He lifts his shoulders. “It’s good to see you too.”
Their kids, Jaxon and Josie, have already raced out to the pool, and Jeremy stops me from walking on. “So how are you? Still fighting demons?”
If it was anyone else, I’d probably get defensive about it, but not with Jeremy. Of all of us, he was the leader of the group. He lost both legs the day Jason died and Cole was hurt, but he wasn’t leaving until his whole troop was out of harm’s way. He almost died because of it, and he lost both legs. He’s probably fighting more demons than all of us. “It will always be there. You know that. But it’s getting easier.”
He nods understandingly. “Tonight’s the night, huh? You doing okay? You ready?”
I nod my head. “I’m more than ready.”
Jeremy laughs and starts rolling his chair to the back yard. “It’s about time. Let’s get this show on the road then.”
I follow behind him and look out at the yard. Jaxon and Josie are swimming in the pool. The women are all talking while Cora is holding little CJ in her arms. Man, it’s a sight to see. I can’t wait until she’s pregnant with our child. I clap my hands together. But first things first.
“Thank you all for coming today. You don’t know what it means for Cora and me to have you in our lives.”
Cora smiles and puts the baby in Hope’s arms to come stand next to me. We had talked about how I was going to say a few words so she’s not expecting a thing. “I couldn’t have made it all those years without you, Jeremy and Cole. We’ve been through a lot of shit together, and I’m so thankful to have had you all serving at my side. I know that Jason is looking down on us, happy that we’ve come this far.”
Cole holds up a beer that he grabbed from the outdoor fridge. “Here, here.”
“But there’s more. When the three of us got back after losing Jason, we were a mess. I don’t know how else to put it. I think it’s fair to say that none of us would have imagined being where we are now. Hope,” I say looking at the woman standing proudly next to Cole, holding on to his arm and looking up at his scarred face with so much love I can feel it across the yard. “You brought our friend back to life. After everything, he wasn’t living, and none of us could reach him... but you did. You gave us our friend back and made him happy again.”
I take a deep breath and look over at Jeremy and Peggy. Peggy’s already wiping at her eyes. “And to you, Peggy, Jeremy is so lucky to have you in his life. He pushed you away like he did the rest of us, but you weren’t having it. Your love for Jeremy gives new hope to the rest of us.”
“Thank you, Patton,” she says as Jeremy puts his arm around her waist and pulls her onto his lap.
I turn to Cora and look down into her eyes. They widen in surprise, and I know she wasn’t expecting this. “And, Cora, I don’t even know what to say. I love you more than I ever thought I was capable of. You make my life better, and even though I know I don’t deserve you, I can’t ever let you go. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and making you happy.” She sniffles, and her eyes fill with tears. I drop to one knee in front of her, and she gasps. “Cora, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
“Yes, yes,” she says as she falls to her knees in front of me, holding on to me so tightly I can’t even get her to hold still. “Honey, I need to put my ring on your finger.” I laugh.
She pulls back with tears in her eyes. “There’s something I need to tell you, Patton.” She wipes her face with the back of her hand.
I nod as I put the ring on her finger. “You can tell me anything.”
She cups my face in her hands and looks into my eyes. “I’m pregnant. You’re going to be a daddy.”
Everyone erupts in cheers around us, and I stand up, hauling Cora to her feet. I hold on to her so tightly that she squeals, and I instantly release her. My hand goes to her flat stomach. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
She’s crying and laughing. “No, you didn’t hurt me.”
Everyone gathers around and congratulates us, pulling me in for hugs and Cora too. We get separated, but I’m not going to let it happen for long. After hugging both my friends, I walk over to my fiancée, who is showing off her ring to Hope and Peggy. “Excuse me, ladies, I’m going to borrow her for just a minute. We’ll be right back.”