This time, he slowly turned his body, and we were sitting face to face. “That’s easy. Married. Maybe a baby or two. I’ll be working full time on the ranch. I imagine you’ll still be working if you want, but you won’t have to. I’ve got enough money now to retire. Dad put me in touch with an investor, and I’ve done well with my sponsors and winnings. I thought maybe I needed another championship to really secure my future, but my eyes have been opened to more important things other than money.”
“I don’t care about money, Brock. I care about spending the rest of my life with you and Blayze.”
“Then marry me.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “Wh-what?”
“Marry me. I know I love you, I know Blayze loves you, and you love us. Why not?”
“Um . . . well, people will think it’s too soon . . . but then again, we sort of have a good reason.”
“Hell yes, we do. We love each other, and I don’t give two shits about what other people think. We can have a big wedding or a small one. Hell, we don’t even have to tell anyone.”
I shook my head. “No . . . if I marry you, Brock Shaw, I want to shout it from the tallest mountain.”
He smiled, and his face lit up.
“But I do have something important that I need to talk to you about.”
“Okay.”
I wore a concerned look on my face as I said, “It’s kind of . . . well, I’m not sure how you’re going to react.”
He tilted his head and studied me. “Okay.”
“Promise me one thing. You won’t freak.”
“Uh . . . I’m sort of already freaking, Lincoln. Is something wrong with you? Are you all right?”
I giggled. Suddenly, the happiness of knowing I was carrying this man’s baby hit me all over again. I felt like I was floating in a cloud of euphoria. I wanted this more than I could have ever imagined. Now, I just hoped he wanted it too.
“I’m more than all right. I’m amazing. I’m overjoyed. I’m shocked as hell.”
He pulled his brows in with confusion. “Shocked about what?”
Blowing out a breath, I closed my eyes, counted to five, opened them again, and just said it. “I’m pregnant.”
Brock sat there for a few moments in utter disbelief.
I gave him some time to let it sink in before explaining, “When you were in the hospital, I wasn’t eating very well. I was also feeling sick, and I got dehydrated. I fainted.”
“What?”
I held up my hand for him to let me finish. “They admitted me and did a few tests. One of the blood tests showed I was pregnant. I was stunned when Kaylee and Ty told me.”
His eyes widened. “They know?”
“Yeah, the doctor told them because Kaylee said she was my sister. I asked how it’d happened, because I was on the pill and you’d worn condoms. I had been on some antibiotics that affected the pill. I had finished them up that first week we met. Then, I guess one of your condoms failed, and . . . well, we have a baby as the result.”
Brock stared at me for the longest time before I saw a tear slide down his cheek.
I wrung my hands. “Please tell me what’s going on in your head, Brock.”
“We’re having a baby?”
I nodded. “Yep. Surprise!”
His hand went behind my neck and he pulled me to him. Our mouths crashed together, and he kissed me.
This kiss felt so different from all the others. Maybe it was because we had told each other we loved one another. Or because everything between us was out in the open now. Brock wasn’t holding back anything from his past. Or maybe the knowledge that we had made a child together made us feel closer. Whatever it was, I could feel his love pouring into me through that kiss, and it made every nerve ending in my body tingle. It was magical. Beautiful. Intense.
Then he stood, pulling me up with him.
“Come on. I need to make love to you.”
“What? No! You can’t! You’re in no condition to have sex. And—wait, you haven’t said anything about the baby. I mean, after that kiss, I can guess you’re happy. Are you feeling anything else, though? Scared? Tell me, please.”
He tossed his head back and laughed. Then he held on to his side and pierced my gaze with his. “I’m fucking over the moon, Lincoln. I’m freaked out, yes. Scared? I don’t think so. I feel, happy. We’re having a baby. We are having a baby!”
My own tears fell now, and he reached up with both thumbs and wiped them away.
“I love you. And, because of this bit of information, I want to marry you even more. As soon as possible.”
I nodded. “O-okay. I want that too.”