“And you really are my hero.”
“No.” His face sobered as he brushed a kiss across my lips and then touched my stomach. “You’re mine.”
Chapter Forty-One
THATCH
“I think I may puke,” Austin said at my side. She was dressed in a gorgeous black gown that hugged her every curve. It was lacy, and it was really messing with my head, since the lace gave glimpses of her creamy skin. If our driver stared at her one more time, I was going to punch him in the face.
I’d gotten really territorial all of a sudden.
Hell, I’d always been territorial where Austin was concerned; I’d just never wanted to act on the feeling as much as I wanted to right now.
“You look awesome,” Avery encouraged. She was sporting a short red dress that kept hiking up enough to cause Lucas to have trouble breathing every few seconds when he looked down and did a double take.
We decided to rent a limo to drive us to her father’s fund-raiser. Rather than hide out while news went wild. It only made sense to show our unity and strength.
It had been a week since the news hit about me and Austin’s mom, and the fervor hadn’t died down, but without any more proof, it was all about speculation, which I’m sure was exactly what Austin’s dad wanted.
Just enough speculation to make his wife look bad. And for him to look like the wounded party and sail into reelection.
I patted my suit jacket for the second time that night, just to be sure what I needed was still there, and smiled when I felt the familiar shape.
Tonight was going to be epic in more ways than one.
The minute I helped Austin out of the limo, cameras flashed like lightning and reporters shouted questions, trying to figure out what we were doing together.
I ignored their questions and chose to kiss Austin full on the mouth before kissing her forehead twice and looping her arm in mine.
The cameras flashed even more.
Avery and Lucas brought up the rear of our small group, and when we finally made it inside, I felt like a five-hundred-pound brick had been lifted off my shoulders.
Austin’s mom was waiting for us, champagne in hand. She looked beautiful, but she wasn’t Austin. She smiled at both of us and then walked right up and linked arms with Austin as if to say, We’re a team.
I was afraid Austin was going to cry. Instead, she held her head high as we made our way to our table.
Where, wonder of all wonders, Austin’s dad was talking business.
He looked ready to puke when his eyes fixated on his wife with me and Austin in tow.
But I think the best part, the truly best part of the night, was the moment when Austin’s mom said aloud, “Honey! This is Dr. Holloway. You know, the one you sent me to for that surgery you wanted me to have?” She was talking so loudly, it was impossible not to hear her over the soft music playing. She turned toward me. “It was so kind of you to make an out-of-office visit, since I had so many privacy concerns.”
“Any time.” I nodded. “And I have to thank you too.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows arched. “For what, dear?”
“Giving me permission to date your daughter.”
The look on Mayor Rogers’s face was absolutely priceless as his expression shifted from rage to a forced smile as he nodded at his wife and said, “Oh?”
“Well . . .” She winked at both of us. “When you said you loved her, I was so excited that she’d finally found someone like you.”
We had a captive audience.
One that was eating up every word.
And there wasn’t a damn thing Mayor Rogers could do about it.
Lucas coughed behind me.
“Oh, sorry, we’re going to go grab a glass of champagne.” I leaned in and kissed Austin’s mom on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“Mayor.” I nodded toward him and held Austin as close as physically possible. “Have a good night.”
“Oh, I intend to.” His fake smile perfectly poised, he looked ready to take another picture for the newspaper.
“If I were you, I’d enjoy this moment.” I tilted my head to the side. “You never know what tomorrow may bring, am I right?” I forced a smug laugh while Austin’s father’s mouth twitched into what could have been mistaken for a slight frown.
Honestly, in that moment, I felt sorry for him.
What good was having money and popularity when you didn’t have anyone to go home to? When the reputation you’d spent your whole life building disappeared overnight? When you lost the job you’d sacrificed your family for and were left with nothing?
He had a grandchild on the way.
And he didn’t even know.
And my suspicion was that even if we told him—he’d use it as a way to gain more attention and divert focus from the impending scandal.
He whispered something in his assistant’s ear.
It didn’t matter if he found out tonight what was going to be in the papers tomorrow. They were already printed.
When we were out of earshot, Austin finally said, “You didn’t do it.”
“What?” We stopped walking while Lucas and Avery slid past us to grab something to drink. “What are you talking about?”
Austin’s blue eyes locked on mine. She was so pretty, it hurt. “You had everyone eating out of the palm of your hand, plus you had the pictures and the recording in your pocket, and you could have destroyed him.” She poked me in the chest and then frowned. “Or I mean it was right there earlier, because you kept checking your pocket, all paranoid, and then—”
I dropped to one knee.
Austin gasped.
Avery held up her phone to record the whole thing as instructed while Lucas had champagne ready for our little celebration—though Austin was getting sparkling water.
Lots and lots of water.
And if she said yes, maybe a sip of Mountain Dew. God save me from a child as addicted to sugar as its mama.
“Austin . . .” I reached into my jacket, slid my hand past the next day’s newspaper spilling all of the mayor’s dirty deeds to the public, and grabbed the small velvet box. “I have something to say.”
A crowd slowly started gathering around us.
Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw cell phones lifted, people grinning from ear to ear, and Avery either ready to pee her pants or so excited she couldn’t sit still.
“You do?” Austin’s eyes shone with tears.
“Yeah.” I kept the box in my hand. “But I’m a bit terrified you’re going to tell me it’s a horrible idea, that you’ve known me only three months, that we’re rushing into things. So I thought I’d tell you all the reasons you shouldn’t say yes first.”
She frowned.
“When I get drunk, I sing Enrique Iglesias. It isn’t pretty. But I swear, I really do want to be your hero, every single day of my life.” She wiped a tear. “I can’t stand soda, and every time you buy Mountain Dew, I swear somewhere in my body a very healthy cell just gives up and dies.” She covered her face with her hands and giggled. “I didn’t even know MoonPies existed until you—and now, whenever I look up at the moon, all I see is you. It’s a horrible idea, trying to make me so clearly obsessed with you that everything reminds me of you.” It wasn’t really a reason, but it needed to be said. “We’ve known each other three months, three whole months, part of that time we spent apart, and it was the worst four weeks of my life. I think I’d die if I ever had to endure it again.” I sighed and then kissed the palm of her hand. “I work. A lot. I argue. I hate messes. And I’m stuck in my bachelor ways.” She nodded. “I can’t ride a bike.” Someone gasped. “And yes, I really do hate ice cream.”
Another gasp. Really, people?
“If you want a pet, it’s going to have to be either an app on my cell phone, or it will probably die because I’ll forget to feed it.”
“That’s true,” she whispered.
“And most important. I broke your heart. I made you think I didn’t love you when the exact
opposite is true. My heart had trouble working properly without you, and I can’t imagine a life where I’m not able to hold this hand and wonder if our son or daughter’s hand will be exactly like it.” Tears fell freely from her eyes. “I’m hoping that my love for you trumps all the reasons we shouldn’t do this, so that when you say yes, you mean it, and then won’t overanalyze all the no’s, because I already did it for you.”
“Yes.”
“I wasn’t finished.”
“You’re finished.” She tugged me to my feet and kissed me hard on the mouth. People applauded, and I still hadn’t even shown her the ring. “I love you, Thatch Holloway.”
“I love you too, Austin Rogers.” I swallowed the lump in my throat as champagne was thrust in my face and water in Austin’s.
“Ring.” Avery took a large sip from her glass. “Show her the ring.” She sighed. “It’s gorgeous.”
I held out my right hand and then opened the box with my left, revealing a simple sapphire-cut two-carat diamond on a thin white-gold band.
Austin’s eyes about bugged out of her head. “That’s—” She covered her mouth with her hands, and then I was tugging her left hand down and slipping the ring on.
“A perfect fit,” I whispered.
She nodded and then hugged me tightly. “When did you plan all of this?”
“When you were in your bedroom crying, and your dad was being an asshole, I decided that it was best we start our lives together now, the right way. I love you. You love me. There was no reason not to. Besides, what better way to stick it to your dad, not by stooping to his level, but by fighting his ugly . . . with our love.”
“You know, you’re a brilliant man.” Austin laughed.
I raised an eyebrow. “You should probably marry me so we’ll have smart kids, and they can take care of us when we’re older.”
“Because that’s why you get married,” came Lucas’s reply.
I elbowed him in the ribs.
I knew it was only a matter of time before he popped the question, mainly because I’d hijacked his ring-shopping time in order to find something for Austin.
But what Avery didn’t know wouldn’t kill her.