Chapter Forty-Nine
One month later
We finally unpacked the last box in our move. Between moving Ryan’s photography studio next door to Inkognito, my stuff from Miami, and the few things she wanted to keep from her apartment, it felt like we were drowning in cardboard. After what happened at Jack’s, with Ry shooting Raven, it was more than she could bear. I knew I had to get her out of there as fast as possible. Luckily, Joel found us the perfect place. Ellie has made her appreciation quite clear by calling dibs on the large window in the back room overlooking a wooded area.
I come back in from taking the last cardboard box out to the garage and find Ryan sitting on the couch, an e-reader in her hands. She’s got a goofy grin on her face which means she’s reading a romance and the book boyfriend did something cheesy. I snort as I walk over to her and kneel in front of the couch.
Let’s see if I can out cheese him.
“Kitten,” I pull her attention from the e-reader when my hand grips her thigh.
“Yea?” She grins at me with a sultry smile.
I smirk, loving that she’s always ready for me. “I’ve been thinking about something.” I pause taking in her beauty.
She arches a brow at me in question.
“I’ve been in love with you since I was twenty years old. It may have taken a decade for us to get here, but the moment I saw you again, standing in Mud House, the walls I had around my heart crumbled.” I take her hands in mine, pressing a soft kiss on the back of each one. “There wasn’t a day that passed while I was gone that I didn’t think about you. Especially when someone brought out a damn Hershey’s bar.”
I smirk at her and she giggles, her eyes filling with tears.
“I don’t want to go another day without you being mine.” I dig into my pocket, pulling out the velvet box I’ve had since I went back to pack up my condo in Miami. I open it and hold it out to her, the black gold band with a pear shaped turquoise diamond set in the middle of a floral design. “Marry me, Ry.”
The sharp intake of breath is all I hear before she launches herself at me, her lips crashing hard against mine as we fall back onto the floor. I chuckle into her mouth, gripping her neck, deepening the kiss briefly before pulling back.
“I need an answer, gorgeous.”
“Yes, Tarzan. Absofuckinglutely yes!” She giggles, the tears streaking her cheeks. A smile that consumes me breaks across her face just before her lips find mine again.
Later that evening, we’re surrounded by our family and friends, celebrating our engagement. I had mentioned to Hadley that I was doing this tonight and she insisted that everyone come over for pizza and beer and I couldn’t resist her offer. As close as the girls are, I needed to share this with the friends I have here, the new and lifelong. I’m sitting in the living room with theguys–Connor, Liam, Jack, and Bennett–while the women are all in the back room, I assume looking at things for the wedding. They’re all smiles when they re-appear. Ryan’s eyes are red like she’s been crying again. I raise a brow, but she shakes her head, letting me know she’s ok. I pull her onto my lap when she crosses the distance to the couch, holding her close.
By the time everyone leaves, it’s late. I can tell she’s drained, but something has been on her mind since she came out of the back room earlier.
“Kitten?” I coax her from her thoughts. “Talk to me.”
“I –” her voice cuts off for a moment. “What do you think about a courthouse wedding?”
“Baby, I would marry you in the middle of a fucking McDonald’s if that’s what you wanted.” I smile at her.
“Ok,” she laughs, shaking her head at me.
Ok, maybe not a McDonald’s, but a Chipotle, for sure.
“Good, because I’d like to get married before the baby gets here.” She watches me closely as she says the words.
I blink a few times, processing what she’s said.
“What?” The smile that takes over my face is so big it hurts my cheeks. “You’re? We’re?”
She nods shakily as she hands me a pregnancy test with a very bold “PREGNANT” on the digital display.
I engulf her in a hug, spinning us around. I bury my face in her neck, savoring this moment. When I pull back and set her feet back onto the ground, I realize I have tears falling down my face. Ryan has a wide smirk on her face.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask.
“I may have taken that test a week ago and had bloodwork done to confirm.” She giggles as she wraps her arms around my neck, pressing a soft kiss to my lips.
“Ok? And what did the bloodwork confirm?” I ask, my concern now apparent.
“That I’m six weeks pregnant.” Her smile is intoxicating. She stays quiet, letting my mind work.
I do the math quickly in my mind and realize what she’s trying to tell me.
“It was one of the first times after?” I raise a brow in question, chuckling, already knowing the answer.
She only nods, confirming it. With as safe as we had been up until Raven attacked her, the irony is not lost on me.
We alternate between making love, discussing wedding plans, and deciding which room to turn into the nursery until the sun comes up the next morning. We fall asleep as the morning rays start to break through the curtains, tangled around each other as if we won’t survive if more than an inch of us isn’t touching.