Tears of joy were flowing down my cheeks, and I didn’t even try to check them.
I hadn’t expected this, but did he think for a single second that I’d refuse?
Jaxton Montgomery was my soulmate, and there was never going to be another man I wanted to be with, either.
He was my once in a lifetime, too.
I looked at the beautiful ring in my hand. Like everything else Jax did, he’d gone big, and the glittering center stone of the diamond ring looked flawless.
How he’d managed to put so many karats in a ring and not make it seem gaudy was beyond my comprehension.
It was exactly what I would have picked out for myself, and I absolutely loved it.
I put my hand behind his head and threaded my fingers into his short locks as I pulled him closer. “Did you honestly think I’d say no to you? I love you, Jax Montgomery, and you’re my everything, too. So yes, yes, yes, I’ll marry you,” I murmured right before I put my lips to his.
For once, he let me completely control the embrace. In fact, he barely moved.
I pulled back after the tender kiss and laid my forehead against his. “Are you okay?” I asked softly.
“I think I’m still in shock,” he answered huskily.
“Did you really think I’d say no?”
He shook his head slightly. “I know you feel the same way I do, but I guess I wasn’t prepared for just how damn good it felt to hear you say yes.”
My heart squeezed painfully as I pulled back a little to swipe the tears from my face. “Probably as good as it felt to hear you ask me to marry you,” I said breathlessly.
There were times I nearly had to pinch myself to actually believe that I was the love of Jax Montgomery’s life.
“You could have had almost any woman in the world,” I told him. “But you fell in love with me. Sometimes I still find that hard to believe. Never think that I don’t feel like the luckiest woman in the world, Jax, because I do. Not because you’re obscenely rich, shockingly gorgeous, or carry a famous name. I feel fortunate because a man with a heart as big as yours really…loves me. How could I not feel blessed that I have a man who would very happily put my needs before his own, and has proven that more than once.”
Jax swiped a tear from my face with his thumb. “Hey, don’t cry, baby. You have and would do the same for me. I think that’s what real love is all about. Do you like the ring?”
“It’s perfect,” I said shakily as he took the box from my hand and removed the ring. “How do you always know exactly what I’d like?”
He shrugged, but he was smiling as he slipped the ring on my finger. “I know you, Harlow. I had to stop short of ostentatious, and keep the design classic. I actually had it custom made, but we can make any changes you want.”
“I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s stunning,” I told him honestly as I held out my hand to admire the gorgeous ring.
“Just like the woman wearing it,” he said as he moved onto the couch and pulled me into his lap.
I straddled him and looked down at his handsome face. “You take my breath away every time I look at you,” I told him as we grinned at each other like complete idiots. “You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”
It wasn’t just Jax’s perfect body or gorgeous face that moved me.
It was the way I could see his heart in his eyes every time he looked at me.
He shot me a teasing frown. “I hope you see a little bit of the hot stud who can make you come until you beg for mercy, too.”
I laughed as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You know I do. Would you rather I called you my beautiful stud?” I asked.
“Baby, you can call me anything you want now that I know you’re going to marry me,” he replied.
“You know we’ll have to wait until after Hudson and Taylor get married, right?” I pondered. “I want to dedicate my time to her wedding first without being distracted by my own.”
“I know. I want that for Hudson, too. Valentine’s Day next year?” he asked hopefully.
I nodded slowly. “I think that would be incredibly romantic.”
“Let’s face it,” Jax said. “Your mom probably has most of it planned already. She’s already made it perfectly clear that she expects a grandchild or two.”
I groaned. “She’s pretty transparent on that issue.”
He threaded a hand into my hair and pulled my head down gently. “It doesn’t really matter to me, Harlow,” he said huskily. “A kid or two would be a great bonus, but I already have everything I want right now.”
My heart was racing as he pulled my mouth down to his, and gave me a toe-curling kiss that left me panting for more. “I’d like a child or two someday. I love you, Jax,” I said breathlessly once he’d released my mouth.
He grasped my ass and pulled me against his massive erection. “Baby, you know what happens when you say that. It makes me fucking crazy,” he growled.
Sometimes, anything I said made him hard, but I wasn’t about to complain about that.
“I bought a sexy little Valentine’s nightie for tonight,” I whispered beside his ear.
Keeping his hands on my ass, he stood up, and I immediately wrapped my legs around him to keep us balanced.
“Later,” he said in a graveled voice. “Anything you put on right now will come back off before I can even get a good look at it. You don’t have to seduce me, Harlow. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing or whether or not you decided to fuss with your hair or put makeup on. You always look like the most beautiful, sexiest woman on the planet to me.”
I put my head on his shoulder and tangled a hand into his hair as he strode toward our bedroom.
When Jax said things like that, my heart felt like it was going to explode. I knew what he was really saying was that it was always going to be okay to just be…me. He’d love me where I was, how I was, no questions asked.
“I feel the same way,” I murmured.
God knew I’d take this man any way I could get him.
I let out an amused squeak as he tossed me on the bed, and came down on top of me.
I sighed as he buried his hands in my hair and grumbled, “Christ! I love you, Harlow.”
As I fell into his exquisite, green-eyed gaze, I said the words back to him, knowing neither one of us could ever hear those words enough.
“Kiss me,” I whispered, craving him just like I knew I always would.
When he did, everything was right in my world.