The Bachelor's Little Bonus (Proposals & Promises 3)

As much as she hated to admit it, things were changing between her and her friends with marriages and babies coming into the picture. It was inevitable, she supposed. They would always be close, but the time they could spend together would be even more limited with these new responsibilities.

“Here’s an idea.” Cole drummed the fingers of one hand lightly against his thigh. She could tell by his expression that he’d turned his full attention to solving her latest dilemma. “Instead of telling them ahead of time and dealing with their questions and opinions, why don’t you just present it to them as a fait accompli? We could elope, then tell them we’re married and we’re committed to raising this child together. There would be little they could say at that point except to congratulate you and wish you well.”

She blinked. “Not tell them beforehand? But Jen and I have always told each other everything. Tess, too, since we met her.”

“You haven’t told them you’re pregnant.”

She winced in response to that very reasonable rebuttal. “No.”

“What’s your schedule tomorrow?” he asked after a moment.

The seemingly abrupt change of subject made her blink again before answering, “I have a meeting in the morning, but it should only take a couple of hours.”

“Can you be done by noon? I have a few things to deal with, but I can be finished by lunchtime. There’s no waiting period to be married in this state, so we could leave at around one o’clock tomorrow afternoon, pick up a marriage license and stop at one of those little wedding chapels in the Ozarks. Afterward, we’ll drive into Missouri and spend a couple nights at a nice inn in Branson, and be back at work Monday morning. I wish I could take you somewhere special for a real honeymoon, but my schedule is pretty tight at the moment and I’m sure yours is, too, getting ready for your maternity leave and all.”

“Tomorrow,” she repeated somewhat blankly, feeling swept along by a current that had surged out of control. She’d already agreed to marry him, so why did setting a time cause a flicker of panic inside her? “You’re talking about getting married tomorrow?”

“Well, we could wait a little longer if you need more time.”

“I—” She chewed her lower lip as she considered. Though she felt a bit cowardly to admit it, she could see the appeal of telling her friends after the fact rather than facing a barrage of questions and doubts and advice. Cole was right—this way it would be too late for them to try to talk her out of marrying him. Too late to talk herself out of it. “Tomorrow works for me.”

He gave her knee a little squeeze, his fingers lingering long enough to make her vividly aware of his touch. “I’ll make the arrangements with the chapel and a hotel. February is hardly peak tourist season, so we shouldn’t have trouble getting reservations. Some of the Branson theaters are probably closed for the season, but I’m sure a few are still open. It’ll be fun, right?”

“Fun.” Stevie laughed in bemusement and pressed her cold hands to her warm cheeks. “How is it that you can make even the craziest plan sound absolutely rational?”

Cole had the grace to smile crookedly as he rose from the couch. “My special talent?”

“Apparently.”

“Well?”

Rising as he did, she drew a slightly shaky breath and pressed a hand to her stomach. “Okay. I have a consultation at nine in the morning, but I can be ready to leave by one o’clock.”

As matter-of-fact as Cole was being about all this, she wouldn’t have been entirely surprised if he’d sealed the deal by offering his hand to shake. Instead, he reached into his pocket. For the first time since he’d blindsided her with this plan he’d obviously considered so carefully, she saw a hint of uncertainty in his expression. “I picked up something for you while I was in Chicago. I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I’ll—” Her voice faded when she saw the little velvet box resting on his palm. “Oh.”

“I wanted to be prepared in case you said yes.” He opened the hinged lid to reveal the contents.

Her breath caught when the overhead light glittered off a diamond set on a white gold band. It was exactly the type of ring she’d have expected Cole to choose, simple and classic. Even the choice of square-cut over the slightly more traditional round stone was typical of him—though the gesture itself was certainly unexpected.

“It’s beautiful, Cole.” Her voice sounded husky to her own ears.

He caught her hand and slid the ring on her finger. She told herself it was a good omen that it fit surprisingly well. Her hands were small, but the ring wasn’t overpowering. In fact, she’d have said it was exactly right for her.

He was watching her face. “If you’d prefer another style, we can swap it for—”

She curled her fingers protectively around the ring. “This one is perfect.”

“I’m glad you like it. So, I’ll go now and start making arrangements. This time tomorrow, we’ll be in Branson.”

And married, she added silently, swallowing hard.

She could tell his mind was already engaged with lists of tasks he wanted to complete before tomorrow. She knew how he got when he was focused on a deadline. He was probably itching to tap away at his trustworthy little tablet. “All right. See you tomorrow.”

She walked him to the door, feeling as if she were moving in an odd sort of slow motion. She’d begun the day as an anxious, single mother-to-be. Only a few hours later, she found herself engaged to be married to a man who was busily planning their future while she still reeled from his proposal.

He let himself out, closing the door behind him. With a little sigh, Stevie started to turn away. She paused with a start when the door swept open again. Cole stepped back inside, his expression rueful.