Page 73 of Balance

He slowly smiles. “Yeah? Why not just stay home then? What if I want to travel?”

I roll my eyes and try to hide my own smile. “Because I’m not going to just live off of you. It was one thing before we decided to try this thing out since I was just your little nanny. I’d feel… I don’t know… awkward about it. I don’t have debt or anything aside from my car and student loans, but I wouldn’t be comfortable with just being your live-in girlfriend and spending your money.”

“Then marry me.”

I almost fall out of my chair and give myself whiplash as I turned too fast to glare at him. “What?”

“You heard me. Marry me. I’ll give you my damn sperm if that’s what it takes. Marry me and stay home. Tutor if you want. Teach when the girls are older.”

I blink at him, trying not to snort. “Just marry you? Just like that?”

He stands and saunters over to me, towering over me. The sun glints against his hair and surrounds him like a halo as he smiles down at me. “Fucking marry me, Lillian. I don’t care if I’ve only known you for a day, week, month, or years. You’re mine and I’m fucking yours.”

“You’re acting like we’re going to go do this right now. What about a prenup? Fuck, everything? You just got divorced, is this even legal?”

“No prenup. No bullshit. Give me a few minutes,” he jogs back up to the house as I sit here dumbstruck. I can hear the girls squealing from closeby, so I know this is real life, right?

I’m not dreaming?

I pinch my thigh and wince. Fuck. I’m not asleep.

What the fuck is going on? Are we really going to do this?

Am I going to say yes?

Should I?

Is he high on pain meds?

I stare up at the bright blue sky and watch my breath fog up towards the clouds. What in the world are we doing?

Epilogue

Lillian

Five Years Later

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Morgan has been up for a few hours, I can hear him cussing to himself through the damn walls. So much for letting me sleep in.

Not that I am anyway, I’m down in my office trying to get all of this nonsense sent in for work.

It’s been five years since we got married the same day he suggested it, also known as just telling me to marry him so that I would stay with him and not work.

We went and rented dresses, a tux, and bought our rings before heading to the courthouse. That blissful, confusing ass day was one of the best of my life.

The second best? Was when Brittany came back to Minnesota from rehab and changed her life. She’s now a major part in her daughters’ lives and lives only a few streets away from us.

We don’t spend a lot of time together, but the girls are with her on most weekends and sometimes a weeknight if she’s able to have them when she’s home from work.

She actually got a job, too.

Mackenzie opened up her own bar and restaurant near the arena and ended up hiring Brittany about three years ago, and now the latter is a manager there. How far she’s come is just… beautiful. I’m so proud of her.

She’s tried to apologize for how she acted and for hitting me, but I just tell her to focus on her girls and forget about me. That’s all in the past and all that matters now is the future.

Avery is now fifteen, taller than me, and as boy crazy as Mackenzie was in high school. She drives me nuts, but will always be my special girl. Her long brown hair, bright hazel eyes, and tanned skin, we’re going to be beating the boys that flock to her with bats here soon enough.

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