My breath stalls in my lungs. My knees begin to shake.
“I meant what I said last night. I love you, Jaxi. I love Rosie. I want us.”
He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a light pink box.
“Oh, my gosh,” I whisper.
He picks Rosie up and walks across the room, then bends down on one knee.
Tears flood my face, my body shaking with adrenaline and excitement.
My heart explodes with love.
“You broke into my life like a thief in the day and flipped my world upside down,” he says, making me laugh. “You woke me up, made me see that I had more to give. More to live for. You make me want to be the best person I can be for you and for Rosie.”
“And Wade,” Rosie says.
“Rosie … no,” Boone says, shaking his head. “Not Wade this time.”
“Oh.”
I giggle, covering my mouth with my hands.
“Last night was awful. I want it to be the last night we ever spend apart. I want to make our family official. Boone, Jaxi, and Rosie Mason.”
“Rosie Mason,” Rosie says.
Boone shakes her, making her laugh.
“That’s right,” he says. “Rosie Mason. Do you like that?”
“Yes, but my name is Penelope Rose Woods, Boone,” she says, blushing.
“You’re right. But I want you and Jaxi to have the same name as me,” he explains softly.
I love this man.
“What about Penelope Rose Woods Mason?” he asks.
I blink back tears.
“Yes! Boone! I love it,” she sing-songs.
“Then, that’s what your name will be.”
“But what’s all your names gonna be?” she asks.
He sighs and then chuckles. “My name is Boone Michael Mason. It doesn’t change. Just yours and Jaxi’s”
“Oh. Okay. I like that.”
He kisses her forehead and then sets her down next to him.
She takes his hand back.
And then, he looks at me, and I struggle to take in air.
The intensity. The love. The absolute confidence. In me. In us.
“Will you do me the greatest honor by becoming my wife?”
His voice is strong and sturdy, reliable and trustworthy—all the things I know him to be.
I close the distance between us and take his face in my hands.
Tears drip down my chin and onto my shirt. I vaguely wonder what I look like right now.
But I don’t care. All I care about is making sure this man knows that I love him for the rest of his life.
“Um, yes or no, Jaxi. I’m dying here,” he whispers.
I laugh. “Yes. I would love to be your wife.”
He slips a ring out of the pink box. It’s a cushion-cut yellow diamond in a yellow gold band.
“My mom designed this. I saw it in her shop and knew I had to have it,” he says as he slips it on my finger. “When I saw it, it reminded me of how you make me feel.” He pulls me into his chest and kisses the top of my head.
“I love you,” I tell him.
“I know.”
He bends his face to kiss me when a little voice shouts from below.
“Hey! What ’bout me?” Rosie asks.
Boone laughs and picks her up in his other arm.
“That’s better,” Rosie says.
Boone and I laugh.
I have so many questions, so many things to ask. There’s so much to wrap my head around and to plan.
But, for right now, I’m content with standing in this office with the two people I love most in the world.
My family.
“What do you two want to do today? We need to celebrate,” Boone says.
Before I can say anything, Rosie chimes in.
“Cake!” she says.
“Sounds good to me,” I say.
Boone guides us toward the door.
“And Wade!” Rosie says.
Boone scowls.
I laugh.
And we head out the door.
Twenty-Seven
Jaxi
My legs are stretched over Boone’s as we lie on the sofa. The television is off. The Kindle is put away. There’s nothing happening.
Only, everything is happening.
Boone and I sit together and watch Rosie on the floor. She has her Glo Worm on one side and two dolls on the other. In front of her is her school book for learning how to write.
Her tongue sticks out as she traces the letters.
I hold my finger up in the air and admire my new engagement ring.
“So,” Boone says. “Have you given any thought to whether you want to manage the complex or just hire it out?”
“This is so pretty,” I say, shoving the ring in his face and ignoring his question. “Don’t you love it?”
“I do.” He takes my hand and kisses the top of it. “Almost as much as the woman wearing it.”
My cheeks ache from smiling so much.
I pull my leg up and rest my foot on his groin. His eyes go wide. He grabs my ankle and pushes my foot down gently, but just enough to really make contact with his cock.
“Maybe,” I say softly, “someone will go to sleep early, and I can show you how much I love you tonight.”
He smirks. “I wouldn’t count on it.”