Page 165 of Where We Bloom

“I can head out—” Holden begins, but I shake my head.

“I’d like it if you’d stay. This worked out well, actually.” I push my glasses up my nose and then look each of them in the eyes. “You all love her. You’re her family. So it’s right that I speak to all of you together when I tell you that I’m going to ask her to marry me next week. We’re taking a trip to Galway.”

Brandon blows out a breath, and the others share glances, shuffle their feet, and then look at their da.

“Why do you love my daughter?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Did you know that her favorite thing in the world is to be hugged?” Brandon’s eyes narrow. “She simply wants to be touched. She’s picky about the bottled water she drinks. She’d rather spend hours hunting through secondhand clothing stores to find what she wants than spend the money on something new.”

I chuckle and shake my head, then look down at thefloor.

“She misses all of you terribly but would never make you feel bad because she hasn’t seen you in a while. And Christ, does she have a backbone on her. She sticks up for herself and those she loves without batting an eye, and her tongue can be lethal. She’s so bleedin’ clever and quick-witted. Don’t even get me started on her work ethic. Something I think she learned from all of you.”

I look up to find all six of them grinning at me.

“I love the fire in her. Her stubborn side and her softness. I’ll continue to love her, to protect her, until the last breath leaves my body, and I need her to be my wife. The sooner, the better.”

Brandon nods, then pulls me in for a manly hug, patting me on the back.

“Welcome to the family.”

Everyone shakes my hand, Beckett being the last. His eyes are sober as they hold mine.

“She’s the best of us,” he says. “She’s the best there is, and she deserves everything in this world.”

“Aye, she does. And I’m going to give it to her.”

How could it be that simple? I answer one question, and they accept me without any other discussion? Without asking me if my family will insist on a prenup—which I’ll fight—or if we’ll move out of Montana—we won’t—or any other questions at all?

The expressions on their faces are full of acceptance. Happiness, even. Welcoming me into their family so easily humbles me to the core.

It’s not just my girl who’s special. I’m grateful thatSkyla and I found their entire family. It’s a privilege to be among them.

With that finished, we caravan over to Billie’s and my home and join the girls in the kitchen, stealing cookies.

“These are still warm,” Bridger says as he bites into one of the treats.

“I did it,” Birdie says with a wide smile. “And Mom says when the baby comes, I can teach him how to bake, too.”

Everyone goes dead quiet and turns to Bridger and Dani, who are both grinning at each other.

“Are you telling me you’re having a boy?” Billie asks, her hands clasped over her chest.

“We were going to wait for dinner to announce it,” Dani says as she leans into Bridger’s side. “But yes, we just found out yesterday. Baby Boy Blackwell is on the way.”

I look on as my girl starts to cry and pulls both her brother and best friend in for hugs. Everything I said earlier is true, but this is what I love most about my angel.

She loves so big, so completely, that it spills out of her eyes, as if her body just can’t hold on to it all.

Her gaze finds mine, and she smiles widely as I cross to her and tip her chin up before brushing my mouth over hers.

“I love you,mo rúnsearc.”

She tips her forehead against mine. “I love you too, billionaire.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

BILLIE

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