The Last Hard Boy (The Hard Boys 3)

She chuckled, and he saw tears in her eyes.

“Not going to lie, that sounded more romantic in my head. You know I’m here for you. I want us to get pregnant, I want us to have lots of babies together. I am in love with you. I don’t care what a test says or what other people say. All I care about is you. Please, be mine.”

****

Andy stared at the ring in amazement.

Rome Hard was proposing to her. She nibbled on her lip, and her heart raced. A million different thoughts went off inside her head.

“Andy, I could kind of use your … input right about now?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“Yes?” he asked.

She laughed and then smiled. “Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss but then realizing at the last minute that he had his bad leg and she quickly pulled away. “Crap, your leg.”

“I don’t care about my leg. Kiss me.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle as she kissed him.

He didn’t hold her back, but she didn’t mind, not at all.

“I love you,” he said.

“Shh.” She placed a finger against his lips. “I love you.”

“You love me?”

“Yes. I know it is so fast, and that everyone is going to be wondering if I took advantage of you.”

He let go of his crutches and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Rome! Your leg.”

“I don’t give a fuck about my leg. The only person I care about is in my arms. Everything else can wait. You cannot.”

“But—”

“No buts. I’m taking that kiss. I want your lips so damn badly.”

She moaned as he kissed her hard and deep.

Andy broke off from the kiss. “The test.”

“I don’t care about the test. I just want to kiss you and make love to you, and spend all of my time with you. I hope you’re pregnant. I want a big family.”

She stroked his cheek. “I want to know.”

Staring into his green eyes, Andy realized at that moment, she didn’t care. She didn’t care if she was pregnant or not, what the town thought, nor the ten-year age gap. All she cared about was this man.

It was like all her life she hadn’t found the right man because she was waiting for him, just for him.

“I love you, so much. When James told me that you were in that accident, I’d never been so afraid in all my life.”

“I wasn’t going anywhere. I still had to come ask you to marry me.”

Andy pressed her face against his chest, loving the sound of his heartbeat. This was real. This was where she wanted to be.

“Don’t ever do anything like that again. I don’t think I could stand it.”

He laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s not on my plans to make you worry.”

They both chuckled. She had to check the test.

Stepping away from him, she reached for the test, but Rome grabbed her hand. He was using the bathroom counter to balance himself.

“Wait, I want lots of kids. At least five.”

“Five kids?”

“Yes, if not more. I want a big family, Andy.”

“Me too. I want a big family. Lots of kids. Lots of love and happiness.” She wanted to give her children everything she didn’t have growing up. The thought of starting a family with Rome didn’t scare her.

“I’m going to look now.”

Just as she was about to look down, the doorbell rang.

“Damn it. I figured we had an hour, but they got here in twenty minutes,” Rome said.

Andy glanced down at the test and sighed. She lifted it up. “It’s negative.”

“Crap,” he said.

“Er, I am on the pill. So, this doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

“No, you’re right.” He cupped her face, and the doorbell rang again. He released a little growl. “I don’t think they’re going to give up.”

“Nope. Your parents are pretty persistent.”

“It could be the mail,” he said.

She laughed. “Sure, it’s the mail. I’ll go answer the door.”

Andy walked toward the bathroom door and quickly rushed back to kiss him again. “I love you.”

“Don’t let my parents scare you.”

She laughed.

At that moment, nothing could scare her.

She rushed downstairs, and sure enough, Theodore and Jane were on her doorstep as were Caleb and Lilly.

“Man, I’m here. You drew the short straw. We’ll tell you what is happening,” Caleb said.

He was on the telephone, with whom she assumed was James.

“Hey,” she said.

“Oh, Andy, we came as soon as we heard.”

She let them in, and then a scream, followed by the yanking of her hand. “Andy Evergreen, did my son propose to you?”

“I did,” Rome said, using that moment to come down on his ass. He also had his crutches at his side.

“Rome Hard, you should not be moving around.”

“Okay, I knew this was going to happen, but the doctor did tell me I didn’t need a babysitter. I obviously couldn’t drive, but my mobility was only hindered by my ability to use the crutches. Wow, get that sentence out multiple times and fast.”