Page 128 of Perfect Pairing
I wasted no time giving her what she wanted, sighing deeply in relief as we connected. Kissing her was coming home, and even the few hours I’d gone without her lips on mine, when I’d fully spiraled and wondered what the hell I’d do without her, had been too goddamn long. Her tongue darted out against my lips, seeking entry, and I let her have it. Her flavor coated my tongue as she swept hers in, a combination that was entirely her own—all honeyed sweetness.
I spun us and hooked my hands behind her thighs to lift her onto the counter. Then I notched my thumb under her chin and tilted her head where I wanted her, trailing open-mouthed kisses down the column of her throat.
One of Brie’s hands fisted in my hair while the other gripped my shirt, and before I could get too deep into my exploration of her body, before I could strip her out of her dress and eat her for dessert instead, she said, “I’ve got one more gift for you.”
I pulled back, eyes sweeping over her face as my forehead scrunched in confusion.
“All I need is you.”
Brie smiled softly. “That’s sweet, but I think you’re going to like this one.”
“Okay…”
“Before I give it to you, I have a question to ask you.”
“Anything.”
“Marry me?”
She moved her hands to the nape of her neck and unclasped her necklace, pulling it free from the collar of her dress and sliding something off it before holding whatever it was out to me.
In her palm rested a small silver circle.
With a start, I realized it was a ring.
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you this?”
Brie waved me off. “Who gives a fuck about tradition?”
I grinned. Damn, did I love it when my girl swore.
“I was going to, you know. Ask, I mean. And soon.”
She shrugged. “I’m just beating you to the punch. I want to marry you. As soon as possible.”
“What’s the rush?”
“I love you,” she said. “More than I ever thought I could love someone. You’re everything I ever dreamed of, and I’d endure every moment of heartache and disappointment and years without you again if it brought us to this moment.”
“Me too,” I whispered.
My loveless marriage, Shannon’s infidelity, substance abuse problems, the accident. For her—and for Hansen—I’d happily live it all again.
“So I want you to be my husband. I want the whole thing with you, Ez. The big house on the bluff overlooking the water. The kids running around. Growing old right here on this peninsula with my family—ourfamily—surrounding us.”
“And I’ll give you all of it.”
“You already are,” she said, and silver lined her eyes as she grinned at me. “You alreadyhave.” She dipped her hand down the front of her shirt and withdrew a folded piece of paper. “I’ve been carrying this around all day, waiting for the perfect opportunity to give it to you. There’s nothing that says we have to get married right away, but…”
She handed me the paper, and I unfolded it, my brain taking several beats to process what my eyes were seeing.
A sonogram.
“…I want us all to have the same last name when our baby comes,” Brie finished.
When I looked up, awestruck, and met her gaze, those beautiful green eyes more vibrant than ever with unshed tears, I was surprised to find my own vision blurry as well.
I’d done this once before. Had a woman come to me and tell me she was having my child. Had stood with another partner in a different city halfway across the country and held a different sonogram of a different baby.
