Midlife Do Over

I rolled my eyes. “Still obsessed with my boobs, Ry?”

His grin lit up his whole face. “Still the best boobs around, Pip.” He brushed a soft kiss against my lips. “I love you Pip and I mean it, and I’m not letting you go ever again. Not if you love me too. Not if you can forgive me for being a stupid boy in love with a girl still out of his league.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed again and it felt real and good. Almost like old times. “I forgive you Ryan. I forgive you because I love you, because my heart has always belonged to you.” I aimed a finger at him. “Don’t make me regret it.”

“Never,” he promised with a smile. “I promise that I will do everything in my power to put a smile on your beautiful face every damn day for the rest of our lives.”

“That’s a lot of smiling,” I said with a laugh.

“Smiles usually come with laughter and there’s only one sound in the world I love more than your laughter.” He wiggled his eyebrows and just as he planned, I laughed.

“If you’re good, maybe you’ll get to hear that sound tonight.”

He growled and the sound hardened my nipples and dampened my panties. “I look forward to it, but first I want to ask you a question. A very important question.” He pulled a single ring from his pocket, except there was nothing simple about it. It was at least two carats, possibly more, emerald cut with a thousand tiny diamonds surrounding it. It was ridiculous and it was stunning. “Pippa Carson, wild girl and incredible woman of my dreams, will you hitch your wagon to mine and enjoy the rest of this journey we call life together?”

It was a perfectly Ryan proposal and I nodded my acceptance before reality set in. “Isn’t this too soon?”

“Sweetheart, this is Tennessee and you’re carryin’ my baby, not mention the small matter of us being madly in love, I’d say is well past time we got married and got on with the rest of our lives. Don’t you?”

Did I? I nodded as the answer came swiftly and with a wide smile. “Hell yes, I do. I can’t wait to marry you, Ryan Gregory.”

“Why wait?” His lips crashed down on mine before I could answer and I was so giddy, so filled with love that I couldn’t help the nervous laughter that bubbled up between us. The kiss was the end of something and the beginning of something even better.

The past was behind us and our future lay in front of us, wide open.

I was a forty year old pregnant bride to be. Anything could happen, and I couldn’t wait to see what lay in store next.

The End.