Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
She acts affronted. “I never cheated. And when I win, you do what I say.”
I hold my hand out to shake on it. “Deal.”
She puts hers in mine and I resist throwing down the basketball and pulling her into me. “Deal.”
We play a few minutes and I have to give it to her, she’s really trying. After working up a sweat, I tug my shirt over my head and throw it to the side. She stops mid dribble. “That’s not fair. You’re trying to get me sidetracked.”
She’s walking toward me and I can tell she doesn’t care about who wins anymore; she has her mind on something else. She stops right in front of me, her eyes going across my chest, and I grunt because just her looking at me like she does fills me with all kinds of thoughts. I lean down and give her a little kiss before whispering, “I know that look in your eye and I suggest you start thinking about something else, because I really don’t want to take you right here with your dad watching us.”
I watch as her eyes go wide and then shoot up to the porch. Sure enough, her mom and dad are staring at us. She gives them a little wave, and I watch as Julia pulls Jerry back inside the house.
I steal the ball from her. “Next point wins.”
She tries to guard me and totally cheats, pressing her body up against mine. I could do this all day, but I’m ready now. Ready to get what I want. I shoot the ball easily over her head and sink it. “I won.”
She pretends to pout but puts her hands at my waist and looks up at me. “All right, what do I have to do? You don’t have homework now so I can’t do that.”
“Haha, right, I learned my lesson after you did my homework that one time and I got a C. I knew not to have you do that anymore.”
She just smiles and shrugs. “Fine, dish out my punishment. I can take it.”
She’s all smiles and I hope what I’m about to say makes her happy. “Marry me.”
Hope shines in her eyes and then she shakes her head, slapping me on the chest. “Funny.”
My hands go low on her back, holding her to me. “I’m serious. Marry me.”
“Austin, this isn’t funny.” She acts as if I’m playing a joke on her, and maybe I shouldn’t have done this as a game. So I go back to plan A.
I drop my hands from her waist and lower down to my knee. I pull the tiny box out of my pocket, open it, and hold it up to her. “I love you, Laney Gowan. More than anything. Our relationship has changed throughout the years, but every day I fall more and more in love with you. I never want us to be apart again. I want to be by your side always, I want you to have our babies, and I want to grow old with you. Will you please marry me?”
She’s not even looking at the ring. She’s looking right into my eyes and starts to cry. “Yes. God, yes. I love you, Austin.”
I stand up, pulling her into my arms and giving her a soul-searching kiss that holds promise of what’s to come. When we pull apart, I put the ring on her finger and it’s a perfect fit. We’re kissing again when I hear her dad call out, “Let’s keep it PG. We do have neighbors.”
We break apart laughing, and she runs to show her mom the ring. Jerry comes to me and pats me on the back. “Welcome to the family, son.”
I thank him and then my fiancée walks back into my arms, her body snug against mine, right where I want her to be. With me, always.
Epilogue 2
Laney
Eight Years Later
“Hey, Momma! There’s Daddy,” my daughter says, tugging on my arm.
We’re just walking out of the elementary school where I’m a kindergarten teacher and our daughter Ashley is in the first grade. And sure enough, there’s my husband. He’s standing on the sidewalk and a few of the PTA moms seem to have him cornered. Jealousy instantly flares in my belly, but he’s watching me, and I can tell he sees it. He says something to them, but his focus is on me. We walk to meet each other and I try to hid my jealousy from him. “It seems you have a fan club, husband.”
He just laughs, his arms going around me before he bends down and kisses me. “I only have eyes for you, baby.” And even when he says it, I know it’s true.
“What are you doing here, Daddy?” Ashley asks him.
“Yeah, is everything okay?” I echo.
He gets down on one knee and says to our daughter, “You know how we have our daddy/daughter date tomorrow afternoon?”