Epilogue
DEVON
“Tell me the story about how you asked Mommy to marry you after you saved her life,” our six-year-old begged as she stared up at me with pale green eyes that were a perfect match for her mom’s.
Whenever Nina was acting up, my gorgeous wife loved to remind me that our daughter got her stubbornness from me.
And that I’d been the one who’d knocked her up before I’d proposed because of how much I hated the idea of having anything between us.
Not that we’d known she was pregnant at the time.
That was a happy surprise that pushed our wedding up when we discovered it two weeks later.
Her sister pulled together a small ceremony and reception in Portland for fifty of our closest family and friends in less than a month.
Then my bride and I flew to Hawaii for our honeymoon, where we spent two weeks at a rental house on the beach.
Nina wasn’t much of a sleeper. She hadn’t slept through the night until she was nine months old.
Then she’d fought naptime when she was a toddler.
And once she’d outgrown that stage, she started to use every excuse in the book to stay up past her bedtime.
But even with all of her grumbling, putting her to bed at night was one of my favorite things.
“You know the rule—only one book before bedtime.”
She widened her eyes and blinked up at me. “But I’m not asking for another book, Daddy. Just a story.”
“Always looking for the loophole so you can bend the rules your way.” I tapped the tip of her nose and smiled.
She grinned back at me. “Did it work?”
I nodded before setting the book I’d just read to her on the bedside table. “Sure, I’ll tell you the story about how I proposed to your mommy.”
She cuddled closer and did a little fist pump that made me laugh. “Okay, I’m ready now.”
“The day after I knew Mommy was safe from the man who wanted to steal her from me, I went to the best jewelry store in town and bought her the perfect ring.” I paused since this was one of the spots where she always interrupted me.
“The really pretty one with the big diamond?” she asked as she rubbed her cheek against my arm.
I nodded again. “Yup, the only time she’s ever taken it off was when you were born.”
“Uh-huh, because of rules,” she sighed, shaking her head.
“Yes, those pesky rules that all of us are supposed to follow. Even you.”
“Yup,” she echoed my earlier answer, letting the P at the end pop.
“And then after I had her ring”—I fought a smile when she yawned—“I made dinner reservations at her favorite restaurant.”
“With the whole place just for you two.”
“Right again, sweet pea. The chef made all of her favorite dishes, and there was a big bouquet of peonies on the table.” Caught up in the memories of one of the best nights of my life, I could almost taste the food on my lips.
“’Cause those are Mommy’s favorite, too.”
Nina had heard this story so many times, she knew it as well as I did. “Yes, Auntie Ana helped me out by telling me all of Mommy’s favorites.”
“Auntie Ana is so awesome,” she sighed before yawning again.
“She sure is,” I agreed. “She helped me make the night so special for your mommy.”
“And Mommy cried when you asked her. Right, Daddy?”
“Before I could even say anything.” I laughed softly as I remembered how Mel had gasped when I’d gotten out of my chair and dropped to my knee in front of her.
By the time I had pulled the jewelry box from my pocket, tears were streaming down her cheeks.
The romantic proposal and pregnancy hormones had been too powerful of a combination for her.
“But she said yes when I asked, and that’s all that mattered to me. ”
“Then you got married and lived happily ever after,” she murmured as her eyes drifted shut.
I waited five minutes to make sure she was sleeping soundly before I slid off the mattress.
Gently shutting the door behind me, I made my way down the hallway to the master bedroom on the other side of the house that we’d bought after we came back from our honeymoon.
Mel was curled up in the middle of the Eastern king-sized bed that was more than wide enough for Nina to climb in with us whenever she had a bad dream.
My wife smiled sleepily at me and patted the mattress to her right. “She wanted the engagement story again?”
“Yeah.” I chuckled and shook my head as I stripped off my shirt before climbing in next to her. “She was overdue since it’s been at least a week since she begged me to tell it.”
Mel let out a contented sigh when I pulled her into my arms. “I guess you were right about the whole grand gesture thing.”
I cupped my palm over her rounded belly. “And in less than a month, we’ll have another daughter to share the story with.”