Page 56 of Pregnant by the Texan
She wiped her eyes frantically and took deep breaths.
He turned to face her, walking to her and placing his hands on his hips. “I was going to wait until we went home tonight to talk to you, but I think we better talk right now. What started out to be a great, fun evening for you has turned sour in a big way.”
“Aaron, we can’t talk here.”
“Yes, we can.” He stepped close and slipped one arm around her waist. His other hand tilted her chin up as he gazed into her eyes. “This is long overdue, but as the old saying goes, sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees. I’ve missed you and I’ve been miserable without you. I love you, Stella.”
Startled, she frowned as she stared at him. “You’re saying that—I don’t think you mean it. It’s one of those nice and honorable things you do.”
“No. I’m not saying it to be nice and not out of honor. It’s out of love. After I lost Paula and Blake, I didn’t think I would ever love again. I didn’t think I could. I was wrong, because there’s always room in the heart for love. I just couldn’t even see that I had fallen in love with you.”
Shocked, she stared at him. “Aaron, I didn’t know about your wife and son until this past week.”
He frowned. “I thought everyone around here knew that. I just didn’t talk about it.”
“That’s been a barrier between us, hasn’t it?”
“It was, but it’s not now. I’m in love with you. I want to marry you and if you’d found out today that you’re not really pregnant, I would still tell you the same thing. I love you. When I lost Paula and Blake, I didn’t want to live, either. I hurt every minute of every day for so long. When I finally did go out with a woman, I think it was three or four years later and after the date, I just wanted to go home and be alone.”
She hurt for him, but she remained silent because Aaron was opening himself up completely to her and gone was the shuttered look and the feeling that a wall had come between them.
“I finally began to socialize, but I just never got close to anyone until you came along. I soon realized that you were the first woman I’d enjoyed being around since Paula. I also noticed I didn’t hurt as much and I didn’t think about her as much.
“Stella, I will always love Paula and Blake. There’s room in my heart for more love—for you, for our baby. I love you and I have been miserable without you and it’s my own fault for shutting you out, but I just didn’t even realize I was falling in love with you.”
“Aaron,” she said, her happiness spilling over.
He pulled her close, leaning down to kiss her, a hungry, passionate kiss as if he had been waiting years to do this.
Joyously she clung to him and kissed him. “I love you, Aaron. I missed you, but I want your love. I just want you to be able to share the good and the bad, the hurts, the happiness, everything in your life with me and me with you. That’s love, Aaron.”
He held her so tightly she could barely breathe. “You mean everything to me. I just couldn’t even recognize what I felt until I saw I was losing you. Thank goodness I haven’t.”
“No, you haven’t. You have my heart. I love you, Aaron. I’ve loved you almost from the very first.”
“Stella, wait.” He knelt on one knee and held her hand. “Stella Daniels, will you marry me?” he asked, pulling a box from his jacket pocket and holding it out to her.
“Aaron.” She laughed, feeling giddy and bubbly. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Aaron Nichols. For goodness’ sake, get up,” she said, taking the box from him. “What is this, Aaron?”
She opened the box and gasped. Aaron took out the ten-carat-diamond-and-emerald ring he had bought. He held her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. “Perfect,” he said, looking into her eyes. “Everything is perfect, Stella. I will tell you I love you so many times each day you’ll grow tired of hearing it.”
“Impossible,” she said, looking at the dazzling ring. “Oh, Aaron, I’m overwhelmed. This is the most beautiful ring. I can’t believe it’s mine.”
“It is definitely yours. Stella, I love you. Also, I’m going to love our baby so very much. This child is a gift and a blessing for me. The loss of my first child—I can’t tell you how badly that hurt and I never dreamed I’d marry and have another baby.”
“We’ll both be blessed by this child. I’m so glad. From the first moment, I thought this would be the biggest thrill in my life if I had your love when I found out we would have a baby.”
“You have my love,” he said, hugging her and then kissing her. After a few minutes, he leaned away. “C’mon. I think it’s time for an announcement.”
She laughed again. “Aaron, I’m used to staying in the background, being quiet and unnoticed. My life is undergoing every kind of transformation. I don’t even know myself anymore in so many ways.
“I’m announcing this engagement to keep the guys away from you. I’ve even had them ask me if I cared if they asked you out. Yes, I cared. I wanted to punch one of them.”
She laughed, shaking her head as he took her hand.
“C’mon. I’m making an announcement and then all those guys will stay away from my fiancée.”
When he said my fiancée, joy bubbled in her as she hurried beside him.
