I shifted Alexis off my lap and to the couch then slid off and twisted around to face her.
Just as I dropped to my knee.
Liam was right at my side.
A soft gasp left that pouty mouth, her throat wobbling as she looked between Liam and me.
Hopefully.
Because that was what she was.
Hope.
Goodness.
An angel.
Starshine.
“Liam has something special he wants to give you, don’t you, Liam?”
He nodded emphatically, quick to pull the gift out from behind his back and shove it her direction.
There was no missing the collective breath sucked in by my crew. The guys and the girls and the kids.
Truth was, I wouldn’t want this taking place any other way.
I’d hidden what was important away for too long.
Not ever again.
Alexis pressed shaky fingers to her chest, that gaze sliding to me before she turned all her attention on Liam, who still held the tiny box wrapped in gold paper out in the palms of both hands.
She reached out, trembling, struggling for breath while I did my best to choke down the emotion that spilled from my spirit, gathering fast and pressing out.
“I wrapped it,” Liam whispered quietly, like he was seeking her approval. The little man needed constant reassurance, which we continually gave to him.
“You did a great job,” she said, though the words were merely a rasp. She inhaled as she carefully unwrapped it.
The black velvet box barely peeked out when Liam started jumping and clapping. “Me and Daddy want you to marry us. You wanna marry us?”
She looked over at me, eyes glittering with moisture. My words were soft. “Yeah, Alexis, you want to marry us?”
She slipped off the couch and onto her knees. “Nothing would make me happier than to marry you.”
Liam whooped, spinning around and shouting at the rest of the family, “She said yes! I’m gettin’ married.”
She smiled at my son who had become hers. “Of course we’re getting married,” she told him, her fingers a gentle caress beneath his chin.
He beamed at her while she watched him with outright adoration.
Her love for him was enough to knock me from my feet every time I saw them together.
Everyone cheered. Honestly, they were probably already expecting this, considering I really wasn’t all that hard to read. Not since I let all the bullshit secrets go.
Alexis clutched my hand, like she needed the support. Like she was overcome.
But that was the thing.
I’d never been known as a fighter.
But I knew the first night I met her, I’d never regret fighting for her.
Maybe for all those years I’d forgotten what I was living for.
But no more.
Alexis had taught me what it was like to be free. She taught me to trust in faith and love.
Because of her?
I remembered what it was like to Stand.
I slipped the ring on her finger and brought it to my lips. “Forever.”
Alexis nodded through the tears that streamed down her face. With a soggy smile, she angled her head to the piano sitting on the opposite wall. “Play with me, little drummer boy? It was always a wish, you know.”
Love pressed and pulsed, and I looked around at the happiness on my family’s faces.
Bleeding Stars.
Who’d have known they’d been raining wishes on all of us all along.
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Bleeding Stars Series
A Stone in the Sea
Drowning to Breathe
Where Lightning Strikes
Wait
Stay
Stand
More from A.L. Jackson
Bleeding Stars Series
A Stone in the Sea
Drowning to Breathe
Where Lightning Strikes
Wait
Stay
Stand
The Regret Series
Lost to You
Take This Regret
If Forever Comes
The Closer to You Series
Come to Me Quietly
Come to Me Softly
Come to Me Recklessly
Stand-Alone Novels
Pulled
When We Collide
About the Author
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, as well as the newest BLEEDING STARS novels. Watch for the last installments, STAND, coming in 2017.
If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.
Watch for SHOW ME THE WAY, the first sexy, heart-warming romance in the new Fight For Me series, coming mid-2017
Be sure not to miss new releases and sales from A.L. Jackson - Sign up to receive her newsletter http://smarturl.it/NewsFromALJackson or text “aljackson” to 24587 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.
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Stand: A Bleeding Stars Stand-Alone Novel Page 35
