Page 162 of Mistaken Impression
She nods her head. “And my brothers?”
“They’re thrilled. Hunter says he and Livia will see us tomorrow, when they come down.”
“And Drew?”
“He’s on his way to Rome.”
“Rome?” she says, as surprised by that news as I was.
“Yeah. It’s an assignment. He’s not happy about it, but he said he’ll come and visit when he gets back.”
She nods her head. “Okay.”
“You look tired.”
“I feel tired.”
I take Henry from her, being careful of his head, and place him in his crib, gazing down into his perfect face before I turn back to Ella. She’s moved down the bed a little, but I perch beside her.
“I’ve been waiting for the right moment to do this… and I can’t think of a better one, even if I don’t have the ring with me.”
Her eyes widen. “Ring?”
“Yes.” I smile at her. “It’s at home, in my bedside table, where it’s been for the last three months or so.”
“What ring are we talking about?”
“The one I hope you’ll allow me to put on your finger.” I take her left hand, caressing her ring finger. “I—I guess a lot of men would have proposed before now. It’s considered the decent thing, when you get your girlfriend pregnant. But I didn’t want you to think I was asking you to marry me just because you were carrying our child. I knew I had to wait until you weren’t pregnant anymore, and now you’re not, I don’t want to wait another second to ask you to be my wife.”
She blinks hard a couple of times, trying not to cry, I think. “Y—You want to marry me?”
“God, yes. I’d have asked before now, but like I say, I didn’t want you to have any doubts about me or my motives.”
“I could never doubt you, Mac.”
“Then say yes.”
She nods her head, a tear falling onto her cheek. I lean in and kiss it away, and she smiles up at me, sighing her happiness. I kiss her lips and she responds, our tongues meeting in a gentle caress, although we both chuckle when Henry starts to cry.
“Is this how it’s gonna be?” I ask, leaning back.
“I hope so,” she says, her eyes never leaving mine as I get up to fetch our son, and I nod my head… because there’s nothing I want more than my family, and our life.
The End
