Page 74 of All Night with the Cowboy
They were blueprints of a house.
“The plans have been finished,” Tanner said, his voice lower, huskier than usual. “If you give them the green light, then they’ll start work on our house as soon as we’re ready.”
Lauren’s hand dropped from his as she leaned forward, fingers reaching for the papers and tracing every line as slowly as her eyes were.Holy shit.Every single thing she’d asked for, every little thing she’d ever mentioned to Tanner, had been included. There was her big wardrobe, the bathroom layout she wanted with the huge bath, the big ranch-style kitchen and nook area, the library with two walls of bookcases and the big veranda so she could sit and look out at the river. Every single thing was there.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered. “It’s absolutely perfect.”
Tanner’s arms closed around her from behind. “Does it look like home?”
Lauren took a deep breath as she studied the plansagain, soaking in every part of the design and imagining herself living there, seeing herself sipping wine at the counter while Tanner cooked or sitting out on the veranda and admiring the sprawling ranch with him. It couldn’t have been any more perfect.
“It looks exactly like home to me,” she finally replied. “I couldn’t be more in love if I tried to be.”
“With me or the house?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow as she spun in his arms to face him.
“Both,” she said earnestly, surprised that he pulled back when she leaned in to kiss him.
“Lauren, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” he said, running a hand through his hair and instantly alerting her to the fact he was nervous about something.
She waited, shoving her hands into her jeans pockets as she waited for him to continue. She was worried for a split second, until she saw a smile start to play across his lips. He was up to something!
“I just don’t feel comfortable moving in with you yet,” he said, hand on his heart and making her laugh. “Until you make an honest man out of me, I’m not sure I can do it.”
She planted one hand on her hip, playing along with his silly charade. “So the fact we share a bed at least five nights out of the week doesn’t bother you, but officially moving in with you is off the table? What exactly are you suggesting we do about it?”
Tanner’s face morphed into a smile the size of Texas. “It just so happens I have a solution, darlin’,” he said, reaching into his back pocket.
“Oh yeah?” she replied, breathless as she watched him, wondering what he was about to do.
“Yeah,” he said, dropping to one knee and reaching for her hand. “I had this crazy idea we could get married. What do you say?”
She slapped the hand he wasn’t holding over her mouth as he slid the biggest, sparkliest ring she’d ever seen onto her finger. The diamond was huge, the platinum band covered in smaller diamonds that caught the light and dazzled her.
“I’d say that’s no way to ask a girl,” she whispered.
Tanner rose and kissed her fingers, his eyes never leaving hers. “Lauren, will you marry me?”
She took a second to stare at the ring, to absorb what was happening. Little over a year ago, she’d never ever thought she’d cross paths with Tanner again, let alone marry the man!
“Yes,” she said, her voice shaking as she smiled and stepped into his chest. “Yes, Tanner, I’ll marry you.”
He dipped his mouth to hers in the warmest, softest, most gentle kiss of her life. His fingers trailed down her back as she cupped her hands around his neck, drinking in the taste and scent of him, and grinning against his mouth at the weight of her new ring on her hand.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
She lifted her hand to admire the huge square diamond.
“Nothing, I just”—she kissed him and tucked tight to him—“I just can’t believe that after all these years, after everything, that we’re here.”
Tanner kissed her again. “Well, you’d better believe it,” he murmured against her lips.
“A wedding and a fur-baby,” she whispered, glancing behind her at the now-sleeping puppy on the sofa.
“And a husband-to-be who wants to see you out of those clothes and wearing only that ring,” he teased as he tugged her back again for another kiss.
“Oh really?” she asked, fighting against him as he grabbed her wrists and held her still, making her giggle.
“Uh-huh, and he’s getting really impatient.”
