Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Nothing will ever be too much when it comes to showing you how much I love you.”
“Stop. You can’t make me cry with everyone here.” She turns her back to the crowd that’s still not paying us a bit of attention. Apparently, we’re old news now that we’re officially a couple.
“Okay. The next one.” I dig behind the tree and find the second box I hid. It’s similar in size to the first.
“The necklace is more than enough.”
“Not even close, angel. Open it.”
She nods and carefully unwraps this box the same way she did the first. When she opens it, she finds another key, this time a real one.
“What’s this?”
“That is the key to our new home. I closed on it last week. This key is the key to our forever.” I wrap my arms around her waist. “You have the key to my heart and the key to our forever. Basically, you have everything I am in the palm of your hands, well, minus our daughter, who’s busy playing with her cousins.”
Her eyes well with tears. “This is to the house?”
“Yeah. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Maverick.” She shakes her head, the emotion too much. “This is like a fairy tale.” She offers me a watery smile.
“Not quite, but it’s our story.”
“Thank you for my gifts. Thank you for choosing us.”
“You have one more gift.”
“Maverick, no. This is already way too much.”
“Technically, the house is for all three of us. That’s not much of a gift.”
“You gave me your forever, Maverick Kincaid. That’s a big damn deal.”
“Well, then, let me give you your last one.”
She shakes her head. The smile playing on her lips tells me she’s happy. That’s all I ever want, for my girls to be happy. “I know you well enough to know arguing won’t do me any good.”
“You’re learning, angel,” I tease. I drop a kiss on her forehead. “Stay here. I want our girl to be here for this one.” I turn and stalk toward Rushton, who’s holding Ada. “Hey, Bug.” Her face lights up.
“Dad, Dad,” she calls out as she reaches for me.
I take her from my brother and kiss her cheek. “It’s showtime,” I tell my daughter.
“Wait.” Rushton’s mouth drops open. “Does that mean what I think it means?”
“Yeah, I’m doing it here.”
Rushton grins. “I’ll spread the word.” He moves to start telling our family quietly what’s about to go down.
“Okay, Ada, this is what we talked about. I’m going to take your sweater off so that Mommy can read your shirt. We’re going to ask if she will marry me so that I can be your daddy in every way. You still on board, kid?” I ask her.
“Dad.” She gives me a sloppy kiss.
“That’s my girl.” I slow my steps, giving Rushton and the rest of the family time to clue in to what’s going on. I pause and pull off Ada’s sweater. I toss it over the back of the couch and grin when I read what it says. Thankfully, Stella is talking to Crosby. I know she beelined it over to Stella to offer a distraction. I love my family.
Work hard. Love harder. We’re damn good at both.
“There’s Mommy,” I tell Ada once we reach Stella.
“Hey, sweetie.” Ada reaches for her mom, and Stella takes her into her arms. “You having a good day?” she asks.
Ada pulls at her shirt.
I watch as Stella realizes our daughter is in nothing but a thin long-sleeve onesie and that the cute Christmas sweater she was wearing when we arrived is now nowhere to be found. I watch as her eyes read the words I have memorized.
Mommy, marry Daddy so we can all have the same last name. It’s the best I could come up with. I started to say something about adoption, but she’s mine no matter what the law says. I went with changing the last name instead, capturing both of my girls at once.
Pulling the ring out of my pocket, I fall to one knee. My heart is beating steadily, my hands aren’t sweating, and I couldn’t care less about the audience surrounding us.
All that matters at the moment are my girls.
“Maverick.” Stella’s voice breaks as she tears her eyes away from Ada’s shirt. Her gaze seeks me out, but all she finds is our family standing by waiting with bated breath for me to ask her.
“I love my girls,” I say, my voice loud and clear. I want the world to know what these two mean to me. “I want forever with both of you. You have the key to my heart. You have the key to our forever, and you are literally holding a piece of my heart in your hands at this very moment. Stella, will you do me the incredible honor of taking my last name? I want to be Ada’s daddy in the eyes of the law, and I want to be your husband. Will you marry me?”