Power Play (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 2)

But then she wraps her arms around me, hugging me tightly. She kisses my cheek. “I’m so proud of you. You exceed my expectations every day.”

I pull back to look into her eyes. “I’m glad you think so.”

“Because you do,” she laughs, smacking my chest, and then she grins. “Oh, your poor mouth.”

I smile, showing off my toothless grin. “Sexy?”

“Oh yes. Prepare for me to put my finger through that hole.”

I give her a look. “That’s my line.”

She snorts as I cuddle her close to me. “Hey, Ryan,” I call over to him. He’s bouncing with excitement.

“You need your tooth?” He winks, and I know he knows what I need.

I’ve always liked this guy.

He hands me the little box, and I grab Posey’s other hand. “Come here. I need to talk to you.”

She shoots me a confused look as I bring her onto the ice, right to the center where our logo is painted. “What are you doing? Don’t you have interviews? You scored the winning goal.”

I wave her off. “I told them I wasn’t doing anything until I talked to you.”

“Talked to me about what?”

“I have a new plan.”

“Huh?”

When we’re in the middle of the rink, I look around at everyone still celebrating, the lights flashing, yet my gaze comes right back to the center of my world. “This isn’t our practice rink, the one where I fell in love with you, but it’s close enough. Same logo.”

She looks down and then back up at me, eyeing me suspiciously. “Boon, what are you doing?”

As I gaze into her eyes, my heart is pounding in my chest, and I feel like I’m flying ten feet in the air. I lick my lips as they spread into a grin. “I’m in love with you. Completely and utterly in love with you. I want to spend my seconds dancing in Target with you. I want to spend my minutes arguing with you about hand towels. I want to spend my hours making love to you, and my weeks traveling the world with you. I want to spend my months telling you how gorgeous you are, and Posey, I want to spend my years loving only you.”

Her breath catches as she shakes her head. “Oh, Boon.”

I drop to my knee, gazing up at her as I open the little box I have in my palm. She brings her hand over her mouth as her eyes well up. “I’m in love with how your soul is a mix of sweetness and strength. I love how you can rip me apart on this ice, but as soon as we get home, you love me like I’m the only person you want to love.”

She cups my cheek, her tears falling in rivers. “Because you are.”

I place my hand over hers. “I want to make all the memories with you. On and off the ice. But since this is the place that started our super-hot lover relationship—” I pause when she snorts, almost choking on her tears and laughter “—I figured it’s the place where I should ask you to marry me.”

My lip wobbles as she gazes down at me. “My dad proposed to my mom on this ice.”

I nod. “I know. That’s why they’re here too.”

She looks to the bench, where not only my mom is watching, but her whole damn family. The lot of them. And let me say, there are a lot of them. I can’t look, though; my gaze is locked on her. She looks back down to me, her eyes full of such love, and my heart feels as if it is about to come out of my chest. “You’re too good to me, Boon Zachariah Hoenes.”

“I’m not even at my full potential.”

“You’ve surpassed it tenfold.”

I grin, and her face breaks into the widest smile I’ve ever seen. “Posey Rose Adler, will you change our plans and marry me way earlier than we agreed?”

Her tears fall as she nods. “Yes, because I don’t want to change or make plans with anyone but you.”

She falls into my arms, and our lips crash together. I know people are cheering for us, clapping, but I don’t hear any of it. All I feel is Posey’s lips, and all I hear is her heart beating with mine. When she pulls back, dropping to her knees, I slide the emerald-cut diamond down her finger and look at her. “You love it?”

She nods. “I do, but I love you more.”

“I love you too,” I say as she comes to me for a kiss—or so I think.

She stops so close to my lips, her eyes searching mine, and she says, “The plans were about to be changed anyway.”

I bring in my brows. “You knew I was going to propose?”

She shakes her head. “No, Boon.” Her tears fall, and a sweet smile moves across her red-smeared lips. “I’m pregnant.”