Page 112 of The Plus One Professional
We both stared at each other for a moment before her eyes sparkled as her lips curled in a grin. “You missed me?”
I nodded. “So much.”
Her cheeks flushed, and her smile widened. “I missed you, too.”
That was my in. That was the crack in the door, and I needed to kick it down. There was so much I needed to tell her, but I didn’t know where to start. A good rule of thumb is usually at the beginning, but I decided toMementoit instead and start at the end.
“I’m not going to moonlight anymore as a plus one.”
“You’re not?” She looked surprised by my statement.
“No. I was only doing it to help my sister with bills, medications and the kids. But Sara got a grant from Fostering the Future that is going to take care of all that. I just found out about it today.”
“Fostering the Future—isn’t that Sadie’s husband, Alex Vaughn’s charity?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“That’s amazing.”
“It is.” I took a breath. “I know you think I’m too young?—”
“No, I don’t. I mean, yes, you’re young, but I don’t care about that anymore.”
“You don’t?”
“No.”
I knew that wasn’t the only obstacle that we had. And as much as I wanted so badly to close the distance between us and kiss her, I knew before I touched her, that we needed to get everything out in the open.
“I love you, Bailey.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but I stopped her.
“Can I just say what I need to say before you say anything?”
She nodded.
“I love you,” I repeated. “I think I might have fallen in love with you the first time I saw you. But, after spending the weekend at the vineyard with you, I know you are the one for me. You’re it. If I had a ring and I thought there was even the slightest chance you’d say yes, I’d be on my knee right now. I wanted to tell you how I felt the morning we had our talk. But I held back because I was sleeping on my sister’s couch and working as a plus one so we could afford the medications that insurance doesn’t cover. The money she got is going to help with that. Hopefully, I won’t be sleeping on a couch for long. But you need to know that the kids and my sister will always be a priority to me. I’m not just their uncle or brother. I’m responsible for them, and I’m grateful I can be. Sara adopted me when I was twelve; if she hadn’t, I don’t know what my teen years would have been like in the system. If this money hadn’t come through, or if it went away, I would still doeverythingin my power to take care of them. You have to know that nothing will ever change that. But if you let me, you will be just as much a priority to me. I know you don’t think I’m the right man for you, but I think I am. If you let me, I will do everything in my power to take care of you, protect you, and love you.”
My pulse raced wildly, and nerves were swarming in my stomach like bees around a hive as I stared at her, waiting for her response. I knew it was a lot to take in. She might need time to process the things I’d just told her. So I waited.
After a few moments, she asked, “Can I speak now?”
“Oh, yeah,” I chuckled. “Sorry, yes. Please.”
Before she said a single word, her eyes began to water, and I braced myself, for the second time today, for devastating news.
A single tear slid down her face as she took a deep breath. “I know you think that your commitment to and love for your family is baggage that you come with; that anyone you are with would have to accept. But it’s not.Lifeis the baggage. Illness, bills, cheerleading, MRIs, tiny apartments, sleeping on couches—that is the baggage. You selflessly showing up every day, caring for, protecting, and providing for your family, just shows me how capable a man you are to carry that baggage. The way you love your family shows me that you are the right man for me. Any woman would be lucky to have you love them. I love you, Cole. And being with you would mean that there is no ‘your baggage’ or ‘my baggage’ anymore. It’s ours. I would be so honored to be the person by your side, carrying our baggage together.”
I wasn’t a crier. I never had been. But hearing Bailey say that not only was my sister and the kids not an issue, they were actually what made her know that I was the right man for her, cracked something open inside of me. Tears started falling down my face.
Not able to hold back any longer, I cupped her jaw and claimed her mouth in a soul-binding kiss. Her hands ran up and down my back as she melted against me. She broke the kiss and stared up at me. “And if you ever do get a ring and ask that question, the answer would be yes.”
My heart slammed into my chest. “Seriously?”
She nodded, and my heart exploded with happiness.
“Are you saying that because you want to marry me, or is it because you’ve always wanted to be a kick-ass aunt?” I teased.
