A Lie for a Lie (All In 1)

Kody grabs for the pale-blue box, so I give him the pieces and set him on the floor. He plops down beside me—not the best wingman, but he isn’t even a year, so I can cut him some slack. He slaps the two pieces together and squeals with delight.

“Let me.” I turn the velvet box toward her and flip it open. The light on the side table hits the diamond, making it glint and throw prisms on the floor, which Kody tries to catch, giggling happily.

“Oh!” Lainey’s hand flutters to her mouth, and she seems caught somewhere between laughter and tears.

“I love you, Lainey—both of you, so much. I thought those weeks in Alaska with you were the best of my life, but I was wrong. Every day with you beside me is better than the last, and I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life loving you—all you have to do is say yes. Marry me?”

The sound that comes out of her is definitely half laugh and half sob. “Yes. A million times yes. I love you, and I can’t imagine my life without you and Kody.”

I slip the ring out of its cushioned home and slide it onto her finger. Lainey throws her arms around me and kisses my neck, my cheek, and then finally my lips, whispering I love you over and over.

Kody uses my knee to pull himself to a stand, shouting, “Ma!”

We both laugh, and I know that—despite the lack of romance—this is exactly the kind of proposal that works for us, because Kody is part of every single equation.

We take him up to bed. When he sees the ring on Lainey’s finger, he tries to pry it off, and when that doesn’t work, he tries to put her hand in his mouth.

Lainey holds his favorite teddy bear in front of him as a distraction. He grabs for it and cuddles it to his chest. We kiss him good night, put on his music, and turn on the night-light before we leave his room.

“This is beautiful. It’s exactly what I would have picked for myself,” Lainey says as we uncork a bottle of champagne so we can have our own private celebration.

I debate whether or not I should take the credit for it. “Remember when I took Stevie shopping over the holidays?”

“She needed something for some kind of event, but you came back empty handed.”

“I may have lied about that.”

“I figured it was just an excuse for the two of you to get some time together.”

“Well, there was that too. But really I wanted her help picking out the ring. It was between that one and another one.”

“You’re so sneaky.” She grabs the front of my shirt and pulls my mouth down to hers. “I can’t believe you’ve been holding on to this for months!”

“I was just waiting for the right time to ask. I wanted to make sure you were ready.”

“Still, that’s a long time to hold on to that. And I can’t believe Stevie never said anything.”

I laugh. “She knows better.”

Lainey bites her lip, a coy smile turning up the corner of her mouth. “You know, if we’re being completely honest with each other, I have something I should probably tell you.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Remember that time you taught me to drive when we were in Alaska?”

“Of course.” I had a hard-on the entire time. Lainey behind the wheel of a pickup is sexy as hell.

“So, I told you I didn’t have a license, not that I didn’t know how to drive.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I used to drive my dad’s pickup all the time. I just never bothered to get a license, because I didn’t like freeway driving—and you were so excited about teaching me, so I didn’t want to ruin it for you, or me, really.”

I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her tight against me. “Now who’s the sneaky one?”

“It was a little white lie.”

“I guess that means we’re even, doesn’t it?” I drop a kiss at the edge of her jaw.

“Mmm. A lie for a lie. I think we’re all done with those, aren’t we?”

“Definitely. But this one served a purpose. Are you ready for a little private celebration, future Mrs. Bowman?”

“Very ready.”

I spend the next hour showing Lainey with actions, and words, exactly how much I love her, and that I never want to be without her, ever again.EPILOGUE

LIFE IN TRAINING

Rook

Four months later

Lainey’s fingers are in my hair, tugging gently as her hips move in tandem with my tongue. Tomorrow I’m making her my wife in the same location I fell in love with her: Kodiak Island. So tonight we’re having a little precelebration.

Well, actually, in about an hour Lainey’s parents and my mom are coming over so Lainey can have a night with her girlfriends, and I’m going out with the guys. Bar options are limited out here, so we’re going to have a campfire and drink some beers at one of the cabins down the road. It’s the same place Lainey first stayed, except I bought it, demoed the cabin, and had a brand-new one built. It might be a little overkill, but I wasn’t sure my family’s four-bedroom cabin was going to be enough for us—and I’m planning to spend a good part of my summers here, so I might as well have room for my extended family and friends. The new cabin has eight bedrooms, eight baths, two kitchens, two great rooms, and a massive dining room. It also has a guesthouse with three bedrooms.