“I love you,” she said, her eyes filling once more. “I loved you then, and I love you now, and I’ll love you forever.”
I kissed her lips. “I’m counting on it.”
Maren
I couldn’t stop looking at my left hand. Even in the dark, the ring sparkled and shone. Everyone at the impromptu engagement party at the shop had commented how gorgeous and unique it was, and when we had time, I was going to ask Dallas to tell me all about the woman who’d worn it before me. I loved that my ring had a connection to his history.
Dallas chuckled as he pulled into the garage at our house. “You really do like it, huh?”
“I love it.” I hugged my left hand against my heart. “I can’t get over how perfect it is for me. In a million years, I’d never have been able to describe it. I’m not like Emme, who had her ideal engagement ring picked out by the time she was sixteen. I wasn’t even sure I’d ever get married.”
“Me neither.” He turned off the engine and we got out of the car. “I thought that ring would sit in the box forever.”
“Can you give me the real tattoo tomorrow?” I asked. I hadn’t wanted to wash off the stenciled proposal tonight, because it was such a fun piece of the story. I’d taken a thousand pictures of it, and sent some to my sisters, who were thrilled and weepy and sent their congratulations and hugs. I couldn’t wait to show them the ring, which I’d be able to do next week when we went back to Michigan for Emme’s wedding.
We held hands as we walked toward the house. It was an adorable two-bedroom place in a lovely old neighborhood that was perfect for a couple like us, but I was glad we’d have more space eventually. Already, I was thinking about a family, which was another thing I’d never been sure about. Now I wanted a whole tribe. “What do you think about kids?” I asked. “Or is it too soon to talk about that?”
He gave me a look as he unlocked the door. “You’re not trying to tell me anything, are you?”
I laughed. “No. It’s just a question.”
“Okay. Good.” He pushed the door open and let me go in first, then he closed it behind him and wrapped me up in his arms from behind. “Because I feel like I just got you all to myself and I’d like to enjoy that for a little while.”
I smiled as he walked me from the shadowy kitchen into the living room, where we’d left one lamp on. “But after that?”
“After that we can talk.” He kissed the side of my neck.
I spun around in his arms to face him. “How many can we have?”
His gorgeous blue eyes widened. “How many?”
“Yeah. Now that I’ve seen where we’re going to live, I want a whole gaggle of kids.”
“A gaggle?”
I nodded happily. “Yes! I’m picturing like eight adorable little hippie children running around the ranch, dirt on their faces, flowers in their hair, planting vegetables, picking fruit off the trees…”
He shook his head. “Oh my God. You are not putting flowers in my son’s hair.”
“I will if he wants me to. And who knows, maybe we’ll have eight girls.”
His eyes closed. “I’m in so much trouble.”
“But you love me.” I kissed his lips. “And I love you, and whether we have eight children or twelve or twenty or none—”
“Or two,” he said, backing me toward the stairs. “Two is good.”
I rolled my eyes. “Two isn’t even enough for a game of hide and seek, let alone enough to tend a farm. Hey, can we have peach trees? I love peaches.”
Groaning, he bent down, picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. “Me too.” He bit my ass cheek through my long cotton skirt. “I’m in the mood for some right now, in fact.”
I shrieked as he carried me up the stairs and into our moonlit bedroom, tossing me on the bed. “No! Don’t eat me!”
“But I’m so hungry,” he growled, reaching beneath my skirt and tugging down my underwear. “And you’re so sweet.”
I laughed as he disappeared under my skirt and buried his head between my thighs, but before long I was sighing with pleasure, my hands in his hair, his tongue and fingers working their magic.
Then he was sliding up my body, shrugging out of his clothes, lifting my shirt over my head. For the millionth time, I marveled that this was real—this man inside me, this love reborn between us, this future we had imagined. I held him tight as he brought me to a place where we were the only two people in existence, where we’d been made only for each other, and the whole world was ours alone.
I would cherish this feeling forever.
THE END
I kissed her lips. “I’m counting on it.”
Maren
I couldn’t stop looking at my left hand. Even in the dark, the ring sparkled and shone. Everyone at the impromptu engagement party at the shop had commented how gorgeous and unique it was, and when we had time, I was going to ask Dallas to tell me all about the woman who’d worn it before me. I loved that my ring had a connection to his history.
Dallas chuckled as he pulled into the garage at our house. “You really do like it, huh?”
“I love it.” I hugged my left hand against my heart. “I can’t get over how perfect it is for me. In a million years, I’d never have been able to describe it. I’m not like Emme, who had her ideal engagement ring picked out by the time she was sixteen. I wasn’t even sure I’d ever get married.”
“Me neither.” He turned off the engine and we got out of the car. “I thought that ring would sit in the box forever.”
“Can you give me the real tattoo tomorrow?” I asked. I hadn’t wanted to wash off the stenciled proposal tonight, because it was such a fun piece of the story. I’d taken a thousand pictures of it, and sent some to my sisters, who were thrilled and weepy and sent their congratulations and hugs. I couldn’t wait to show them the ring, which I’d be able to do next week when we went back to Michigan for Emme’s wedding.
We held hands as we walked toward the house. It was an adorable two-bedroom place in a lovely old neighborhood that was perfect for a couple like us, but I was glad we’d have more space eventually. Already, I was thinking about a family, which was another thing I’d never been sure about. Now I wanted a whole tribe. “What do you think about kids?” I asked. “Or is it too soon to talk about that?”
He gave me a look as he unlocked the door. “You’re not trying to tell me anything, are you?”
I laughed. “No. It’s just a question.”
“Okay. Good.” He pushed the door open and let me go in first, then he closed it behind him and wrapped me up in his arms from behind. “Because I feel like I just got you all to myself and I’d like to enjoy that for a little while.”
I smiled as he walked me from the shadowy kitchen into the living room, where we’d left one lamp on. “But after that?”
“After that we can talk.” He kissed the side of my neck.
I spun around in his arms to face him. “How many can we have?”
His gorgeous blue eyes widened. “How many?”
“Yeah. Now that I’ve seen where we’re going to live, I want a whole gaggle of kids.”
“A gaggle?”
I nodded happily. “Yes! I’m picturing like eight adorable little hippie children running around the ranch, dirt on their faces, flowers in their hair, planting vegetables, picking fruit off the trees…”
He shook his head. “Oh my God. You are not putting flowers in my son’s hair.”
“I will if he wants me to. And who knows, maybe we’ll have eight girls.”
His eyes closed. “I’m in so much trouble.”
“But you love me.” I kissed his lips. “And I love you, and whether we have eight children or twelve or twenty or none—”
“Or two,” he said, backing me toward the stairs. “Two is good.”
I rolled my eyes. “Two isn’t even enough for a game of hide and seek, let alone enough to tend a farm. Hey, can we have peach trees? I love peaches.”
Groaning, he bent down, picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. “Me too.” He bit my ass cheek through my long cotton skirt. “I’m in the mood for some right now, in fact.”
I shrieked as he carried me up the stairs and into our moonlit bedroom, tossing me on the bed. “No! Don’t eat me!”
“But I’m so hungry,” he growled, reaching beneath my skirt and tugging down my underwear. “And you’re so sweet.”
I laughed as he disappeared under my skirt and buried his head between my thighs, but before long I was sighing with pleasure, my hands in his hair, his tongue and fingers working their magic.
Then he was sliding up my body, shrugging out of his clothes, lifting my shirt over my head. For the millionth time, I marveled that this was real—this man inside me, this love reborn between us, this future we had imagined. I held him tight as he brought me to a place where we were the only two people in existence, where we’d been made only for each other, and the whole world was ours alone.
I would cherish this feeling forever.
THE END
