“And you want to be that man?” Kaitlyn whispered, her voice ringing with disbelief and just the smallest bit of hope.
I brought her hand up to my lips and kissed each individual finger, taking the time to pour as much love and affection as I could into each touch, so she could understand what I was feeling.
Goosebumps broke out across her flesh, and she shuddered as she fought the urge to pull her hand away.
“I know that a lot of relationships fall apart, and I can’t guarantee that ours won’t. That doesn’t mean we won’t try. I’ll fight like hell to make you happy, Kaitlyn because I want to start a family with you.”
“What?” Kaitlyn asked, dazed as she pushed herself off the car, and I caught her in my arms. I wrapped both arms securely around her waist, and her arms fell limply to her side.
Her brown eyes were wide as she took me in. She seemed to be weighing what I was saying against what she knew, and I could see the internal conflict reflected in the depths of her irises.
She wanted to believe me, but she had nothing to compare it to.
Nothing but casual relationships and meaningless flings.
“I want to be there for you when you, we, have this baby. Not just for the baby’s sake, but for ours as well. I don’t want to just be in my child’s life. I want to be in yours. Fully and completely. I want to argue with you about the best way to raise our baby. I want to discuss paint colors and whether or not we’re spending too much time working.”
Kaitlyn threw her head back and laughed. “It’s definitely going to be you. You’re a vet.”
I grinned. “You’re an event planner. My job has steady work hours. Yours doesn’t.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I had no idea you were the expert. I might not have steady work hours, but I can’t get called in if it’s an emergency.”
I rested my forehead against hers. “Do you see? Do you see how easy and natural it would be between us, Kaitlyn? All you have to do is say yes.”
“Say yes to what?” she mouthed, her breath dancing across my face.
I lifted my head up, so I’m staring into her eyes. “Say yes to starting a family with me, to us being together. Let me love you, Kaitlyn, and let me show you what you’ve been missing out on. I want to do that. Marry me, Kaitlyn.”
Kaitlyn rapidly blinked back tears that were sliding down her face. She touched her cheeks in surprise. “Stupid hormones.”
I chuckled. “So, what do you say?”
Kaitlyn paused then nodded slowly.
I whooped as I crushed her against my chest then tilted her face up for a deep kiss. Her mouth relaxed against mine as I kissed her soundly and thoroughly till we were both out of breath.
Suddenly remembering where we were, I pulled back and smiled sheepishly. I realized that I had lifted her up in the process, so I gently put her down.
Kaitlyn touched her lips. “That was one hell of a kiss.”
“There’s more where that came from.” I winked at her.
“Why not get married tonight?” she blurted out.
21
Kaitlyn
I could tell by the loon on Dean’s face that he didn’t expect me to say that.
Frankly, I didn’t anticipate it either.
It was one of those verbal diarrhea moments where my mouth seemed to be way ahead of my brain and didn’t bother to ask for permission.
Again, I blamed the hormones.
Not the best line of defense, but it was true.
Now that it was out there, I mused about how it felt.
Dean looked about as stunned as I felt as he released my hands and took a step back.
Shit.
What have I done?
Maybe I should’ve thought this through.
I was a logical person, damn it. Rushing into things wasn’t what I did. At all.
Yet, instead of feeling panicked and like I wanted to retract what I said, I felt calm and confident. As if my sudden confession wasn’t a spur of the moment thing, but rather something I’d been thinking about for a while.
Truthfully, I was.
“Are you being serious?” Dean searched my face, carefully trying to squelch the hope that threatened to burst within him. His mouth twitched as he struggled to control it.
“Dean, I don’t want to live in fear anymore. I know this is crazy, but yes, I am serious. I’ve known since the minute we locked eyes at that bar, and you were amused by the fact that I patted your cheek to say thank you.”
Dean’s entire face melted into a smile as he laughed. “To be fair, I’ve never actually met a woman who’s done that before. It was endearing even back then.”
“I’ve never done that with a man before,” I admitted. “I’ve spent so much time running away from things I was afraid to want. I convinced myself that the reason I was running wasn’t because I was scared, but because I was being smart and logical.”
“How is that working out for you?” Dean asked, softly as he took a step forward caging me between him, and the car.
“It isn’t.” I shook my head. “Not anymore. I don’t want to half-ass this relationship thing anymore, Dean. I don’t want to outrun it or you anymore.”
“You realize that by doing it tonight, you don’t get a chance to overthink what my offer meant? It means saying yes to cheesy double dates and stupid fights at 2 in the morning because I left the toilet seat up.”
I smiled. “I know what I’m saying yes to Dean. Besides, you live with Charity. I’m sure she’s already on your case about leaving the seat up.”
“She’s training me not to,” he grumbled, good-naturedly. “You have no idea how difficult it is.”
“You don’t have to say yes to tonight, Dean,” I reminded him. “My answer won’t change. We can wait and be proper about this. I won’t change my mind tomorrow.”
Dean rubbed his nose against mine in a gesture that was oddly intimate and sweet.
I never knew that nose kisses could be even better than actual ones. There was something oddly disconcerting about the whole thing. It unnerved me all the way down to the tips of my toes, but I liked it.
“Did you know that Eskimo kisses didn’t develop for the reasons people thought?” he said, quietly as if he was sharing something important. I wrapped my hands around his neck and closed my eyes.
“I thought it was to make sure their mouths didn’t freeze while they were kissing?” I reasoned. “Because of the cold, right?”
“Well, not exactly. You see, they usually had every part of their body covered except for their eyes and nose. I imagine it would’ve been awkward to try to kiss with their eyes,” he shared.
“Yeah, eyeball-kisses just doesn’t have the same ring to it,” I deadpanned as I giggled. “So, the only option they had was their nose.”
“Exactly. The Inuit people developed this type of kissing, so they could express affection towards their loved ones. It’s called a kunik,” he revealed as he demonstrated by pressing his nose to mine and rubbing it back and forth.
My mouth split into a grin as I tentatively did the same, and we were both chuckling like teenagers in high school. A couple of people who were passing by gave us weird looks, but for the first time in my life, I didn’t care if what I was doing was cheesy or cliché.
I was in the moment with Dean.
“Only you would know a random fact like that,” I teased as I kissed the tip of his nose. “Dean?”
“Hmm?” He had his eyes closed, and his voice came out as a hum that sent deep vibrations through me.
“That better not be your way of turning me down. It’s cute and everything, and as far as rejections go, it’s definitely original, but I do need a straight answer.”
Dean’s eyes flew open, and I felt the first pinprick of fear settle into my stomach. It snaked its way around belly, working its way through the rest of me.
Oh, God.
What if Dean only proposed as a heat of the moment thing? What if he was really going to ta
ke it back later when we were both less emotional?
The only reason we were both here was because of the baby, or at least that’s what I used to think. It was easier for me to admit that than to admit that I had feelings for Dean, and that I didn’t want them to tie me down.
“My answer depends on your response to the following question,” he said, seriously as he regarded me in cool contemplation.
“Okay.” My tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of my mouth.
“Do you think that salt and caramel go together on popcorn?” he asked.
“What?” I asked, dumbly.
“Salted caramel popcorn. Do you like it?” He peered at my face, and I swore under my breath as I slapped his arm.
“Jesus, Dean. That’s not funny. You scared the crap out of me,” I scolded as I narrowed my gaze at him.
Dean rubbed his arm. “Who said it was meant to be funny? I’m being serious.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Salted caramel popcorn? That’s your deal breaker?”
He nodded. “Don’t judge me.”
“Yes, I like salted caramel popcorn.”
“Then yes, I will marry you tonight.” He made an exaggerated sweeping hand gesture and bowed deeply as he waggled his eyebrows at me.
I smacked my forehead. “Oh, God. I’m marrying a nerd.”
“Technically, you are wrong. Nerd means that I am more inclined towards academics whereas geek means I am enthusiastic about a topic or a field. You are marrying a geek,” he corrected as he shot me a smile.
I raised an eyebrow. “Technically, you’re a dork, but you’re a cute one. Also, I’m pretty sure the fact that you know the difference between the two makes you more of a nerd than a geek.”
“Why not both? The world is my oyster. Also, they aren’t mutually exclusive,” he added as he held out his hand. I cautiously placed my hand into his, curious as to what he would do next.
He twirled me around unexpectedly then spun me out and back into his arms. I slammed against his chest awkwardly as the breath went out of him.
“Sorry,” I stuttered, apologetically as the butterflies in my stomach began to erupt into a frenzy.
What was happening?
Was I sick?
“No need to apologize,” he beamed. “I’ll teach you how to do that properly.”
“You can dance?”
My mouth fell open in surprise, and he tapped the edge of my chin, so that I snapped it shut.
“My mom made me take dance classes for a while. She was convinced I could be like Fred Astaire.”
“And are you?” I asked, curiously.
There was so much I didn’t know about Dean, and so much that I wanted to know.
“I’m not going to be auditioning for, So You Think You Can Dance or World of Dance anytime soon, but I can hold my own.”
“Dean,” I began. “There’s still a lot we don’t know about each other. Do you think that maybe we’re moving too fast? Getting married and all?”
Dean frowned, his expression diming slightly. “I think as long as we’re both doing what we want right now then it doesn’t matter if other people think it’s impulsive or reckless. Those can turn out to be the best decisions.”
I tucked my hand into the crook of his neck. “Here’s to impulsive decisions then.”
“I’ll toast to that. Now, let’s see if we can find a chapel nearby.” His eyes danced across the street, seeking out a specific destination, but unable to find it.
“Instead of using your laser eyesight to locate a chapel, I could just Google it,” I suggested as I whipped my phone out my back pocket. I kept my other hand tucked into his elbow, happy to feel the warmth and strength that radiated off him.
For his part, Dean didn’t bat an eye and instinctively pulled me closer, pausing every so often to squeeze my arm affectionately or brush his thumb across my hand.
“Google? Yes, I have heard of it.” He pretended to scratch his head thoughtfully. “Isn’t that something that pretends to have all the answers?”
“It usually does,” I insisted. “Come on. How often does it not yield search results?”
Dean cocked his head to the side. “I’ll admit not that often, so how’s it going?”
My thumbs flew across the keyboard as I took my bottom lip between my teeth and began to chew thoughtfully. “I just need to narrow it down according to the nearest location.”
I shivered as a strong gust of wind blew between us. Dean released my hand, and I immediately missed his warmth but then he rushed behind me, opened the car door and pulled out his jacket. He draped it across my shoulders and took my hand in his.
It smelled like him.
Like spices, cologne, and something else I couldn’t put my finger on.
I wanted to bury my nose in it and inhale like an addict.
“You’re a faster typist.” He whistled, and I could see his eyes swing like a pendulum between my fingers, struggling to keep up with my speed.
I blushed. “It’s something you learn early on in the job. The faster you type, the quicker you get results.”
“That’s cool,” he commented as he bent his head down next to me, so he could see. I was momentarily distracted by the proximity as my fingers froze.
“There’s one right there.” He jabbed his thumb at the screen, maximizing the location in question. “It’s in the next town, but that’s not too far. It’s like a forty-five-minute drive, and it says the chapel is open 24 hours.”
My nerves began to kick in as I put my phone away. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Dean took my hands in his and placed a sweet kiss atop them. “Remember what I said about being afraid?”
I gave him a small smile. “Yes, I remember.”
“Good, and you can’t blame this on hormones. You asked me to marry you tonight. Remember that.”
I pinched his arm hard, so that he yelped.
“That’s not the story we’re going to tell,” I hissed, playfully as he opened the car door for me then ran around to his side.
“Ouch, woman. You sure can pinch,” he grumbled as he rubbed his arm. “So, we have a story now, eh?”
“Of course, we do.” I ignored the bait. “You were overcome with emotion after the scare we had, so you proposed, and after you kept begging me, I finally said yes.”
“After I kept begging you?” His eyebrows climbed to his hairline. “You’re the one who wanted to get married tonight. You can’t wait to have me all to yourself.”
I scoffed. “Please, you are the one who can’t wait to have me all to yourself. You’ve been dreaming of this since the moment we met.”
“Dreaming of what?” He played dumb as he switched on the car and began to drive according to the GPS.
“Making me yours forever and ever.” I sighed dramatically as I clasped my hands together and batted my eyes. “Just admit it.”
Dean began to scratch the back of his neck. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You practically threw yourself at me.”
“You didn’t exactly say no,” I pointed out, smugly. “Or do I need to replay the evening for you?”
Dean chuckled as he swerved. “No, I remember it quite vividly. You were and still are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“Aww,” I teased. “You’re whipped.”
I snickered as I got a look at his face.
“If I am then so are you because you are also the most infuriating woman I’ve ever met,” he retorted.
“You are the most exasperating man I’ve ever met,” I shot back as I placed my arm around his neck and began to massage his shoulders.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice husky.
“You seem a little tense. Thought I’d give you a shoulder rub.”
He dragged his gaze away from the road and shot me a perplexed look as he relaxed into my touch and sighed.
“Mmm, that feels good.”
“Head out of the gutter, please,” I chirped. “Y
ou are driving after all.”
“Hey, don’t go putting thoughts in my head that aren’t there,” he said as his rolled to the back of his head when I reached a particularly lumpy spot.
He shuddered as a slight moan escaped his lips.
I started laughing. “For heaven’s sake, stop making sex noises.”
“I am not making sex noises,” he protested, half heartily as his eyes glazed over.
“Yes, you are. You’re moaning and all.”
Dean flipped on the turning signal, pulled over on an abandoned dirt road and turned to face me with a heated look.
“What are you—”
Before I could finish the sentence, Dean pressed his lips firmly to mine, climbing over the seat, so that he was on top of me. He held himself up as one hand flew to the back of my neck, and the other roamed all over me, leaving a trail of heat in its wake.
I arched my back as a guttural noise escaped my lips, and my hands flew down to his ass and squeezed.
“Dean, we’re going to get arrested,” I mumbled against his lips. He tore his lips away and buried his head in my neck, his hands continuing their exploration.
“I don’t care,” he murmured as he cupped my breasts over the thin fabric of my shirt. I gasped as I leaned into him and wrapped my legs around the lower half of his body.
He reached between us and flicked a switch, so that the chair went flying backwards.
“I don’t think I want to spend my wedding night in jail,” I said, my throat sounding husky as I tried to focus in spite of the fog surrounding my brain.
We could have a little bit of fun, right?
There was no harm in that.
Dean propped himself up on his elbows as he looked at me. “Are you sure you want to get married like this? I can wait for the big wedding if that’s what you want.”
I smiled. “No, I don’t want a big wedding. I know my parents are going to be pissed, and they probably won’t talk to me for a while, but I’m not Tenley. Big weddings were never my thing.”
A Baby for the Vet (Boys of Rockford Series Book 4) Page 15
