Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Nate held onto the white stick and tilted his head back to look at her. He went to open his mouth, but she stopped him, putting a finger against his lips.
“No, you don’t get to speak, not right now. This time, I get to speak, and you have no choice but to listen. I am going to be the mother of your children.” She glanced behind her and saw the coffee table was dirty, but she didn’t care. The mess would be taken care of soon. She began to pull the table closer toward him and then sat down on the edge. Looking him in the eye, she stared at Nate. She was going to start off her rant with yelling at him, but seeing him now, knowing what he did, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“I love you,” she said. “I have loved you my whole life. From the moment you knocked on my door in the home, and you didn’t treat me like some freak.” She stopped and pressed her lips together. “You came in, you asked my name, told me it was a pretty name, and then you did something I’ve never experienced before … you hugged me, and from that moment on, I knew I was going to be loyal to you. I fell in love with you then, and it has never stopped. It has only gotten stronger. I know what you are, I know who you are and what you’re capable of, but I don’t care, because I know you. You’re not a cruel person, not unless someone deserves it.”
She stopped and took a breath.
“I never for a million years thought you could love me. Those guys … I didn’t care that they were assholes, or no-shows. I would tell myself I was trying to get over you by dating and seeing what other men are out there, because I didn’t for a second think I had you, or could ever have you. I am insecure. I’m a little crazy, and I know it scares me and it freaks me out. I thought none of the gang liked me—”
“They all love you and I only gave them the money because they wouldn’t take it for no reason. You know what they’re like and they will claim they didn’t need any reason to take money, but I’ve tried to give them more and they wouldn’t take it. This way, they took it.”
Carly smiled. “I get that now. I do.”
“You love me?” Nate asked.
“Since I was little. I’ve loved you for a long time and those feelings are only getting stronger. I want to be with you, I want you to be my husband and the father of my baby, and right now I’m trying not to freak out that I’m scaring you.”
Nate put his glass down beside her and then reached out, sinking his fingers into her hair and pulling her in close. She wanted his touch, craved it, and as his lips met hers, she knew this was what she wanted forever.
There was no way she could be with anyone else, or want anyone else. To Carly, there had only ever been Nate, there would only ever be him. He was her one and only love.
“Marry me,” Nate said.
“I thought I just asked you that question.” She giggled.
“No, you only hinted that you wanted me to be your husband, now I know you won’t shoot me down.”
She cupped his face and kissed him, hard. She loved him more than anything in the world, and those feelings had never faded.
“Answer me, Carly.”
“I already answered.”
“I need to know. I need to hear you say those words.”
She broke the kiss and smiled at him. “Yes, Nate, I would love to marry you, the father of my child.”
Epilogue
Five Years Later
Nate stared at his son and daughter as they played with Reese and Misha’s twins, both of which were girls. He could remember the day Reese got the news she was carrying twins. Reese had been terrified. One baby he could handle but a second, and to have them look identical, freaked him out.
It didn’t matter. Reese knew he had people he could freak out in front of, and when he went home to his wife, he was more than ready to handle whatever life threw at him.
Sarah was on the floor, playing with all four children.
In the past five years, he married Carly, moved her into his home, and Sarah had gotten the apartment. That lasted for all of five months, before Carly insisted on moving her in with them.
He watched Sarah and knew he and Carly were like the parents she never had. Carly packed her lunches, took care of dinner, and he’d even seen her braiding her hair. Sarah wanted to be taken care of, and she didn’t cause any trouble.