“I’M NERVOUS.”
“You got this!” I look down into a set of chocolate eyes. Every time I look at Max, I now see Dallas—and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Don’t get me wrong, if my brother wasn’t already dead, I’d fucking kill him for what he did. But after a lot of talks and a lot of tears with Harley, I’ve learned to accept it.
Suffice it to say that not everything has been peachy keen after the night we reconciled on my doorstep. We’ve both battled through the guilt and regret of everything that we’ve been through, but we made it. Sure, we’ve had disagreements and arguments along the way, but what couple hasn’t?
Our biggest one was over why she didn’t call the cops after her attack. It warmed my heart to hear that she did it to protect my family and me, but I still wish she had turned the bastard in. Of course, I won’t tell her that because she’s convinced that she’s right and it’s just easier to agree—and more importantly, it doesn’t make a difference at this point anyway.
“What if she says no?” What the hell is wrong with me? I’m talking to a kid in kindergarten.
Max reaches up to smooth his hands down the front of my shirt, and I can’t help but laugh. He’s such a little grown-up. “Then you should throw a fit,” he says, matter-of-fact. I raise an eyebrow, cocking my head. I’m not going to lie: I’m slightly terrified to hear what’s going to come out of his mouth next.
“A fit?”
“Yeah,” he shrugs. “That’s what I do.” Bending over, I grab Max around the waist and toss him over my shoulder.
“You’re a genius, little dude!”
“I know,” he mumbles into my back as we walk to the car. “Are we going to Grandma and Grandpa’s now?”
“Yup,” I reply, opening the car door so that Max can climb in. I love that he likes going to my parents’ house. That was another source of contention between Harley and me. It took me a long time to wrap my head around why she chose to keep Max away from my parents, and to be honest, I’m still not sure I understand her reasoning. But I can’t change it—the past is the past—and we pinky swore to put the past behind us.
Together, Harley and I had a very delicate conversation with my parents. We told them about the attack—and about Max. It was an emotional gathering, with a few cuss words, lots of hugs, and even more tears. But my parents harbor no ill feelings about it; they’re just happy to have Max—and Harley—in their lives.
Max doesn’t officially know that my parents are his biological grandparents; that’s just too much for his little mind to comprehend. He calls them grandma and grandpa because they’re my parents, and well, he’s been calling me dad, so to him it just makes sense. My parents are on cloud nine every time they get to see him, and between them and Harley’s parents, we pretty much have free childcare any time we want it.
My parents are waiting outside when I pull up, and Max flies out of the car and up the front walk, slamming directly into my dad’s chest.
“See ya tomorrow, bud!” I yell at his retreating back. He stops and turns, a magnificent smile lighting up his face.
“Good luck!” he hollers. Shooting my parents a quick wave, I hop in my car to head back home. Home. I love that word. There’s nothing in the world better than coming home every night to Harley and Max, and everyday I thank the Lord that Harley gave me a second—and third—chance.
Harley’s car isn’t in the driveway when I pull up to the house, so I rush inside to put a few last-minute touches on my big surprise. I’m just finishing up when I hear the front door slam shut.
“HONEY! I’M HOME!” I chuckle, walking in the front door. The house is quiet—too quiet. Shrugging off my coat, I toss it on the back of the couch. I walk into the kitchen, stopping in my tracks when I see a dozen roses presented beautifully in a crystal vase on the table. But it’s not the roses that catch my attention...it’s the green coupon tucked in the center.
On wobbly legs, I walk to the table. My hand shakes as I pull the coupon out of the bouquet. I run my finger along smooth paper, slowly turning it over in my hand.
“I want your heart.” His raspy voice startles me and I jump, clutching the coupon to my chest.
“You scared me,” I whisper, taking a deep breath. He smiles, taking a couple steps forward, stopping in front of me.
His soft eyes are boring into mine when he repeats himself. I grip his hand, pulling it up to rest over the left side of my chest.
“It’s already yours.” He swallows hard as tears spring to his eyes. “Are you okay?” I ask, suddenly nervous about why he’s acting so strange.
“I will be.” With his free hand, he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a blue coupon. He holds it out in front of me, and my eyes flit nervously between him and the coupon before I drop his hand and take it.
My watery eyes find his. “It’s already yours,” I whisper, choking on my words when I see him pull another coupon out of his back pocket. This time it’s purple—my favorite color.
“You’ve got my heart, and my body is yours. What more could you want?” I quip, causing him to laugh.
“Just one more thing,” he replies, handing me the purple card. I turn it over, and after reading the most beautiful word ever, I squeeze my eyes shut.
Tears drip down my face and I take a shuddering breath. When I open my eyes, Tyson is kneeling before me on one knee and my hand flies to my mouth. A sob rips from my throat as I look into his dark brown eyes, which are swirling with love.
He peels my hand off my shocked face. His hands are trembling and his palms are sweating, but when he speaks, his voice doesn’t come out shaky…it comes out strong and unwavering.
“You’ve given me your body, Harley. You’ve even given me your heart. But that isn’t enough.” I shake my head, confirming that 'no, that isn’t enough.' My shoulders bob as I cry silently in front of the love of my life. “I want your future, Harley. I want your forever.”