Whatever it was clearly bothered him. She mimicked his gesture, crossed her arms and fluffed her hair behind her back. “Okay, I’m listening.”
Again, the tension returned to his shoulders. He seemed on edge, but he leaned forward and put his hands between his knees and gently punched his other hand like he did in meetings. “You’re also sweet and sympathetic and beautiful, Natalie Parker.”
She scooted closer and let their knees touch. “Well that’s good to hear.”
He tensed. “I started talking to my mother because I don’t want us to turn into my parents.”
Her eyes narrowed. Again this conversation made no sense and she reminded him, “We won’t. We talked about that-”
He interrupted and patted her knee. “I know we did, but my heart wasn’t listening.”
His heart? This was going down the wrong path. She could wait on love. She wasn’t going to pressure him. She needed to find the right words and coughed to stall. “Galen, I need to know you listen to me-”
“I said that wrong.” Again, he interrupted.
Strange. She really needed to understand. She stilled her thoughts and body. “Okay, tell me what’s going on with you.”
He pressed a little harder on her knee. “I can’t lose you, ever. I’ll be lost without you in my life.”
Well that was good. She released the tension building in her back and nodded. “I feel the same. I love you and that’s not changing. You’re my hero.”
“Pfft.” He waved off her last comment and dropped his hand from her knee. “You saved yourself. I’m not your hero.”
Natalie leaned forward, took his large hands and pressed them together under her smaller ones. “No one has come anywhere near me or my parents, except the one time and you were five feet from me and got shot—you could have died. I only kicked so hard because I had so much to live for. You are my hero, Galen Morgan.” She probed his face to see that he heard her. He didn’t say anything, so she continued. “But I have a question though.”
He looked up at her and asked, “What’s your question Natalie?”
Her heart stilled as she let her hands feel that spark between them. She needed his answer, but her face lowered, “I have said all along that I’m not pregnant and I’m probably not. But-”
“If you are having my brother’s baby we’ll raise him or her together.”
Perfect.He understood her without questioning. She lifted her chin. “See, you read my mind. Of course, if I am pregnant, you’d probably be the father. We’ve been very active this month.”
They both knew they played it safe every time, but still, he chuckled. “Even more reason to get married today. I’d love a family with you.”
This time the buzz in her skin had her narrowing her eyes. “Wait—did you just use the wordlovein a sentence about me?”
His chuckle grew into a full out laugh, but once he slowed down and regained his composure he said, “Natalie, don’t make me laugh. I’m trying to be serious. And I haven’t said what I need to say.”
A lightness entered her spirit. Good news always made her excited. She sat up and showed her ear to him. “Was I skipping ahead? Go ahead. I’m listening.”
He squeezed her hand, took a deep breath and held her gaze. “Natalie Parker, if love means that I can’t live without you and that you’re my first thought in the morning and the last thought before I drift off to sleep and that I consider myself the luckiest man in the world that you’re going to be my wife, then I’m very much in love with you.”
Love for him crashed through her and she threw her arms around him and kissed his forehead, cheeks, chin, and lips.
He tugged on her waist and settled on a kiss, gently nudging her lips to his and tasting her. She settled into his embrace with her whole heart. The rest of the world didn’t matter.
Once he let her go her lips tingled for far more, but she straightened her shirt and buttoned his top button that had come loose in her exuberance. “Good, because we have to pick a flavor for our wedding cake.”
Another laugh escaped his mouth. “That’s all you have to say?”
She dropped her hands to her side and heard his family and her friends outside the door. She tugged on his arm. “And we have to pick the dinner menu.”
“Anything else?” He didn’t move at all.
She stood on her tiptoes, pulled his shirt toward her and pressed herself closer. He didn’t wince though she remembered too late that his shoulder must still hurt. She saw the flash in his gaze, but now she was in his arms and refused to move as she swayed. “I told you already that I love you too.”
He wrapped his arms around her hips and claimed her lips as her own. Everything was perfect. Nothing in the world could destroy her happiness now.
