Chapter 30
Cade
“Mom, I want this one,”Lana Rose stated, as she gently picked up the largest of the litter that tripped over his oversized paws and onto her socked feet.
The puppies were a little over three weeks old now, and Dr. Feinstein had been off by one on his ultrasound. Aspen and I had ended up with eight pups.
“I thought you wanted the smallest one, not two minutes ago,” Brycen stated from his perch against the living room wall, taking a swig of his beer.
“Yeah, but look at this little guy!” She pushed her face into his and he began to suck the tip of her nose, eliciting a giggle from the girl. “He’s soooo cute!”
Aspen was on the floor with the child, surrounded by Renegade and Molly, ensuring their pups didn’t get into trouble.
“The best way to pick your dog is to spend the same amount of time with all of them. They need to smell you, feel you, Lana Rose,” Aspen explained. “Then, when you least expect it, your furry best friend will come to you. Probably not today, because they’re really not ready to leave their mother yet, but you can keep coming over to visit, and eventually, one of them will stick out.” My woman cuddled the runt to her cheek, her eyes closed with an expression of bliss on her face. “The best dog is one that chooses you and not the other way around. That’s what makes the best and strongest bond between a person and their pet.”
Lana Rose looked to me. “Is that true?”
I leaned forward from the footstool I was currently sitting on, kissing the side of Aspen’s head. “It’s how it worked for Renegade and me, right, boy?”
Renegade responded with an affirmative snort, his head bobbing up as though he was nodding.
“Cool!” Lana Rose said, then placed the pup back down, picking up the next closest to her.
For the next hour, we talked about nothing much and watched Shane’s daughter amuse herself by bonding with the puppies. My eyes, however, had been fused to the woman currently sitting on the floor; her back leaned against my thigh as she held a sleeping Lucas.
Aspen must have felt my eyes on her because she turned her head and looked up, a peaceful smile on her face.
“Uh, oh,” Rex started.
“What?” I barked playfully.
“That look,” Brycen filled in.
“What look?” I asked dumbly.
“The one like if you had it your way, I’d already be barefoot and pregnant,” Aspen supplied, much to everyone’s shocked gasps.
I laughed. “Sweetheart, I’ve been telling you once a day since you’ve been back from the hospital, I’m going to marry you. Is it that much of a stretch that seeing you with Lucas wouldn’t make me want to make sure we have one of our own too?”
She grinned. “Not at all, but let’s deal with those eight furballs first and recuperating from the latest bout of sleepless nights. Then you’ll need to pop the question, followed by us getting married first,” she taunted.
Smirking, my eyes never leaving her, I called out to Dalton. “Get your kid. There’s something I need to show Miss Sassy Pants here before we head outside to grill dinner.
She readily handed the baby over to my friend and boss, then grabbed my outstretched hand so I could help her up to her feet.
“Before all of that though, I believe I owe you an office,” I announced.
Her eyes twinkled with delight. “It’s ready?”
“Been ready for an entire week now, but I wanted to wait until today so everyone could check out where my woman will be hard at work writing her future best sellers.”
Aspen
When we got upstairs, Cade took the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door.
“Close your eyes, sweetheart,” he requested, then gently brushed my lips with his before taking hold of my hands. “Good girl.”
I couldn’t help the shiver of anticipation from the sexual undertone his praising comment had over me.
“Cade, this is completely unnecessary,” I told him, nerves actually getting the better of me.
“Let me lead you,” he whispered in my ear, then let go of my hands to move himself behind me, guiding me by my hips.
I could smell fresh paint, wood, cinnamon and apple. I felt what must have been an area rug of sorts under my feet, as the entire house was covered in hardwood.
Cade let go of my hips, then from much farther than I thought he’d be behind me, he said, “Open your eyes.”
My jaw hit the floor at what I saw.
White shelves, so many—much more than I ever had at the cottage—lined the entire wall to my left. My collection of books, along with my own works had been placed in what looked like the order I preferred keeping them in, but they were also artfully organized and spaced out so that the occasional pottery, photo frame, or knickknack could personalize things.
Where the shelves met the far wall, a beautiful light sandy beige cuddle chair sat by the first large window, with an abundance of throw pillows in various tones of blue and aqua, and a throw in the matching hues was strewn over the armrest.
To the right of that was a small side table with a new coffee mug and a box of my favorite tea brand next to it. I shook my head at this large collection of personal touches that Cade had put into this room so far, and I hadn’t even finished taking it all in yet.
As my eyes moved farther to the right, toward the second large window, I found a massive custom-built desk with all sorts of accoutrements an author could dream of, including a docking station for my laptop and a larger-than-life computer monitor. The office chair matched the accent pillows, and when I turned to face the remaining wall—the one that hosted the entrance to the room—my eyes welled up with tears.
Multiple quotes—far too many for me to count, and all from my own works—were displayed as a word collage of sorts, above another half-wall set of bookshelves, but it’s what I saw displayed in the only frame sitting on the top ledge of those shelves that confirmed everything I’d been feeling with Cade had been real.
Walking up to the frame, the tips of my fingers skimmed the image behind the glass.
“These are my parents,” I whispered. “Where’d you get this?”
“Had some help tracing down some of these items, but you forget I work for a security company, and we have two very gifted computer geniuses as friends,” Cade stated.
Turning to finally face the man who’d done so much more for me than I could have ever asked for, I was nearly bowled over by the sight before me.
Door shut, us enclosed in this little piece of heaven he’d created for me, I found Cade on bended knee.
“Oh fuck!” My hands came up and started to fan my face in an effort to cool the burn of tears threatening to break their banks.
“Aspen River Ridge?—”
My eyes went wide. “You know my whole name?”
“Just to start,” he said on a smile, his eyes shining with so many emotions. “Do you want to know what else I know?”
I couldn’t speak, so I simply nodded, losing the battle to hold on to my tears.
“I know that since you’ve nursed me back to health, I’ve thought of no one else but you. I know I’m happy wherever you are. I know I’m a better man because you don’t hesitate to challenge me, you put me in my place, and you call me out on my bullshit. You make me smile, laugh, and fuck, but you know just what to do to turn me inside out, boiling with anger one minute, then hotter than lava to get you naked the next. My world is right only if you’re in it. I know I want it all with you: the house, the dogs, the friends, and the kids. Most of all, I know I love you. I will love only you. You’re it for me, sweetheart. Marry me. Marry me today, tomorrow, ten years from now. I can’t be in this world without you as my wife.”
“Holy shit!”
Cade’s brows crinkled. “Is that a yes?”
I was a complete mess. Between tears running down my face, my mind reeling with his surprise, then his words…I ended up with the most ridiculous reaction.
I broke down into a fit of giggles before my heart finally kicked my ass in gear and I launched myself at my man who caught me, falling on his back to cushion my fall. My beautiful Caden Summers.
“Fuck yes!” I shrieked. “Yes!”
Next thing I knew, I heard cheering from outside the room’s door. Grabbing my man’s face, I stared into his eyes, smiling as he swiped the remnants of my tears away with the pads of his thumbs.
“Kiss me,” I demanded.
He leaned up and gave me a quick peck. “Can I get my ring on your finger now?”
My mouth formed an ‘O.’ “Crap. Yes, of course.” I sat up over his thighs to give him room to do an ab curl and sit up.
Showing me the tiny box in the palm of his hand, he pulled it open with his other, and I damn well nearly swallowed my tongue. The band was yellow gold, perfect diamonds inlayed in the band with a beautiful oval cut diamond solitaire at its center.
Cade grabbed my left hand, then lifted it to his mouth, kissing my knuckles. Next thing I knew, he was sliding the elegant piece of jewelry onto my wedding ring finger.
“It’s beautiful,” I choked out.
“Perfect,” he added, before he slammed his mouth on mine to give me the real kiss I had asked for.
“We gonna get to grillin’ those steaks any time soon?” Brycen cut into the moment.
“We want to see the ring!” Lana Rose shouted.
Cade began to laugh through our kiss and I couldn’t help but join him, offering him a small peck before we pulled apart, grinning at each other like a couple of maniacs.
This was our life.
Awkward.
Crazy.
Funny as all hell.
And filled with interruptions.
But it all went a long way to make it worthwhile, that much sweeter—fulfilling. And I couldn’t wait to see what this adventure brought us next.
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