don’t want to leave. I want to build this life with you... here in Cherry Falls.”
“Fuck,” I mutter.
She doesn’t get offended at my cursing. Instead, she laughs. “What is it?”
“I should have taken the time and stopped and bought a ring... I don’t want to wait.”
“A ring? Kent, I’m not leaving... we don’t have to rush things.”
I pick her up in my arms and carry her to the bedroom. “I’m not rushing things. This is what I want. I want to be your husband. More than anything, that’s what I want.”
As soon as I lay her down on the bed, she starts to pull her clothes off. “What else do you want? Do you want to have babies with me?”
All the air leaves my lungs. I kneel down on the bed next to her and put my palm over her belly. “I would love to have babies with you.”
She’s smiling one instant and unsure the next. “What if I want to wait a few years?”
I shrug. “It doesn’t matter. Whenever you’re ready, baby, I’ll be ready.”
She pulls me down for a kiss. Her tongue swipes across my lips, seeking access. I open for her, tasting her. It would be so easy to get lost in this kiss, but I pull back enough to see her eyes. “Are you going to marry me, Ava?”
She pulls me down until I’m lying on top of her. “Are you asking?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say yes, but I don’t. I want it to be special, and I want to have a ring when I do it. “No, not yet. But it’s coming.”
She juts her chin at me. “Well, I guess I’ll wait to answer you when you officially ask then.”
I kiss down her shoulder and suckle her breast. “Maybe I can spend the next twenty-four hours convincing you then.”
She threads her fingers through my hair and holds me at her chest. “I’d be good with that.”
And that’s exactly what I do. I love her all night long, showing her exactly how good we can be together.
Epilogue
Ava
Three Years Later
I stand on our back deck and look out at Kissme Bay. We moved here right after our wedding. I lift my hand up and look at the ring on my finger and can’t stop the smile from forming on my face. It’s a beautiful solitaire, and Kent didn’t waste any time. The very next day after telling me he loved me, he went with me into the city. I took him to meet my family, and thankfully they didn’t try to pressure me into staying. Obviously, Bailey believed me when I said how happy I was, and he had told the rest of the family.
Kent had talked to my father privately while we there, and as soon as we left, we went straight to a jeweler. We barely made it out of the store before Kent was on bended knee asking me to marry him. I said yes. There’s no way I would tell him no. I didn’t want to, and I can’t imagine my life without him in it.
We still work at the fire department. We tried working shifts together and sometimes we have to – we don’t have a choice – but for the most part, we work separately. Kent is so protective of me, I don’t want it to interfere with his job or mine.
I curve my hand around my belly, thinking of the secret I have right now. The front door slams, and I drop my hand to my side, waiting on Kent to find me. I know he will. That’s what he does as soon as he gets home.
He walks out the door onto the deck, and I go straight into his arms. “How was your day?”
I smile against his chest. “Good. I missed you.”
He pulls my hair back away from my face. “I missed you too, baby.”
He tries to kiss me, and I’m lucky that after three years he still can’t keep his hands off me. But I hold my hand up to his chest to stop him. With all seriousness, I tell him, “We need to talk.”
Whether it’s my tone or the fact I stopped him from kissing me, I don’t know. But he frowns. “What’s wrong?”