“I understand. The way I see it, there is only one solution.” He folded his arms over his chest.
“What is it? I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?”
“Okay, not a threesome. And no pee stuff in the bedroom.”
Snorts and laughter came from the audience, but not all of them were amused. Some covered for uncomfortable coughs.
My mother fainted.
Catherine looked like she was about to leave and was waiting for someone—anyone—to stop her.
No one did, and so she stayed anyway.
“That narrows ‘anything’ down pretty significantly,” Cruz pointed out.
“Oh, just tell me, Cruz.”
“Marry me.”
“What?”
“Make an honest man out of me, Tennessee Turner, and I’ll have you back. Any other solution just won’t work for me. I already told you it’s all or nothing. You said nothing doesn’t suit you—well, give me your all.”
All eyes clung to me, waiting for my answer.
Bear squeezed my hand under the table, whispering under his breath, “I want a game room, Mom.”
My mother murmured that she was going to disown me if I refused him. Apparently, she’d come to.
Dad grunted that he really couldn’t afford another wedding.
Trinity whimpered in Wyatt’s ear that her thunder had been stolen once again.
And Catherine Costello keeled over and emptied her stomach on a nearby patch of lawn.
“Yes,” I heard myself say, a smile spreading over my mouth. “Yes, I will be your wife, Dr. Cruz Costello.”
I nearly tackled my entire family to the ground on my way to Tennessee, mowing over Wyatt and parts of my mother’s dress.
I picked Tennessee up and kissed her long and hard in front of an audience who’d come to celebrate Wyatt and Trinity’s love and, until moments ago, were pretty sure there was no love lost between their siblings.
I’d feel bad if it wasn’t for the fact that Wyatt and Trinity were in it for the arrangement. Or that I’d been in love with the woman I just got engaged to since before she was out of diapers.
Tennessee clung to me, her lips glued to mine almost childishly, like I could disappear at any moment.
“I missed your mouth so much. The rest of you, too.”
“You’re going to have a lot of one-on-one time with both of us, sweetheart. Starting today.”
“Gross,” I heard Bear grumble behind my fiancée’s back. “I’m still here, you know. And the rest of the county, too, for that matter, so get your hands off my mom. Dad, can you believe what he’s doing to her?”
He can, and he’s done much worse, I was tempted to say.
Rob chuckled and clapped his son’s shoulder as I put Tennessee back down gently, pushing away strands of her golden hair so I could take a better look at her.
Mine.