Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 67492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“I asked you first,” I tease.
“Then you should definitely already be wearing this,” he says, opening the small ring box. “But I need to hear you say it.”
“Like she’s going to say no,” Beckham says. “Just put the poor guy out of his misery. I’m starving.”
“Beck.” My dad’s tone is laced with warning.
“What do you say, Blake? Will you be my wife?”
“Yes.” I nod. “There’s nothing I want more.”
Oliver removes the ring from the box before sliding it on my finger. There are tears in my eyes, so I can’t see it well, but I know it’s perfect. Anything he’s chosen for me would be perfect because it was chosen out of love. He stands, cups my face in his hands, and kisses me like our families are not watching.
“All right, I gave you my blessing, but I don’t need to see that,” Dad grumbles.
Oliver laughs. “Thank you, Declan. I’ll cherish her always.”
“I know you will, son. Welcome to the family.”
“Let’s eat!” Beckham calls out. Everyone laughs and digs into their food, while I stare at the ring on my left hand.
“We’re getting married,” I whisper, more to myself than anyone else.
“You’re my forever, Blakely Kincaid.”
“Forever.”
EPILOGUE OLIVER
Oliver
Three Years Later
There have been many moments in my life since I met my wife that I’ll never forget. When she agreed to be my wife, I thought for sure nothing could top that. Then, a year later, the week before Christmas, we were married, and that day, I knew without a doubt nothing would ever beat it.
Both times, I was wrong.
I didn’t consider how I would feel when we started a family. I’ve spent the last several months watching a piece of our love grow inside her. Every day, I think that I can’t possibly love her anymore, and then she spends fourteen hours in labor to bring our baby boy into the world.
Zane Thompson was born on Christmas Day at four eleven in the morning. He was a week early, but it’s fitting for him to be born on his momma’s favorite holiday.
“I can’t believe he was born on Christmas Day,” my wife says, watching from our bed as I snuggle our baby boy.
“It’s fitting.”
“It is,” she agrees. “Do you think he’ll love Christmas as much as I do?”
“We do,” I correct her. My love for my wife also upped my love for her favorite holiday. How could I not love something that makes her smile? “He’ll love it,” I assure her. With a mom like Blakely, he won’t have a choice. I was the same way, but I let life and other people’s actions take that away from me for a little while.
“Isla texted me. She and Todd are on their way over.”
“Brad and Marisa are too. Are you sure you don’t want to cancel?”
“I’m positive. New Year's with our son and our friends and their kids is the perfect way to bring in the new year.”
“Dinner with our families tomorrow,” I remind her.
“Like they would ever let us forget.” She laughs.
“I love you, Blake.”
“I love you too. When I asked you to be merry with me, did you see us ending up here?”
“You mean madly in love and starting a family? Yeah, I did.”
“Really?”
I nod. “I was fighting what I felt for you, but I should have known it was a lost cause. When I watched you walk away from me after telling me you loved me for the first time, I knew you were my future. It just took me a few minutes to pull my head out of my ass to see clearly.”
“You were fighting demons from your past. I understood that.”
“None of those demons would come close to the ones that would take their place if I lost you.”
“From Mr. Grumpy to Mr. Romance,” she teases.
“Baby, you can call me anything you want as long as I always get to call you mine.” Zane grunts in my arms, and I laugh. “See, even our son agrees with me.”
“It’s gas.” Blakely giggles.
I let the sound wash over me, and still to this day, it’s my favorite. There was once a time in my life I thought I could walk away from this woman. She wanted to make me fall in love with Christmas; instead, I fell in love with her.