Page 205 of Need You To Choose Me

“In here,” Blake yells from the back of the house.

A smile spreads over my lips, excitement coursing through me as I make my way down the hallway toward the living room. “I have to admit it, you were right. I had fun—” I come to a sudden stop in the doorway when I spot Blake and the kids standing in the living room.

He smiles at me as I take in the space: candles and flowers. The four of them are side by side, from oldest to the youngest, with matching white signs in their hands. The boys are all dressed in a nice pair of slacks and matching red shirts, and they even dressed Poppy in a red dress with a tiny bow in her blonde hair. Definitely not what I dressed her in this morning, but damn, she looks adorable sitting in her bouncy seat.

I shift my attention to Blake, my tongue darting out to slide over my lower lip before I ask, my voice coming out shaky, “Wh-what’s going on?”

“We have a question to ask you!” Levi immediately says as he bounces on his heels, buzzing with excitement.

A question?—

Oh my gosh…

Nervously, I slide my hand over my skirt, my palms turning clammy. And why is it suddenly so hot in here. “You do?”

Levi nods eagerly and glances at his dad, his hands gripping the paper. “Is it time, Dad? Can we ask her? Please! Can we?”

“In a bit, buddy.” Blake shakes his head at him before those bright gray eyes turn to me. They crinkle with amusement, faint lines appearing in their corners. And love, so much love, that it feels like I can’t breathe.

“As Levi said, we have a couple of really important questions to ask you, Blondie. It’s been over a year since I first saw you in that bar. You took my breath away that day and every day since. And I know we did a lot of things backward, but meeting you, getting to know you, getting toloveyou, and having a family together has been the best privilege of my life.”

“Blake,” his name comes out shaky, tears prickling my eyelids.

“I mean it, Sav. Things haven’t been easy for us, but I’m grateful that I got to walk this path with you. And I want to keep on walking it until the very end. I want to marry you. I want you to share my name. I want to raise our family together, to laugh and to cry and to grow old together. I want it all with you.”

Blake glances at his kids, and I raise my hand to wipe away the tears that slid down my cheek. “Wewant it all with you.”

Before I get to say anything, he gets on one knee, and all the signs turn as one.

I let out a soft sob and raised my shaking hand to cover my mouth as I stared at the words written on the paper, still in shock.

Will you marry us?

“I love you, Savannah. I love your fierce nature and your big heart. I love how you adore our baby girl, and I’ll forever bethankful for the role you play in my sons’ lives. I’ve watched them fall in love with you these past few months as much as I have. You gave me my boys back, you were the missing piece we never realized we needed, the glue that’s holding us together. You’re our family, Savannah, and now I want to make it official so there is no confusion. Marry me, Blondie. Marry me and make me the happiest man alive.”

My heart squeezes tightly, and more tears start to slide down my cheeks as his words echo in my mind.

Our family.

Everything I’ve ever wanted. Everything I never dared hoping for, not really. But he was giving it to me.

A family to call my own.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I go to him. Blake’s up immediately, his strong arms wrapping around me as I bury my head into his chest.

My rock.

His arms tighten around me, his mouth brushing against the top of my head. “Shh, it’s good…”

“I’m sorry, I’m such a mess, but this…” I shake my head, unsure of how to explain it, but I don’t have to. Not when it comes to Blake.

“I know, baby. I’ve gotcha.”

“Why is she crying?” Levi asks, and I can feel his arms wrapping around my legs. “You shouldn’t be sad, Sav. Don’t you want to marry us?”

Brushing away my tears, I turn in Blake’s arms to look at my beautiful, compassionate boy, who’s anxiously nibbling at his lower lip.

“I do. These are happy tears.” I place my hand on his back to steady us and blink my eyes open to find Blake watching me with all the love and patience in the world. “Because I do want to marry you.”

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