Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
“Because you’re there and I want to be close to you,” she said.
“Because you think Nate needs a father?” He would convince her that he could be more. He would show her he was the man for her, that if she gave him a second chance he would be stalwart this time, the unwavering center of her universe. He would ground her, allowing her to fly because she’d been born to see how high she could go.
“Of course Nate needs a father, but I need you too. I need you more than you’ll ever know. I understand that I screwed up and you need time. I’m going to give it to you. I’ll find a flat somewhere close and when you’re ready, you should know I’m going to be all over you, Mr. Carter. I won’t pretend and try to steal one night from you. I’m going to be greedy. I want all the nights. I want all the days. I want everything you have to give.”
The woman standing in front of him knew what she wanted and she wanted him. This woman wouldn’t be turned away without a fight.
Not that he intended to give her one. “Yes.”
“Hear me out, Brody. I understand that I can’t take back...” She stopped. “Did you say yes?”
“He said yes,” Adam called out before leaning over to Serena and Jake. “I think something’s wrong with Doc’s hearing because I could hear him from here.”
Yeah, he’d forgotten they had an audience.
He tried to ignore them. “I said yes, Steph. Forgive me for ever saying anything else to you. I need you to understand that when it comes to being with you my answer is always going to be yes.”
“But you were mad at me.”
“And I will be in the future, but I love you and that beats everything else. You come first, before everyone else, before my own fears and insecurities,” he pledged. “You and our son are everything to me. Come to London but you won’t live anywhere but with me.”
A gorgeous smile crossed her lips, lighting up her face. “Well, if you’re in a mood to say yes, then I can fulfill my other promise. I promised Tucker I would ask you to marry me if we got out of that warehouse. Here we are. I figured something out. I figured out that it’s all worth it, all the pain and doubt. It brought me here, to you. Brody Carter, will you marry me?”
He moved in before she could do something silly like go down on one knee. There was only one knee he wanted her over and that was his when they were playing. Which they would do for the rest of their lives. Play and love and laugh and hold on when the times got tough.
“Yes.” He hauled her up into his arms, kissing her for all he was worth.
She threw her arms around him and he could feel her smiling.
“See,” Taggart was saying, “weirdest day ever. Now we have to go to England for another damn wedding. Hey, Carter, do us all a favor and glom on to Nicky’s wedding. It’s a long fucking trip.”
He ignored the hell out of Taggart—though it was a good idea—and got on to kissing his bride-to-be.
Chapter Seventeen
London, England
3 weeks later
“You look very much the gentleman,” Nick Markovic said as he strode into the groom’s room.
It was actually the locker room at The Garden, but it served its purpose for today. “Thanks. I was worried I looked a bit like an overstuffed penguin. And might I add, you’re looking spiffy yourself.”
Nick grinned and pulled the cork out of the god-only-knew-how-old bottle of Scotch that Damon had presented them with when they’d started dressing for the wedding.
The double wedding.
Nick was marrying the girl of his dreams, Hayley Dalton, and they’d been excited to share the day with close friends. Brody hadn’t even brought it up. He’d been ready to elope since waiting even the three weeks they had seemed like too long. Nick and Hayley had convinced them that the more family and friends, the better.
“I was talking to Nathan,” Nick said with a wink. “He’s looking resplendent in his tux. You are only so-so, my friend.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. He did that a lot these days. He looked down at Nate, who did indeed look gentlemanly in the tiny tux they’d found for him. He was busy batting at the toys on his bouncy seat, completely ignoring all the male bonding going on around him. “That he does.”
The Taggart brothers were sitting in the front of the locker room, jackets off until the moment they would be forced to put them on. Most of the crew had come over for the wedding and The Garden was filled with visitors. It had been a fun week to hang out with his friends and family. His mum had made the long trip along with his stepdad, and they’d even brought Alfi along.