Page 149 of Paper Hearts

It’s coming? I’m actually surprised Ender hasn’t asked me to marry him yet, but this is Ender we’re talking about. He doesn’t do anything by the book and only on his own terms.

Eddie comes into the kitchen, her party hat crooked and fruit punch staining her upper lip. “Is Eli here yet?”

“Not yet. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” I smile at her. There’s this little boy on her T-ball team who has quickly become her best friend. Eli is six, naturally good at anything he does, and loves our little girl. Ender hates it, and even told the kid if he kept talking to Eddie, he’d kick him off the team.

Since then, he has a new appreciation for how my dad felt raising five girls.

Ender comes into the house when Eli does show up and glares at me. “Who invited him?”

“Your daughter did.”

“I don’t like this.” His glare moves to the kid now holding our daughter’s hand.

“Of course you don’t.”

* * *

After the party,Ender and I are cleaning up the house while Arya and Roman let Eddie hold Booker. I watch her, wondering what the next nine months will bring. Will she want a brother or sister? What about Ender? I’ve known the entire day and haven’t said anything to him. Timing, I suppose, or nerves.

“I need to talk to you,” I tell him, my voice wavering.

“Is everything okay?” he asks, looking over his shoulder at me, worry in his eyes.

“Everything’s fine… but we should talk about something I found out today,” I hint, wondering if he knows what I’m talking about.

The worry in his eyes holds and his brow furrows. “What’s wrong?”

“I uh…” I glance over my shoulder into the family room to see Eddie making silly faces at Booker, trying to get him to laugh at her. With a deep breath, I pull the pee stick I took earlier from my pocket and hand it to him.

His eyes fall to the test as he takes it, stares at it, and then lifts his eyes to mine. His lips part as he draws in a careful breath.

“I was on the pill… but I guess maybe it was meant to be.”

Ender steps closer. “You’re pregnant?” he whispers.

I nod. “I am. I mean, I haven’t gone to the doctor, but I’m two weeks late….”

A chuckle works through him. “And here I thought your dad ratted me out.”

“About what?”

Ender turns and his hip meets the counter, and he smiles as he reaches inside the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a ring. Sliding the ring toward me, his brow arches.

I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. “That’s why you met up with my dad a couple weeks ago?”

He nods. “I wanted his permission. It didn’t matter if he gave it or not, I was still going to ask, but I don’t know…” He pauses and shrugs. “Thought maybe it might mean something more if I went the traditional route for a change.”

“That’s sweet of you.”

He reaches for the ring, pulls it from the box and then drops to his knees in front me. Both of them, like he’s begging. I watch his eyes, his lashes casting shadows over his cheeks before he looks up at me, his hand positioned over my ring finger, waiting for the okay. “Would you let me?” he asks, repeating the words he’s used in the past.

Fourteen: first kiss, hair in his eyes begging for that first kiss.

Fifteen: desperate to know I meant something to him.

“Would you let me?” he whispers, fingers soft and gentle, yet teasing.

I squirm, holding onto his wrists. “Let you what?”

---