by Ali Parker
“What about Max?” I asked. “Is he sure about this move?”
Ryan laughed and shook his head. “Of course, he’s sure. He’s been miserable since we left.”
“Uncle Max just misses me,” Paisley said firmly. “I’m his best friend.”
“All the drama back in New York isn’t helping matters either.”
Ryan’s face fell as he thought about his brother. Max had recently admitted to us that he was gay. Ryan was surprised at first but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. After all, Max had never been able to maintain a long-term relationship with any woman.
“Do you think he’s over the breakup yet?” I asked.
“No.” Ryan sighed. “It was hard on him, but that’s what this move is for. He can start over here. Figure out who he wants to be and really be happy.”
I smiled at the thought. In the year that Ryan and I had been together, I’d grown close to Max. He was the brother I never had, and I couldn’t wait for him to move to Seattle and be with us full-time. We all missed him.
“Is Uncle Max sad because he’s not friends with Annabelle’s dad anymore?” Paisley asked.
Ryan chuckled. “Something like that, Pea.”
He winked at me, and we went back to eating, but Ryan was distracted the whole time. He barely ate two more bites before dropping a piece of bacon onto the plate untouched.
Frowning, I set the plate down and placed my palm against his cheek. He smiled, his eyes locking on my face and overwhelming me with their warmth. He always looked at me with love, but this was different. It was more.
Slowly, his eyes shifted from me to Paisley. He gave her a knowing look and nodded toward the bedside table. Paisley grinned and darted off the bed. Wrenching open the drawer, she dug her hand inside and emerged with something I couldn’t see. She hid her hands behind her back and crawled back up on the bed.
Confused, I turned to Ryan.
He was staring at me with wide, open eyes and a smile that broke my heart. I watched as his eyes filled with tears. My stomach filled with butterflies as I realized what was behind Paisley’s back.
The whole world seemed to freeze around me. Paisley giggled by my side while Ryan moved closer to me, his hands fumbling for mine. He squeezed my fingers before lifting them to his lips. When they touched, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
Our eyes met again, and I felt my heart break wide open. He didn’t need to speak. I already knew everything he was thinking.
But that wasn’t enough for Ryan. With tearful eyes, he moved even closer to me and took a deep breath. When he spoke, his voice was faint and full of emotion.
“Candice,” he said softly. “There are so many things I want to say to you right now, but I don’t know where to begin.”
He cleared his throat, laughing to himself. Paisley urged him on with whispered encouragement that made us both laugh even more.
“I love you,” Ryan said. “I have always loved you, and I always will. When you came into my life, it was like you shook everything up and made it better, like you created this entirely new existence for me that I didn’t even think was possible.”
Paisley giggled and the first tear fell from my eyes. It rolled down my cheek and landed on my fingers, still intertwined with Ryan’s.
“You’ve been my best friend,” Ryan continued. “My love, my heart, my everything. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be working for Beatrice, and my life would be at a standstill with me stuck and unable to move forward or backward.”
He swallowed hard and pushed himself forward.
“I love you,” he said again. “And I promise you that won’t ever change. Watching you with Paisley, I can’t imagine a better mother for her. You’ve taken her on as your own, and that, more than anything, has proven to me that you’re the woman for me. The only woman.”
Tears were coming in earnest now, sliding down my cheeks and leaving wet streaks behind in their path. I didn’t care. I didn’t even bother to wipe them away. My eyes stayed on Ryan’s, my hands trembling in his.
“If you want to,” Ryan said. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, with our little family. I want you to be my wife, Candice. Now and forever.”
“And I want you to by my mom!” Paisley squealed. She bounced over to us and pulled a black velvet box from behind her back.
“Paisley helped me pick this out,” Ryan said.
He reached his hand out for the box, and Paisley dropped it in his waiting palm. Opening it slowly, Ryan spun it around for me to see.
The ring was incredible, more beautiful than anything I’d ever seen before. Just looking at it in the box took my breath away, I couldn’t imagine how I would feel once it was on my finger. I stared openmouthed as it sparkled in the sunlight.
“It’s perfect,” I breathed. Looking back at Ryan, I said, “And so are you.”
“Is that a yes?” He laughed nervously.
“Do you even have to ask?”
We both laughed as Ryan fell forward and claimed my lips. Paisley jumped to her feet beside us and jumped up and down on the bed. She squealed and yelled, shoved her fists in the air, and leaped across the bed. Ryan and I shook as Paisley continued to trample around us, but we didn’t care. We hardly noticed as we lost ourselves in the kiss.
Paisley landed with a thud beside us, jerking us apart and making us laugh right along with her.
“This is everything I want,” I told them both. “You guys. Forever.”
Paisley grinned and threw herself into my arms. I hugged her tightly, burying my face in her hair. When we pulled apart, I saw that I wasn’t the only one crying. I wiped a tear off her cheek and pulled her back against my chest, never wanting to let her go.
It was a lot for a little girl to handle, so her emotions were on overdrive. She switched between laughter and tears until finally, we all snuggled together in bed and gazed through the window.
“Are you happy?” Ryan asked me softly, his lips brushing against my earlobe.
At his touch, my body jerked to life. I wanted him so badly, but we both knew we wouldn’t be able to celebrate privately until Paisley went to sleep that night.
I didn’t care. As much as I wanted him, I knew I would get my fill soon enough. After all, we had the rest of our lives ahead of us. What were a few more hours?
With Paisley tucked between us, Ryan and I gazed through the window at the bright sunshine outside. It was hours before the three of us got out of bed and even longer before we went outside. When we did, Paisley kept her hand glued to mine.
Throughout the day, she would look at me and say, “Mom,” just to get the hang of the word.
Every time she did, I melted. My heart broke open all over again, and that night, after she was tucked safely in bed and I had pulled Ryan into our bed, I told him just how much I loved the idea of being a mother.
“You already are,” he said. “You are Paisley’s mom. Don’t ever doubt that.”
I kissed him and sighed, knowing that now was finally our chance to celebrate. We tangled ourselves together and drifted away into the bubble that existed only for us.
Once inside, Ryan stared into my eyes and asked, “What do you think about having more kids?”
I grinned and pulled him to me. Our kiss was electric. Our future was sure to be full of unknown adventures, but I knew nothing would ever tear us apart. Ryan was my future, my always, and I couldn’t wait to start my life with him.
The End
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Copyright © 2018 by Ali Parker & Lexi Timms
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
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Cover Art: Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design
