Suddenly he stalked forward. Buried his hand in her hair and seared her with a soul-wrenching kiss that tasted of goodbye. He then pulled his warm lips away. “I fucking love you Josephine. That’s the problem. If I didn’t, it wouldn’t keep me up at night thinking about how wrong shit with Levi could have gone.”
Her jaw dropped and her lower lip trembled.
“I didn’t want things to end this way.” His eyes were full of love and longing—and an acute tenderness that stole her breath.
“So don’t let it.” Joey shook her head.
Moose glanced up at the ceiling and took a deep breath and then spoke, “Jo-Jo, it’s hard enough to try to do this now. I couldn’t a second time.”
“Who said you had to, or I wanted you to?”
“You’re so scared all the time. This shit has you puking your guts up on a daily basis. It was fucked up as hell. But these situations are practically commonplace in my life. Sure, not to that extreme, but the stress, the potential lockdowns? I can’t let it tear you up.”
The puzzle pieces aligned and clicked, forming a bigger picture. “You’re letting me go to save me?” she whispered. “You amazing, stupid, man!” She laughed.
“I don’t see how this is funny at all.”
“Tell me what you want to do right now, not what you think you should.”
“Jo—”
“Shh.” She placed a finger on his lips. “Humor me. It’s the least you can do before you rip my heart from my chest and toss it in the garbage.”
He winced. “Low blow.”
“All’s fair in love and war.”
His blue eyes softened at the words. “I’d ask you to be my old lady and move my shit into your place. I want this to be permanent.”
Tears welled in her eyes obscuring her vision and she gave a strangled laugh.
“Jo…”
“I’m so fucking glad to hear you say that.”
“Why?”
“Because in about seven months, we’ll have the most permanent connection you could form. I got worried about the constant upchuck and saw a doctor. Apparently, you have super sperm, and I have a one-in-a-thousand misplaced IUD because I’m pregnant as hell.”
His jaw dropped.
“That’s why I’ve been overwrought, emotional and not myself.”
“You—we…?” He gestured back and forth between them.
At his stunned expression, Joey laughed. “Yes. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t find the right time.”
“Jesus Christ.” He ran a hand th
rough his hair. “I’ll be damned if any kid of mine is going to be called a bastard. We’re getting married.”
“Don’t you think we should wait until after Jul and Shooter’s wedding? Don’t want to steal their thunder.”
“No.” Moose shook his head. “I want this now if we’re all in. We’re all in. I don’t need anything fancy, just you, a ring and a justice of the peace.”
“Okay…” Her voice shook.
“Okay?” His eyes were as round and blue as a Kewpie doll’s.