“Thank you.” I blush.
“It’s about time somebody knocked my son down a peg. Now, I think this guy here next to me has something to say.” He gestures to Jace before moving out of his way.
“Hi.” He clenches and unclenches his fists anxiously. Jace swallows hard. He’s red-faced, looking like he’s about to hurl.
“You okay?”
“So…I know we’re living together, and all…”
“We are not living together, Jace,” I say with a tiny smirk, at our ongoing argument. Jace has been asking me to move in together every day for the past two months. Though I keep saying I’m not ready, I pretty much spend most nights at his place when I’m not traveling. “Okay, maybe we’re sorta living together.”
“I want more,” his deep, sexy voice rumbles as he pulls a small, velvet box from his pocket. “I’m not sure what the future holds for us…but whatever life has in store…I’d like to spend the rest of my days loving you.” He sinks down on one knee.
“Jace,” I breathe. Adrenaline still courses through my veins from the race, but that’s not why I’m trembling. My heart skips a beat, and my head’s a little woozy. What on earth is he doing? An instant gasp rings from the crowd, then a quiet hush.
“You’re it for me, Charlotte. Every day, I think about how lucky I am I was sitting in the bar the night we met.” Feeling the heat on my cheeks, my hands fly to my face when Jace pulls the sparkling diamond from the box.
“Oh, God,” I suck in a breath.
“I know you already have a ring you kiss before each race, but…I thought you could kiss this one too.” Tears slide down my cheeks. I didn’t tell him I took off the ring this morning before coming to the track. “Can I hold your hand?”
“Noo,” I say with a nervous laugh. “What are you doing?”
“Give me your damn hand, woman.” My hand is shaking when he reaches for it, but so is his.
“Oh, God, Jace.” Tears cloud my eyes.
“Without your love, I am an incomplete man.” I drag my free hand through his damp hair as he continues, “I will show you love like no other for the rest of my days on this earth…if you’ll have me as your husband. Charlotte Brooks…will you marry me?”
My hands tremble from the excitement. I’m having trouble forming words. I bouncy nod like a bobblehead doll. Jace is squirming in his own body as he holds his breath, waiting for an answer. “Way to be low-key. In front of three hundred and fifty thousand people, Jace?” He shrugs a laugh. I’m just playing with him, but I can’t leave him hanging a moment longer. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone. Of course, I’ll marry you.” I allow him slip the ring onto my finger and Jace rewards me with the hugest smile I’ve ever seen on him.
“I love you, Charlotte.” Jace stands and holds my cheeks in his hands. He lifts me off my feet and crashes his lips to mine. I bury my hands in his hair as I continue to kiss him through the tears.
The crew starts chanting, “Get a room,” until the crowd finally catches on and does the same.
“We are definitely getting a room tonight,” Jace mutters when we break apart laughing.
“I think I foresee Lilly volunteering for babysitting duty in the near future, soldier.”
“I’ll pay her double.”
“I want triple pay,” Lilly quips, hugging me tightly.
I’m the luckiest girl in the world. When I’m in his arms, I’m home. No matter what life brings us, I’ll spend the rest of my days loving Kiely as my own and loving Jace until my last breath.
There isn’t one person in the entire world I will ever love more.
Epilogue
Charlotte
Seven months later…
Bang! Bang!
“Charlotte? You okay in there?”
Shit! The tiny plastic stick I’m holding in my hand bounces on to the tile floor. “Fine!” I croak. “Be right out.”
I slump down and pick it up, glaring at it like the result will be different this time. I’m pretty confident, after the seven tests I took last week, and doctor confirmation this morning; the results are not going to change.
I should be excited. It should be one of the happiest moments of my life. A magical time. Then why the hell are my hands shaking worse than they did when I raced at Indy? Because new beginnings are scary.
I mean, I’m getting married in a few months to the man of my dreams. Who the hell ever thought something like that would ever happen?
My boss, Colton, since I’m not allowed to call him Mr. Donavan anymore, is letting us use his tremendous yard for the wedding. Actually, his wife, Rylee, insisted, without any argument from Colton. It happens to be on the beach, so we’ll exchange our vows right on the sand. I was a little unsure it would work between us at first, and look how damn happy Jace and Kiely make me.
Now we’re about to move into our first home together as a family in Rancho. With a freaking amazing pool that’s mind-blowing. It has a slide and a diving board, and a neat hidden grotto that already has me dreaming about some late-night, sexy pool time with my man. There’s even a large pool house in the back where Lilly will be staying so she can finish school.
Change is good. Right? It’s okay to be scared. Change is uncomfortable, but it also helps you to grow. “Oh, you're going to grow, all right,” I scold my reflection in the mirror.
“You’ve been in there an awfully long time.” Lilly’s pesky little voice jolts me from my inner turmoil. “And who the hell are you talking to?”
“Coming.” I toss the stick into the wastebasket and wash my hands. I open the door slowly, and stick my head out, seeing if the coast is clear. I probably look like Jack Nicholson in The Shining, the way I’m feeling unhinged at the moment.
“Hi.” Lilly’s puzzled face greets me.
“Hi.” I force a short wave of my hand, trying to skate past her without eye contact. “Is Jace here yet?”
“Uh…not yet. What’s going on with you? You’re acting weird.” Her eyebrows knit.
“N…nothing,” I stutter. “Just nervous about moving into the new house.”
“Bullshit! Last week you said you couldn’t wait to move into the new house.”
“It’s…stressful. Moving all our stuff,” I say, chewing on my nail.
“You haven’t lifted a finger. Jace had everything boxed up for us and brought over.”
“Well…I’m just…whatever. I’m going to see if Jace is here. I don’t want to be late picking Kiely up from school.”
“Weirdo.” She shakes her head with a smirk, as I stroll away from her and pace toward the living room.
“What the hell is this?” I turn and catch a glaring Lilly, holding up the plastic stick like an Olympic torch.
“It’s nothing.” I storm past the sneaky little FBI agent and head into the kitchen for a bottle of water, until I remember the refrigerator is empty.
“You’re…knocked up?”