Tryst (Take It Off #8)(49)
Author: Cambria Hebert

Gavin smiled down at her, then gently handed her over, placing her in my arms. “Hey, peanut,” I said, and she turned toward me. Her wide, innocent eyes were incredible.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Stitch said, looking at Gavin.

He laughed. “Not. You know I’m off rounds for the next two weeks. But feel free to stop by the beach to see your goddaughter.”

He grinned and leaned over me and the baby. “Bye, Grace. I’ll bring ya soda.”

I rolled my eyes.

“He’s a bad influence,” I said when he was gone.

“He loves her.”

“I know.”

“I love you, Talie,” he said, easing down on the bed with us. “So much.”

“I love you, too.”

“After Dani died, I never thought I’d be happy again. If you hadn’t been so loud and annoying, I probably never would have stomped outside and fallen in love.”

“Well, if you hadn’t been wearing just your boxers, I probably wouldn’t have fallen in love.” I sniffed.

He grinned.

“So,” he said casually. “I got you a present.” He produced a long, velvet box and held it in front of me.

While he held it, I lifted the lid, thinking it was some sort of necklace with her birthstone.

I was wrong.

It was a diamond ring. An engagement ring. And it was lying in a bed of pink rose petals.

I gasped, more than surprised. “I thought we said we were going to wait.”

Marriage had come up once or twice, but given my very recent divorce and his gun-shy feelings about getting married again, we decided we didn’t have to be married to be together.

“We can have a long engagement if that’s what you want,” he said, watching me. “But I want you and that’s never going to change. I want you to carry my name like Grace. I want people to know you’re mine. Being with you is more than enough, but marrying you would be perfection.”

I glanced down at Grace, giving her a little smile. “Think we should keep him?”

She made a little sound that I’m pretty sure meant she was hungry. But I took it as a yes.

“Score for Dad!” he said, rubbing a hand on her little cheek.

“Of course I’ll marry you, Gavin. Nothing would make me happier.”

Pink rose petals spilled across the bed as he pulled the ring out of the box and slipped the one carat solitaire onto my finger. It was shaped like a heart.

“You brought my heart back to life, Talie,” he said, kissing the stone I now wore on my finger. “It’s only fitting you should wear it.”

So I did.

And I never took it off.

THE END