“I’m nervous.” She clutched at his hand and he gave her a reassuring kiss. “I don’t know anything about babies.”
“Me either. But we can learn.” This kiss he deepened, teasing her tongue with his own. “Together,” he whispered when they broke apart.
“Oh, Hunter, this is like a dream come true,” she sighed.
“Are you kidding me? My sweet princess was in a wreck that nearly killed her. How is that like a dream come true?”
“Fine, getting there wasn’t a dream come true, but it is now.” She tugged her hand out of his and pushed his shoulder so he had no choice to back away from her. “I keep pushing you away emotionally and I’m sorry for that. I wasn’t—ready for everything you had to offer. It overwhelmed me.”
“You just pushed me away now,” he pointed out.
She shook her head. “You know what I mean. I just—want to tell you that I’m ready.”
He cocked a brow. “Ready for what?”
“Ready for you.” Her voice lowered. “Ready for us,” she whispered.
He drew her back into his arms and held her close, clasped his hand across the back of her head. She pressed her face against his neck, her hot breath sending shivers all over his skin. “I love you, Gracie,” he murmured against her hair.
“I love you too.” She snuggled as close as she could get. “I can’t wait to get out of this hospital.”
“I can’t wait to get you out of here either.” He kissed her again. He couldn’t stop kissing her, especially now that he felt free to do it.
He’d told a woman that he loved her. And he hadn’t choked and died when he said it, either.
Christ, Alex had been right. He’d fallen, and he’d fallen hard. Gracie was without a doubt the woman for him.
And he would never let her forget it.
Gracie breathed deep, inhaling Hunter’s delicious scent as he held her gently while she lay in the hospital bed. It felt so good to be in his arms, in his life. Permanently. How foolish she’d been, pushing him away, always too scared to face her feelings, face what she meant to him. A sense of peace settled over her, suffusing her blood, making her skin tingle.
She had her second chance. She was healing, a baby grew inside of her and the man she loved said he loved her back.
Life couldn’t get much sweeter than this.
“As soon as you’re released from the hospital, I want you to marry me,” he whispered close to her ear. “I want to start our life together as soon as possible.”
Butterflies beat a restless rhythm in her belly. Marriage? Already? What if he was moving too fast? What if he changed his mind? “You don’t have to make the offer if you’re not ready yet, Hunter…”
“Woman, you make me insane.” He cupped her chin with firm fingers and forced her head up. Their gazes locked and the intensity she saw in his eyes took her breath away. “When I say I want to start our life together as soon as possible, I mean it.”
“But it’s so soon.” She smiled weakly.
“You’re really going to make me do this, aren?
?t you?” He withdrew from her and went down on his left knee on the floor. Grasping her hand in his, his expression became solemn. “Gracie Hayes, I love you so much my heart feels like it’s going to burst. Would you put me out of my misery and do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Tears slid down her cheeks. She didn’t bother wiping them away. “Yes. Oh yes, I’ll marry you, Hunter.”
He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and fished around a bit, pulling out a dark blue velvet box. She couldn’t breathe; all the air lodged in her throat and she started to tremble.
Popping open the box, he revealed a brilliant, round diamond solitaire that was so big it looked downright fake. “I bought this earlier, before I came to the hospital. I might’ve been presumptuous, but I couldn’t help it.”
She giggled like a schoolgirl. That this handsome man had been too excited and had to run out and buy her an engagement ring thrilled her right down to her toes. “It’s so big,” she breathed, never taking her eyes of the sparkling diamond.
He took it out of the box and reached for her right hand.
“Wrong hand,” she protested and carefully stuck out her left hand, cast and all.