Bo passed Kirstie folded dollar bills. "Don't forget the cotton candy."
"Got it!" Kirstie sprinted to the nearby booth within eyesight.
Bo stepped behind Paige and looped his arms around her waist, hands folded over their child on the way while they watched Kirstie stand in line. Paige leaned back against him, welcoming the support of a real partnership. "Love you."
He kissed her temple, lingered, his embrace tightening. "Love you, too."
Sighing her contentment, Paige clasped her hands over his on her stomach, still checking on her little girl moving up in the food-stand line— their little girl. Paige wasn't sure when they would get past the need to keep Kirstie in view all the time. But for now their daughter didn't seem to mind the extra attention.
Paige tucked her head under his chin. "Do you have to go back in to work?"
"Just for a quick debrief, and then I'm off for the rest of the day." He backed her into the shade of a nearby palm tree, his warm breath along her neck launching tingles all the way to her toes.
"Vic's taking Kirstie to see the latest Disney movie tonight. We will be alone for at least three hours."
"Oh, really?" His voice rang with unmistakable anticipation.
Three cheers for Uncle Vic!
In a strange and wonderful twist of fate, her brother had decided the exploding Cessna was a sign to close his already struggling veterinary practice. He'd sold the family house and moved to Charleston for a fresh start near relatives. He currently worked in a local animal clinic, the stresses lower in a business he didn't own. She hoped that would give him the healing he needed, too.
Seth had taken the insurance money from the burned plane and started a flight school.
Last time they'd talked, he planned to fly out for a visit. Kirstie's world was full of family who understood about "real" love—even gaining a grandmother in doting Sister Nic.
"Oh, yes, Uncle Vic most definitely is. He even offered to throw in ice cream afterward if we're nice."
Time alone was a real gift, given Bo's frequent TDYs, a kid and two dogs, Honey plus another new puppy just last week.
"Do you want to make dinner plans?" His strong hands stroked gentle circles over her increasing waistline. "Is there anything in particular our baby's craving?"
"That's sweet." And it really was, given she knew what he really wanted, the same thing she wanted, actually. "But I had something else in mind." She couldn't miss the whispered ooh-rah against her ear. "Did you read that book on pregnancy I gave you?"
"Yeah, I especially liked chapter eight." He sneaked a kiss on her ear that sent fresh shivers of desire through her. "That was the hormone chapter about how some women in their second trimester are particularly, uh, amorous.">That hushed her right up.
"When a man's as close to death as that, priorities line up cleanly. I love you and I love that little girl of yours, who I hope you'll let be my daughter someday. Nothing but the two of you matter."
"I don't want you to be sorry—"
He pressed a finger to her lips again. "Pain meds. Need them soon. Remember?" He circled her lips and dreamed of kissing that luscious mouth for the rest of their lives. "I want to build a family with you and Kirstie, and I want you both to be happy. And yes, that's a marriage proposal, hopefully more articulate than the one I delivered when you walked in. I'd like things to happen fast, but I'm completely cool with a long engagement if you need time."
Pausing, he flinched at the notion of months without her in his home more than from any pull to stitches. "Maybe not totally cool with a wait, but I'll handle it because I realize you have a lot to settle. I can wait as long as you say you love me, too."
Her eyes wide and glinting with tears, she stared back at him. Happy tears? Sad tears?
Pissed-off tears? Sheesh, he considered himself good at reading women, but this one—
the one who mattered—left him mystified.
He rolled out the plan he'd made somewhere around the time Anderson's bullet nailed his arm, reminding him what a dumb-ass he would be if he lost Paige. "I can move to North Dakota, find a flying job here, or a teaching job, and I can join the reserves. I'll still wear the uniform. I'll still be able to serve."
Moving his finger away from her mouth, he allowed himself the pleasure of a slow stroke that sent her eyes as dazed as he felt before his hand fell onto her soft thigh. Bo waited for her answer, his whole heart on the line.
"No," she whispered.
No?
And he'd thought he was bleeding to death out at the Anderson place. The pain from his gunshot wound didn't come close to this. He forced himself to stop, think, not explode.