We may have started out in the most irresponsible way, but the fact remains I’ve been miserable without him. He’s a good man, and I love him. “I love you, Josh Chambers.”
He lets out a big breath as if he’s been holding it. “Is that a yes?”
I nod and barely get “yes” out before he jumps up and swings me around in his arms.
My hands tighten on his shoulders. “Ugh, no more of that.”
He puts me down in an instant. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
I’m holding my stomach, and I swallow hard. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just no more spinning.”
“Anything you say, little mama.”
I groan, I can’t help it. “Really? That’s what you’re going to call me?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “I just found out we’re having a baby. Give me a break.” His big, muscled arms go around me. “I love you, Violet Chambers.”
“I love you too, husband.”
He grunts, and his voice is thick with emotion as he kisses the top of my head. “I like the sound of that.”
Epilogue 1
Josh
“Are you sure about this?” Violet asks me for like the twentieth time. I’m starting to get a complex now.
“You mean am I sure I want to marry you? Yes, I am. One hundred percent. But the way you keep asking me makes me think you’re having second thoughts. Well, you can forget it, Vi. We’ve gone over this. You’re mine.” I grunt out the last words because she brings out this possessive control freak that sometimes I’m unable to contain. She can have all the second thoughts she wants, but the fact remains that she’s marrying me tomorrow.
She slides her hands around my waist. Her belly is big and round between us. “Wouldn’t you rather me not have to waddle down the aisle to you? I mean, I’m huge.”
“You are not huge,” I tell her. I’ve made sure to tell her how beautiful she is all day every day. She doesn’t realize that I don’t care that she’s put on weight. She’s carrying our child, and she looks more beautiful every day.
She stomps her foot. “I am huge, though. Let’s just wait. We can get married after Josh Junior is born. We can have a tropical wedding or something.”
I sigh, knowing there’s no way I can wait another day to be married to her, but she keeps bringing it up, and she definitely has some kind of hang-up about it all.
“Fine,” I grunt, hating that she’s sad and this isn’t happening the way she wants but also knowing that there’s no way I would change a thing with the way things have happened.
She looks startled and stares up at me wide-eyed. She blinks once, then again. “Wait... you don’t want to marry me?”
Astonished by the asinine remark that just came out of her mouth, I shake my head side to side. “What are you talking about? I want to marry you more than anything. But I also want you happy, and it’s obvious that you’re not happy about this.”
Her head drops. “So we’re not getting married...”
Her voice is thick with emotion, and I can tell the tears are forming without even seeing her eyes. Her pregnancy hormones have wreaked havoc on her emotions, and it kills me to see her like this. “We’re getting married.” I tell her forcefully. “We’re going to the courthouse tomorrow to get married. We’ll have Sierra and Evan there, Millie, and whoever else you want. Your brother of course. So it will be official. I’ll hand deliver the fucking papers myself when we’re done and have them filed. Then once you have the baby, you’ll have the wedding you want.”
She sniffs and finally looks me in the eye. “You’ll do that... for me.”
I shake my head. “Don’t you know, Vi? I’ll do anything for you. I just want you happy, but honey, I’m not waiting to get married. It’s important to me that we do this soon. I know to some people it’s just a piece of paper, but I can feel myself going crazy, knowing you’re a free woman.”
She snorts. “A free woman?” She puts her hand on her belly and turns side to side. “Do I look like a free woman?”
“You look like my woman. You look like the woman I fell in love with the night I met her. You look like the woman I’m going to spend the rest of my life with...” I lean down and press my lips to hers. I hate that her changing body has brought on so many insecurities. I wish she knew how much she means to me.
“Forget it,” she says in between kisses.
My whole body tenses, and I put my hands on her shoulders. “Forget what?” I ask.
“We’ll get married in the church tomorrow like we planned. In front of our family and friends—heck, I’m pretty sure the whole town will be there. I’ll waddle down the aisle to you and let you make an honest woman out of me.”