Keeping this from her had been a major pain in his ass.
And one of his greatest accomplishments.
Setting her hands on her hips, she chewed lightly on her lower lip, eyes squinted as if trying to imagine what could be. “Okay. I’m thinking something two stories, definitely, to take advantage of the view. Tons of windows, too. Big. Stately, but not fussy. A place for a family.”
“Yeah,” he managed gruffly, picturing it already. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
“But there’s no sense getting our hopes up or getting too far with plans before we make sure we get the property.”
He swallowed. Christ, his stomach was in knots. “I already bought it.”
“Without my input?”
And the last thing he wanted was for her to think he’d gone behind her back and made a decision for their business on his own.
“I bought it,” he said, stepping closer to her. “Not J&K.”
“I don’t understan—”
He dropped to one knee.
Her eyes widened and she brought one hand up to cover her mouth, her fingers trembling. “Oh, my god.”
“I love you, Willow Marie Kincaid,” he said, his own hand unsteady as he dug into his front pocket. “I want to build a house here, together. I want to make a home with you. Something new. Something that was never yours or mine. Something that will be ours. A couple months ago I promised if you gave me another chance, I’d choose you every day. Now I’m asking you to choose me.” Taking a deep breath, keeping his eyes locked on her face, he opened the ring box. “Will you marry me?”
“Urban,” she whispered, eyes glistening with tears as she took in the emerald cut diamond. “Your mother’s ring.”
Verity was keeping their mother’s wedding band, but she and their brothers had insisted Urban take her engagement ring.
“If you don’t like it, I can get you something else,” he told Willow. “Whatever you want.”
“No! God, no. I love it.” And she dropped to her knees with him, took his hands in hers, those tears flowing freely. “I love you, too. So much. And I want nothing more than to marry you and build a home with you here.”
Humbled and grateful, he pressed his forehead against hers, his throat thick with emotion. Sometimes life took. It’d taken his parents and, once upon a time, his plans and dreams.
But it’d also given him so much. A family who loved him and was always there for him. A sister who was more like a daughter.
New plans. Better dreams.
A second chance.
“I love you,” Willow said again with a sniff. “And as happy as I am to kneel here like this, do you think maybe I could put the ring on now? I want this to be official and I really, really want to kiss you as your future wife.”
Loving the sound of that, he straightened. His hand shook as he took the ring out of the box.
Hers was rock steady as he slipped the ring onto her finger.
Then he kissed her. His future wife. His business partner.
His best friend.
