Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
I nod softly.
“My sweet Abby.” He sighs. “I’m ready. I’m eager, and I want nothing more than to be the father of your children. What you heard that night was a man who just held a newborn in his arms, and he couldn’t admit to himself how much he envied his best friend and little brother.”
“If I’m pregnant, you’ll be happy?” I whisper. “You’re sure?”
“I’ll be fucking ecstatic,” he says. “Let’s get you tested now.”
“I have two home tests at my apartment,” I confess. “I couldn’t bring myself to take them. I’ve been scared, Declan. I want a baby so much, but I’m scared.”
He moves back to take my hand in his. “We’ll do it together. Whatever the results are, I love you, Abigail. I want you forever.”
“I want you forever too.”
“You have me.” He pulls me close again. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll love you until the day I die.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Abby
I close my eyes as Declan’s strong, bare arms surround me.
As soon as we got to my apartment, I took one of the pregnancy tests, and as we waited for the results, we made love.
It was gentle and tender, and Declan whispered that he loved me so many times that I stopped counting.
“Regardless of what that test says, I want you to marry me, Abby,” he says in a rough tone. “I know it’s soon, and I don’t even have a damn ring yet, but I want you to be my wife.”
I move slightly so I can look into his eyes. “If you just proposed to me, I’m accepting.”
His smile beams. “You are? Seriously?”
I rest a hand on his jaw. The late day stubble that covers it tickles my palm. “If I’m not crossing a boundary here, I have a ring.”
“For me?” he asks with a perked eyebrow.
“For me,” I whisper. “It’s the ring my dad gave my mom on the day he asked her to marry him. I’ve always envisioned that the man I love would one day put it on my hand.”
“I’m the man you love.” He kisses me softly. “Please allow me the honor of putting that ring on your finger.”
I glance at the jewelry box on the dresser across the room before my gaze drifts to his face. “Should we check the test results first?”
He shakes his head. “Proposal first, pregnancy results second.”
I can’t help but smile. “That’s a deal. Are we doing this nude?”
“Is there another way?” He slides across the bed to swing his legs over the side. “I’m all for dropping to one knee in the buff. As long as you’re okay with it.”
I follow his lead and get out of bed too. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
I can feel his gaze on me as I tread across the room and gently open the jewelry box that once belonged to my mom. Her treasured pieces still rest inside it, right where she left them. I haven’t been able to bring myself to touch any of them.
With trembling hands, I grab the small green velvet box my dad handed me weeks after she passed. He told me it was her wish for me to wear the ring one day, and he hoped I’d find a man who loved me as much as he loved her.
I’ve found that in the man standing mere feet away from me.
I turn to face him, and my heart swells inside my chest. I’ve waited a lifetime for this moment. I never showed Seth the ring or even considered asking him to put it on my finger. It didn’t feel right at the time. Now, it feels perfect.
Declan closes the distance between us with measured steps. “May I?”
I set the ring box in his offered palm as tears well in the corners of my eyes.
He pops it open and lets out a sigh. “This is beautiful, Abigail.”
He’s right. It is.
Three diamonds line a silver band with a twist of gold woven between them. It’s as unique as my mom was and as my love story with Declan is.
He drops to one knee, holding the box in his palm so it’s facing me.
“I found you that night dressed like a fairytale princess, and I admit, I think I was already in love with you at that point,” he begins. “You’ve captivated me with your beauty, wisdom, and unending grace, Abigail.”
I hold in a sob as I stare into his eyes.
“I never knew that I wanted a love this profound, but now I know I’ll never be able to live without it.” He smiles. “Share a lifetime of laughs and tears with me. Let me stand by your side through all of it. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I whisper through a sob. “I’ll marry you.”
He kisses my left hand before he slides the ring on my finger. “I want to start planning our wedding as soon as possible.”