Page 117 of Conception
“I can’t, either. Especially not after how well you just took care of me in the bathroom. Hopefully there’s more where that came from,” she teases, giving me a saucy wink.
“Babe, I’m thinkin’ you owe me another one since my son was supposed to be Knox.”
Amelia rolls her eyes, and I wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her into me. “I know you’re joking, but how about we get through the infant stage and perhaps the terrible twos before we go talking about more babies.” Her eyes soften. “It’s not like I knew you were a junior. Or that you wanted a Knox Wellington the Third. You’ve got Branson, and I know you love him, no matter his name.”
“Babe, I love him even more because of his name. It’s an honor you named him after a great man. A better one than me for sure. I can’t wait to learn more about him.”
Amelia’s arms tighten around my neck. “That’s not true, Knox. You’re a good man. A great man. My dad would be proud.”
“Good. Because I guess this means we’ll just have to keep trying.”
Her eyes go round as saucers. “What are you saying?”
Thank fuck. She’s finally going to let me speak the truth I’ve been holding in for months. “I love you, Amelia. I think I fell for you the day you nearly ran over my toes. And I’ve been fallin’ ever since. Now, I’m in so damn deep I never want to climb out. And I love our son. And whether it’s the three of us for the rest of our lives or we’re blessed to grow our family, I want to do it together. Always.”
“You mean it?”
“I’ve never meant anything more in my life.”
She tightens her arms around my neck, nearly causing me to stumble back. I laugh as she peppers kisses all across my face before capturing my lips with hers. Just as I’m about to deepen the kiss, she pulls away, her gorgeous eyes shimmering with tears.
“I love you—more than I ever thought I could. You brought me back from the dark. You made me whole again. I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life loving you. Here, Nashville, Thailand, Tokyo—wherever you want. As long as you’re my by side.”
“Then put your money where your mouth is, Melia.”
Pouty lips form a round O. “Pardon me?”
“Marry me.”
“Knox…” She’s breathless.
I fucking love it. And maybe I’m pushing too far too soon, but I can’t help it. I want us to be a real family. Right freaking now.
“I don’t have a ring. I don’t have fancy words or a speech prepared. Nothing about our relationship has been traditional. Why start now? I love you, Amelia. I love our son. I want us to be a family as soon as possible.”
She eyes me skeptically. “Is this so he’ll have your last name?”
“So you’llbothhave my last name. I don’t know how many times I’ll have to say it, but I’ll shout it from the rooftops for the rest of our lives if I have to. I should’ve told you how I felt last summer. Not left like a coward. I loved you then. I love you now. That will never change.”
“You weren’t the only one who was a coward. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you after two dates. It scared the hell out of me. And we kept reinforcing ‘just for the summer,’ and when you told me not to fall in love with you, I think it was already too late. I’d already fallen head first.”
I nod, knowing the same was true for me. “And, now, we’re a family. We’re doing this together, Amelia. You and me. I never thought I’d find this kind of love so early in life. But I know it’s once in a lifetime and I’m so damn blessed because it means I have that much more time to make memories with you.”
“I want that, too,” she whispers. “Yes, Knox. I’ll marry you. I’ll take your name. But this doesn’t change anything for Branson.”
A harsh lump forms in my throat, rendering me unable to respond. Hell, I don’t even know how to respond. I’m fucking thrilled she just agreed to be my wife, but…
Amelia laughs, lifting onto her toes and pressing a swift kiss to my lips. “It doesn’t change anything because he already has your last name, silly. It’s on the birth certificate. I’ve been wondering if you were ever going to ask.”
Her words grind that lump into dust and blows it away.
“I wanted to” I tell her. “The first night we came home from the hospital, I was going to demand it. But when I walked into your room and saw him sleeping and you exhausted after what you’d been through, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“Knox,” she whispers.
“In that moment, I realized it didn’t matter what his name was. What mattered was that I had a son who needed me above all else. Did I want him to be a Wellington? Of fucking course. Would I love him any less if he wasn’t? No fucking way.”
“You’re gonna have to learn to stop dropping so many F-bombs. If his first word is fuck, cock, or shit, my grams is gonna kill you. Hell, I might kill you myself.”
