Chapter 24
I woke to the sound of laughter. It was muffled, followed by a shushing sound. I smiled into my pillow, wondering what my girls were up to.
Casey and I were still searching for a house for our soon-to-be family of four, but until we found one, I was mostly living with her and Mikayla.
We took things a little slowly for Mikayla’s sake, but she and I bonded quickly.
Casey and I attended all the showings of the musical, and we spent Thanksgiving together.
I loved the kid like she was my own, while doing everything I could to respect that she had a father.
But damn, I loved her. I didn’t know my heart could be so damn full. Every time I looked at the two of them, I felt like the Grinch and my heart grew three sizes. Love was a crazy thing. It was pretty damn awesome.
The laughter got louder, and I knew my girls were plotting something. I pretended to be asleep until I heard them right next to the bed. I cracked one eye open just enough to see what was going on without letting them know I was awake.
Casey held a tray, and Mikayla crept toward me, hands empty.
I surged at Mikayla, grabbing her and tackling her onto the bed.
She squealed with laughter, cackling when I tickled her. “No fair! You were supposed to be asleep.”
“I warned you we were going to wake him up,” Casey said. She set the tray down, and I seized my chance, grabbing her and pulling her into the fray. “Landon!”
I ignored her protest and tickled her ribs, maybe copping a feel when Mikayla wasn’t looking.
Casey’s eyes went wide in protest, but the smile tilting her lips said she didn’t mind at all.
“We wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed,” Mikayla said when she could breathe again.
“Why do I get all the surprises?” I asked.
“It’s Christmas! Mommy wanted to tell you we love you.”
I hugged them both to my chest and kissed Mikayla’s head, then Casey’s. “I love you both. So much.”
Casey heard the tightness in my voice and sighed against me.
“I don’t need anything special, though. I thought we were going to spend the day together.”
“Yeah, but we’ve been up for a really long time,” Mikayla said.
“Someone isn’t super patient about waiting to open her gifts,” Casey said.
I snickered and winked at Mikayla. “It’s your mom, right?”
Mikayla laughed and nodded. “Yep. She’s always waking me up early.”
I laughed with them, loving what my life had become in the last few months. It was only going to get better.
“How about we carry this breakfast to the other room and let your mom open her presents?”
Mikayla nodded and scrambled off the bed. She raced ahead of us to the living room.
“She’s so excited. And you went a little crazy,” Casey chastised me.
I scoffed. “Not even close. I love her, and I wanted her to have everything. Trust me, I held back.”
Casey laughed. “I love you. But you don’t have to do this all the time.”
“I won’t. Just most of the time.”
She snorted and shook her head. She reached for the tray, but I grabbed it. “I can carry that.”
“I know. I’m not taking over. But as long as I’m here, I want to do things for you.”
“Are you planning on going somewhere?”
“Only if you’re with me.”
She smiled and led the way to the living room. Mikayla had the presents all split up and in front of a seat for each of us. I sat where I was told and put the tray on the coffee table so we could all enjoy breakfast while we opened gifts.
I picked up my coffee and sat back while my girls got started.
Mikayla tore through all her gifts, exclaiming her joy with each thing she opened.
I knew it was important to Casey that Mikayla have more than just things, so when I shopped, I was careful.
Games, art supplies, and experiences were all in there.
Her big gift was tickets to a Broadway play, something Casey argued with me about, but something I was adamant we do together.
Mikayla went crazy when she saw the tickets. “No way. Seriously? How can we do this?” She gawked at her mom.
Casey shook her head and pointed at me. “It was all him. I said it was too much.”
Mikayla jumped up and threw her arms around me. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ve always wanted to see a play on Broadway.”
“I know. After seeing you in the musical, I thought it could be fun. It’s over your mid-winter break in February, so we need to find other things we can do when we’re in New York City.”
“We can do other things?” Mikayla asked.
“Of course. What do you want to do?”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t know. But I’ll find out.”
I laughed, loving her excitement.
“Is it my turn?” Casey asked.
“Yeah, Mom. You need to open your stuff.” Mikayla sat on the floor at Casey’s feet, staring up at her.
“What is with you?” Casey asked.
Mikayla glanced at me, and I did my best to play it off, but Casey was on to us.
“What did you two do?”
“Nothing,” Mikayla said, the word not at all sounding innocent.
Casey shook her head and started in on her collection of gifts. I held back with half the things I wanted to get for her, too, but there was one thing I couldn’t pass up.
The last box Casey picked up, the one intentionally at the bottom of her pile was wrapped in paper different from the others. It was silver and sparkly, as requested by Mikayla, with a garnet ribbon. Casey toyed with the ribbon before she slid it off the box.
I held my breath as she tore into the paper. The box didn’t give anything away, but it was only a few seconds before she opened it.
I set my coffee down before I spilled it on myself with how badly my hands were shaking. It didn’t matter what we’d talked about in the last few weeks, all the plans and ideas and frustrations, it was time to get an answer.
Casey lifted the lid on the box and slid a glance my way. “What is this? A picture frame?”
I didn’t say anything. My throat was tight.
She lifted the tissue paper from the front of the frame and looked down at it, her gaze scanning the words in the fancy script.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “What? Landon?”
“Pick it up, Mom,” Mikayla said.
“Pick it up. Why?” Casey lifted the frame from the box and unknowingly pulled out the ring tied to the back. It swung and hit her hand, giving me a chance to drop to one knee.
“Casey White. I love you. I love everything about you. I love the way you make me laugh, the smile in your eyes when I say something dumb. I love the way you love Mikayla and our unborn baby. I love that you never give up on things that matter and aren’t afraid to quit when you know that’s the right answer.
I want you to know that you will always matter to me.
I will never quit on us. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. If you’ll have me.”
“You know I love you. You didn’t have to get me this ring. It’s all too much.”
I shook my head. “It’ll never be too much, Casey. I love you. I don’t care if I have five dollars or five million dollars, it’s all yours. And so am I.”
“Is this an invitation to our wedding?” She gestured to the frame.
I shrugged.
“You know this is in six days, right?”
“We need twenty-four hours to get a marriage license, and I couldn’t get one without you there. I don’t want to go through another year, or another day, without you as my wife. Everything is already planned, if you’re okay with getting married on New Year’s Eve.”
She stared at the invitation and the ring, and I started to panic.
“We don’t have to do it next week. We can get married next year sometime.
Or not at all if you don’t want to get married.
I wasn’t trying to pressure you into it.
I just thought if it was all planned and done, then it was easier on you, but I didn’t think about you wanting to plan it yourself.
I’ll call it all off. It’s fine.” I swallowed against the pain in my chest and pushed to my feet.
“Landon,” she whispered.
“It’s all good. I promise. I told you we needed to make decisions together, and then I went and forced this on you. I shouldn’t have done that. I’ll let Melody know we need to cancel it.”
“No, you won’t. Because I love you. And I don’t want you to cancel anything.”
“What… Wh… How… I don’t understand. You didn’t say anything.”
She breathed a laugh. “You have a tendency to surprise me. I’m not used to it, and it takes me a few minutes to catch up. That isn’t me saying no, it’s me saying my heart is full and my head is trying to snap all these pieces into place. There are days I still can’t believe you’re here.”
Mikayla hugged me around the waist. “Me, too.”
I hugged Mikayla back and kissed the top of her head. “What are you saying?”
Casey stood and completed our circle, holding both of us. “I’m saying there’s nothing I’d like more than to marry you. As soon as possible.”
“Are you sure? We can redo everything for the wedding. It doesn’t have to be—”
“I know you, Landon. You took care of everything. Every detail. And you probably chose things I didn’t even know I wanted. And you made it possible. That’s… Thank you for taking care of me. Of us.”
“I love you. I will always take care of the two of you. All three of you.”
“Even me?” Mikayla asked.
I rubbed her back. “You’re mine now, too, kid. You can’t get rid of me.”
She hugged me tighter.
I kissed Casey. “Thank you.”
She chuckled, tears dangling from her lashes. “Thank you for loving us.”
“I always will.”
She let me slide the ring on her finger, then read the invitation and asked for all the details. We spent the rest of the day talking about the wedding and planning the rest of our lives.
“I, Landon Boyd, take you, Casey White, to be my lawfully wedded wife. For better and worse. For richer and poorer. In sickness and in health. When you’re under deadline or in labor.
Every moment of every day, no matter how much you want me to leave you alone.
I vow to love, cherish, honor, and adore you all the days of my life, till death do us part. ”
The guests chuckled as Casey’s cheeks turned red. She shook her head.
I winked at her.