Chapter Twenty-One #4
“This is so exciting, isn’t it, Mom?” Kash asked from the back seat.
“It is, indeed,” she said.
Linc had a huge smile on his face as he drove. And without looking away from the road in front of him, held out his hand to Harper. She went to grab it . . . then saw something on his finger. Looking closer, she saw it was a ring.
An engagement ring, to be exact.
She gasped.
“Since we don’t need to be a distraction now, I didn’t want to wait any longer to see this on your finger.”
Kash leaned forward so he could see the ring too. “Cool! I like how it sparkles. You said yes, Mom, right?”
“Of course I did,” she said almost absently, not able to take her gaze from the ring. It certainly did sparkle. It was at least a carat. Maybe two. And it was flanked by two princess-cut diamonds on either side. It was absolutely beautiful . . . and Harper wanted to cry.
“Go on, Mom. Put it on!” Kash encouraged.
“Is your mom literally getting engaged right now?” Chuck asked.
“I want to see!” Brad grumbled from the third-row seat.
As if in a trance, Harper took the ring off Linc’s finger and slid it down her own. It fit perfectly. She held her hand out and admired the way it sparkled in the sunlight.
“Oooh, it looks good!” Kash exclaimed.
“Pretty,” Chuck agreed.
“Sa-weet!” Brad chimed in enthusiastically.
Then the three boys immediately lost interest and began talking about how, if they had a million-dollar budget, they’d use diamonds to power their robots.
“I love you, Harp.”
“Love you too.” Then she grabbed hold of his hand and held on tight as he drove to the hospital, so they could all meet the newest member of the Young family. The ring on her finger felt strange, but it was a tangible reminder of Linc’s love, which made her heart even fuller than it already was.
Life with this family would never be dull, that was for sure.
Suddenly, something she’d overheard earlier in the day popped into her head. “What about Knox?”
“What about him?” Linc asked.
“He’s the only one left. Do you think he’s upset about that?”
“Not in the least. He’s always said he’s never getting married. That he likes being single.”
“I heard him tell your mom that earlier tonight, but does he really mean it? He was so excited about Carleigh being born.”
Linc shrugged. “Don’t know. Out of all my brothers, Knox keeps to himself the most. Don’t get me wrong, he’s always there when we need him, and he’s done his part in helping around Lobster Cove. It’s just that he’s always kept his private life . . . private. Moving home hasn’t changed that.”
“Well, I don’t like it. I want him to find someone. To be as happy as we are.”
“Some people don’t need partners to be happy,” Linc said diplomatically.
“I never knew how happy I could be until I found you,” Harper said with a shrug.
Linc looked over at her and nodded. “Yeah, me too.”
“Well, I’ll keep my eye out for the perfect woman for him. He needs someone special. To break through those shields of his.”
“I agree. But I’m not sure setting him up on blind dates is a good idea.”
“Maybe, maybe not. But I’m going to at least keep an open mind.”
Linc simply smiled. “You think you’ll be able to sleep tonight?” he asked. “After all the excitement?”
“As long as you’re there, yes,” she said firmly, believing what she was saying was true.
After her talk with Kash earlier, and being around the Young family all day, the terror she’d been carrying around with her for the last week had faded significantly.
She was exhausted, and she had a feeling as soon as she closed her eyes, she’d be out.
“Besides, if I have nightmares, you’ll make them go away.”
“Damn straight,” Linc told her.
They shared another look, and the desire that had seemed to temporarily dry up due to her concern about her son flashed back with full force.
She couldn’t say what she wanted at the moment, not with Kash and his friends in the back seat, but she could let her fiancé know in no uncertain terms how much she wanted him.
Licking her lips, and lowering her gaze to his crotch, then back up to his face, Harper smiled.
“Fucking hell,” Linc said under his breath as he squirmed in his seat.
This time when she looked down, she saw the bulge in his pants.
Satisfied that she’d made her intentions known, Harper smiled and said, “I’m thinking I know another way to make me tired.”
“Count on it,” Linc told her in a husky voice.
“You can let us out and go park,” Kash instructed, breaking the mood.
“Got it, Bud,” Linc told him.
After they’d dropped off the boys and parked, Linc turned to her. “For the record, that was mean,” he said.
Harper giggled. “Have to be creative with kids around.”
“I can’t wait to make love to my fiancée tonight,” he said, as he leaned toward her.
“Same,” she agreed.
Their kiss was long, deep, and it had Harper so primed and ready, she considered jumping him right there in the parking lot. But they had a niece to meet.
Harper smiled all the way into the hospital. The excitement and joy from everyone in the waiting area was contagious, and thankfully there wasn’t anyone else in there who might be disturbed by all their happiness.
Today was a good day, and she had high hopes that life would continue along the same path. There would be bumps in the road, but she and Linc, and his family, would make it through whatever life sent their way . . . together.