Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
HARPER
“ D id I tell you that I have to get my dress taken out for Beck and Skyla’s wedding?
” Blake and I are hiking on the same trail we hiked all those months ago when I first moved back to town.
It’s one of our favorites because the views are amazing and it’s not too far from our house.
“My stomach decided to basically pop out overnight, and there’s no way I’ll fit into that dress next month. ”
I can’t believe that the wedding is only a month away. The summer is flying by, and I’m only a few weeks from being halfway through this pregnancy.
“I’m sure that Polly can help you out at her shop,” Blake says, moving a tree branch out of my way.
“I have an appointment with her in a couple of days.”
We’re moving at a fast clip, which has me breathing hard, and Blake has hardly even broken a sweat.
“Oh, guess what? ”
Blake grins down at me and brushes his hand down my back. “What, baby?”
“Amy’s retiring.” I stick my lip out in a pout. “I don’t want her to go. She’s so freaking good at her job, but her daughter is having a baby in Texas, and she’s going to move down there to be near them.”
One of the things I love most about our days out hiking is all of the talking we do. I swear, I still have diarrhea of the mouth around this man. My brain just never stops.
“Good for her,” Blake says. “I have news, too.”
“Tell me.”
A trail runner comes down toward us, and Blake and I move out of the way so he doesn’t have to slow down. When we’re back on our way up, my man takes my hand and threads our fingers together.
“The hospital has hired another ER doctor. I’ll still be working in the clinic four days a week, likely about forty hours, but now I’ll only be in the ER for one shift a week.”
I stop and frown up at him, not wanting to get too excited until I ask some questions.
Because this is exactly what I want.
But does he?
“Blake—”
“This is what I want, baby.” He tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “I need to cut back on my hours so I have more time with you and the bean. Yes, my job is important, but it’ll never be more important than my family. ”
His hand covers my baby bump, and he smiles softly.
I’m taking six months off after I have the baby, and then I’m slowly easing back into work. I know that I’m lucky to be able to spend so much time with the baby.
“As long as you’re sure, and you won’t resent us because you work less.”
“How could I ever resent the best part of my life?” He shakes his head and kisses my forehead, and then we’re off once more. “My schedule changes before the end of the month.”
“So we get about five months together before she’s born.” I grin up at him and realize what I just said and feel my eyes widen. “You know what I mean.”
“Harper.”
“It could be a boy,” I insist as we climb over the last ridge that opens up to an amazing view of the mountains and a small lake.
“Harper.”
I stop and face him, my hands on my hips, and feel like such a jerk.
“What happened to it being a surprise?”
I bite my lip as guilt settles heavily over my shoulders.
“Hey.” Blake tips my face up, but instead of anger or annoyance, he grins at me. “Talk to me.”
“Blake, I’m not good at surprises. It sounded good when I was first pregnant, but it’s taking forever , and we need to decorate the nursery. I didn’t mean to find out without you. At my last appointment, it was noted in my chart, and I saw it. Don’t be mad.”
“Look at my face.” He steps closer and traces my lips with his fingertip. “Do I look mad, baby? Haven’t you figured out by now that it would take a lot to make me truly pissed at you?”
“So can I tell you?”
He laughs and kisses my nose. “I think you already did.”
“We’re having a girl.” The giddiness bubbles up within me, and I bounce on the balls of my feet. “A little baby girl. And I think she’s going to be spicy.”
“Of course, she is.” He kisses me so softly, so gently, that it makes my knees weak. “Let’s take a selfie.”
Just like the first time.
I smile and open my phone. Blake shifts us so the mountains and lake are in the background, and we smile at the lens. He takes a few, then kisses my temple and takes another.
“One more,” he says. I look up at him, and he kisses my lips, snapping that moment as well.
And then, when I shove my phone back in my pocket, I turn to find my sexy man down on one knee, with a gorgeous ring clutched in his fingers.
“I love you so much, Harper. I can’t believe I endured the bare minimum for so long when you existed the entire time. You’ve shown me what it means to truly be in love, be best friends with the one person you can’t wait to see at the end of the day, and be with the one you trust above all else.”
Tears flow freely down my cheeks as I listen to every single beautiful word flowing out of his lips.
I don’t want to forget anything.
“I love the life we’re building together. No one gets me like you do. You set me on fire, and you soothe me all at the same time.”
God , at this rate, I’ll never stop crying.
“You’re everything good in this life, and I’d love nothing more than for you to be my wife. The mother of my children. I will do everything in my power, every single day, to make sure you never forget how much I fucking worship you.”
I squat in front of him, and my hands cover his. “I love you, and I feel so lucky that I found you. Of course , I’ll marry you.”
He wraps his arms around me, and we rise to our feet as his lips cover mine, kissing me almost desperately.
And then, he slips the ring on my finger, and more tears come.
“It was my grandmother’s,” he says, looking down at my hand. “Until I found you, she was my favorite person. She and my grandpa were married for sixty years, so I think this ring has good luck. But if you want something new, we can get you whatever you want.”
I have to swallow three times before I can manage to talk.
“I don’t have family heirlooms,” I say, the words barely above a whisper. “So the fact that you are giving this to me is really fucking big, babe.”
“She’d love you.” He kisses my temple and rubs his big hand up and down my back. “And I like to think she’s already held our baby. ”
And now, I’m a blubbering mess.
“What was her name?” I ask him as I look up and see a tear in the corner of his eye.
“Isabelle.”
I nod and feel the baby kick next to my belly button, so I yank Blake’s hand against my abdomen. “Wait for it.”
I nudge the other side, and Blake’s eyes go round in awe as they hold mine.
“Do you feel that?”
“It’s a little flutter.” His voice is rough and low, and I cover his hand with my own, just as the baby kicks again. “Christ, we’re having a baby.”
I grin up at him. “I think her name is Isabelle. We’ll call her Belle, keeping with the B tradition. Is that okay with you?”
His smile could light up the night sky. “Yeah, baby. Yeah, that’s more than okay with me. Now, what kind of wedding do you want?”
“Small. Just our families and closest friends.”
“Shit, that’s not small, sugar.”
I chuckle with him as he rests his forehead against mine.
“I guess it’s not. Can we wait to do it until after the baby comes, so I can wear a pretty dress that isn’t a tent, and Belle can be there, too?”
“Baby, you can have whatever you want. Always. But maybe we take care of the legalities before she’s born.”
I cup his cheek, loving him so much. “Justice of the peace, you and me, before she’s born, and a celebration after.”
“It’s going to be a great life, Harper.”
“It already is.”