Claimed (For Her 3)

As we near the lake, I turn and look at Jay. She’s worrying her lip, and I can see a little color has left her cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, concerned she’s not having a good time.

“Jordan—”

“And here we are,” says the driver of the carriage as we stop by the lake. He grabs the picnic basket and stands there, waiting on us.

Jay stands up, and I help her down, taking the basket and walking to the spot we sat at last time.

“See, already better than the last ride. Now just don’t kick me in the balls and we’ll ace this.”

I’m able to get a smile out of her on that, but something is bugging her. There’s something she’s not telling me.

I spread the blanket out, thinking that maybe if we sit down for a little bit she’ll be okay and can tell me what’s bothering her. Maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t proposed yet. She made a few small comments this week about getting married, but I didn’t want to spoil the surprise, so I just played them off and talked about something else. Maybe she thinks I’ve changed my mind, which is absolutely insane.

We sit down, and I open up the picnic basket. “I’ve brought a few things I think you might like,” I say, trying to entice her with food.

She gives me a sideways glance and then nods. It’s unlike her not to get excited about sharing a meal with me. Usually she can’t wait to eat. It’s one of the things I love most about her. But her mind is somewhere far from here.

I open the food containers and set them down. The smell of her favorite dried meats and cheeses floats between us as I take her hands in mine.

I’m just going to get it out in the open. I’ve been stressing about it for two weeks now, and I know she must be thinking the same thing. She didn’t want to do this carriage ride today, and I’ve forced it, so I’m going to propose to her and tell her what an idiot I am for going through this charade. I don’t want confusion to be the reason she’s worried. I want to set her mind at ease.

“Jay, since the day you walked into my life—”

At that moment, Jay inhales the smell of the food, and instantly her face turns green. Before I can finish my sentence, she leans over and throws up on the blanket.

‘I’m pregnant,” she says and then looks up at me and bursts into tears.

“Marry me,” I blurt out, totally overwhelmed by what just happened.

There’s a pause, and we both begin to laugh. God, this would only happen to us.

“Are you saying that because I’m pregnant?” she asks, laughing through the tears in her eyes.

“Damn it, woman, you know me better than that.” I pull the ring out of my pocket and slide it on her finger. I grab a bottle of water and lean down, picking her up. I carry her over to the bench nearby and sit down with her in my lap. I cradle her in my arms, feeling the warmth of her body against mine.

“Jay, my sweet little bird. Why didn’t you tell me?” I kiss the top of her head as my heart grows. “We’re going to have a baby?”

“I was trying to find the right time. I just found out this morning. You had this whole thing planned, and I was feeling sick. I didn’t want to tell you yet, but I didn’t know how to say I wasn’t feeling good without you going crazy.”

“I’ve been planning this as a proposal. I had to wait on the damn carriage to come back to the city.”

“Stupid carriage,” Jay mumbles. “I thought you changed your mind.” She looks up at me, and I can see the worry that was there fade. “You were just playing me.”

“How could you possibly think I could ever change my mind? You’re the love of my life.”

“Hormones?” she says, and shrugs like it’s the answer to everything. Maybe it is.

“So, is that a yes?” I ask, looking into her chocolate-brown eyes.

“Yes!” she squeals, and throws her arms around me. “Oh God, Jordan. It’s all happening so fast.”

“We’re not on a timeline. We do things our way and at our own pace. I’ve known you for a long time. And I knew from the moment we met we’d get to this point.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’ve been mine since the beginning. I laid claim to you long ago.”

“You did.” She nods in agreement.

“Do you want to go back home so I can get you some ginger ale and rub your feet?”

She smiles at me and nods, then looks over at the picnic. “I’m sorry this was ruined again.”