She stiffened. “Cole—”
“Shh.” Gently, he pressed his fingers over her damp lips, his eyes catching hers, silently asking her to trust him. “Don’t refuse your bonus until you see what it is.”
She sat quietly on his lap as he opened the side drawer in his desk and withdrew the small, square, black velvet box he’d tucked there. She eyed the box warily and gasped when he opened the lid to reveal a glittering, two-carat diamond solitaire ring.
“Marry me, Melodie,” he said, his tone gruff with emotion.
She pressed a hand to her breasts, her eyes shimmering with tears. “Marry you?” she croaked.
Panic surfaced, and Cole wondered if she’d grown content with their dating arrangement and didn’t want the restrictions of marriage. “I never thought I could love a person the way I love you,” he said, emphatically stating his case. “And I want everything that goes with it—commitment, marriage, living together under the same roof, waking up in each other’s arms every morning.”
“And what about having a family?” she asked, the question a cautious, tentative one.
He understood her reservations. He knew how much she cherished and valued family and wanted one of her own someday. While she might be willing to be his for the moment, he never doubted that someday the issue of children would be brought up between them. After thinking about the situation long and hard for the past couple of weeks, he was prepared to answer her question.
He drew a deep breath. “Yes, even a family. With you.” He splayed his hand on her tummy, imagining her pregnant with their child, one created together, out of love. “Having a baby with you makes all the difference in the world.
He grinned. “I even went and asked your father for your hand in marriage. He gave me his blessing and said it was about time I made an honest woman out of you.”
His fears with Richard had been unfounded. Cole had been nervous as hell when he’d approached the older man three months ago to tell him he was in love with Melodie, fearing disappointment, but Richard couldn’t have been happier about the situation.
She laughed through watery, happy tears, her love for him shining through. “Oh, Cole,” she breathed. “This is more than I’d ever hoped for.”
“It’s everything you deserve.” Taking her left hand, he slipped the ring on her finger—a perfect fit, just as she was a perfect fit in his life. “Marry me, Melodie, and make an honest man out of me, too.”
The ecstatic “yes” she whispered made his entire world complete.