Page 44 of Comforted By The Mountain Man
TEN MONTHS LATER
I standin my living room surrounded by enough flower petals to start my own botanical garden and I'm pretty sure I'm going to throw up from nerves.
"You missed a spot," West says, pointing to a bare patch of hardwood floor near the fireplace.
"There are no more rose petals," I growl, running my hand through my hair for the hundredth time in the past hour. "We used every damn flower in three counties."
"Relax, brother," Beckett says from where he's adjusting the string lights we've hung from every available surface. "She's going to love it."
Easy for him to say. He's not the one about to propose to the woman who changed his entire world while our three-month-old daughter sleeps upstairs and her five-year-old son bounces around like he's had nothing but sugar for breakfast.
Which, come to think of it, he probably has.
"Daddy Ash!" Ryder barrels into the room wearing his best button-down shirt and the tiny tie Sierra insisted on buying him last month. "Is it time yet? Can I give Mama the flowers now?"
"Not yet, buddy. Remember what we practiced? You wait for my signal then you come out with the bouquet."
He nods solemnly, his dark curls still unruly despite my attempts to tame them this morning. At five years old, he's all legs and energy and questions but he's also become the most important person in my world aside from his mother and baby sister.
Baby Amelia Rose Hunter. Three months old and already the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, with Sierra's hazel eyes and what I swear is going to be my stubborn chin. She's napping upstairs right now, blissfully unaware that her daddy is about to officially ask her mommy to marry him.
Not that there's any doubt about Sierra's answer. We've been talking about marriage since before Amelia was born but between the pregnancy and adjusting to being a family of four, the timing never felt quite right.
Until now.
"Grace just texted," Nash calls from where he's lighting the candles we've scattered throughout the room. "They're fifteen minutes out."
My stomach does a backflip. "Fifteen minutes? Shit. Is everything ready?"
"Language," Grayson warns with a nod toward Ryder who grins and pretends he didn't hear.
"Everything's perfect," Ezra says quietly from his spot by the kitchen. He's been the most help today, his artistic eye ensuring that every detail is exactly right. "She's going to say yes, Asher."
"What if she doesn't? What if she thinks it's too soon? What if she's not ready for that kind of commitment?"
"Brother," Holden laughs, looking up from where he's been assembling something behind the couch. "That woman has been ready to marry you since about week two. The only person who's been dragging his feet is you."
He's right, of course. Sierra's been dropping hints for months, talking about our future with a certainty that both thrills and terrifies me. She wants forever with me, wants to build something permanent and real.
And God knows I want the same thing.
"Where's the ring?" I ask, patting my pocket for the fiftieth time.
"Still in your pocket, where it's been all day," West says patiently. "Now stop fidgeting before you wear a hole in your pants."
The ring.I've been carrying it around for two weeks, waiting for the perfect moment. It's a simple solitaire, elegant and classic, with a band that has small diamonds embedded all the way around. Not too flashy but beautiful enough to match the woman who's going to wear it.
Assuming she says yes.
"What about the other thing?" I ask, looking toward Holden.
"All set," he confirms, stepping back to reveal what he's been working on. It's a small table covered with a white cloth and on top of it sits the most elaborate display of superhero action figures I've ever seen.
The Avengers. All of them. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and of course, the Hulk. Premium collector's editions, still in their packaging, arranged around a small velvet box.
Ryder's eyes go wide when he sees them. "Are those all for me?"
"If you say yes to my question," I tell him, my voice suddenly thick with emotion.
