Too bad I hadn't thought of that the night she'd had her ice cream mishap with Ben.
I closed my car door and trudged into the house.
A month or so after Brody and I had gotten back together, we'd talked to Jacks and she didn't seem upset by the idea so I'd started sleeping over once a week.
That had slowly morphed into several days per week until I was now basically living with them. I still went home at least once or twice a week to spend time with Sierra, but I rarely spent the night. She'd threatened to move into my room just so I'd stop pretending like I lived there and just move in with Brody. Not that she was any better because she spent most of her nights at Ben's place.
The problem was, I was waiting for an invitation. Brody knew Jacks better than I did and he would have to be the one to make that decision. I told him that when I'd started spending every night with them.
Now, several months later, I was still waiting.
But I would wait years if I had to. He and his daughter had become my entire world. And he made it clear that I was just as important to him as his daughter.
He also made sure I understood that I was allowed to be involved in parenting Jacks, too. Especially when the supervised visits with her mom faltered and finally stopped because Monica was too consumed with her partying and jet-setting lifestyle to spend time with the little girl who loved her.
I didn't want to take Monica's place. I wanted Jacks to have her mother. But I couldn't control Monica, either. She had to make the choice to be involved.
So, I did the best I could to be there for Jacks. I spent time with her. I showed her that I cared about her. I helped her with her homework and tucked her into bed.
And I loved every second of it.
She was also the first thing I saw when I walked out of the mudroom and into the kitchen.
"Hey, Cam!" She had a huge grin on her face and her eyes sparkled. For some reason she was extra happy to see me.
The sight of her smile was enough to make what had been a trying evening a little bit better.
"Daddy and I made you a special dinner," she said.
Brody appeared in the kitchen behind her and stopped short when he took in my appearance. The corners of his mouth turned up for a split second before he controlled it. "What happened to you?" he asked. I could hear the need to laugh vibrating in his voice.
"Pee Wee football league night. Apparently, the teams decided to play the last quarter all over again, with ice cream this time."
Brody snorted but quickly suppressed it. "Please tell me you have video."
I did but there was no way I was going to tell him because he would want to watch it. I wasn't ready for that right now because I was still too angry. Maybe after I'd cooled down.
On the way home, I'd called the Pee Wee commissioner and let him know on no uncertain terms that I expected the parents from those two teams to reimburse me for the professional cleaning I was going to have to arrange. Considering I sponsored a team and paid for their uniforms, he was more than happy to comply. Though neither of the teams that messed up the shop were sponsored by me. Otherwise things would have ended a whole lot quicker.
Jacks tapped Brody on the arm. "Daddy, can we ask her?"
Brody crouched down. "I think she might want to clean up first, sweetie."
When Jacks' face fell, I pushed the thought of a hot shower to the back of my mind. This was more important. Congealed fudge could wait.
"It's okay, Brody." I came closer and knelt on the floor in front of Jacks. "What did you need to ask me, baby?"
Her grin returned with a vengeance and she looked to her father. Brody nodded and dropped down on his knees next to her.
Jacks turned back to me. "Actually, it's Daddy that has something to ask you."
When I looked at Brody, the little black box in his hand caught my attention and I froze.
"You know how much I love you, Cameron McClane. Would you do me the honor of being my wife?"
I stared at him then at the diamond ring that appeared when he opened the box.
"Daddy, I thought you were going to ask her to marry us!" Jacks chimed in.
My heart started beating again and tears filled my eyes.
Jacks' happy expression faded. "Why are you crying, Cam?"
I completely forgot about the goo on my clothes and grabbed her into a tight hug. "I'm crying because I'm so happy that I can't keep it inside."
Jacks' arms wrapped around my neck and she squeezed me back. "So you're not sad?"
"No, baby," I answered, releasing her and sitting back so I could see them both. "I'm very, very happy."
"So you'll marry us?" she repeated.
"Absolutely," I answered, my voice breaking. "I would love to marry you." I looked at Brody as I accepted his proposal.
"Give her the ring, Daddy," Jacks demanded.
I laughed even as tears still slipped down my face. I swiped them away with my right hand as I held my left out to Brody. Then my mouth fell open when I got my first good look at the ring.
It was perfect. A cushion cut diamond gleamed in the center, surrounded by smaller diamonds that also crusted the entire band, making the whole ring sparkle.
Brody held my left hand steady as he slid the ring on my fourth finger. It fit as though it had been made for me.
I looked from the ring to Brody and Jacks. "I love you both so much," I said.
Jacks threw herself into my arms again then grimaced when she pulled back. "You're sticky!"
Brody chuckled. "Why don't you go change clothes and wash up before dinner, Jacks?"
She scampered out of the room, yelling, "Don't eat without me!"
As soon as I heard her feet on the stairs, I threw myself into Brody's arms and kissed him.
When we came up for air, I said, "I can't believe you proposed to me while I was covered in pistachio ice cream and hot fudge sundae."
"I don't care what you're covered with as long as you said yes."
God, that was the most perfect thing he could have said.
"Did you honestly think I'd say no?" I asked.
"I didn't think so, but there was always the chance. You're not upset that Jacks wanted to help, are you? When I asked her how she felt about us getting married, she got so excited and she wanted to plan 'our' proposal right away."
That was the sweetest thing I'd ever heard. "You asked her tonight?"
He nodded.
"I love that she wanted to be involved. I want her to be happy," I answered.
Brody pulled me closer again and kissed me once more, light and short. Then he pulled back a bit and looked down at the smear of green across his shirtfront. "I think we both need to clean up before dinner."
He got to his feet and helped me up.
"What are we having?" I asked.
"Carbonara and salad with garlic breadsticks. Jacks insisted that it was your favorite."
I laughed. "It is one of my favorites." I stopped in the middle of our bedroom and stared at Brody. "Please tell me this isn't a dream. Because I don't think I could handle waking up."
"It's not a dream, Cam," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist. "It kills me every time you go home. The longer we're together, the more I need you. I crave you. Every day. I would marry you tomorrow if we could arrange it and not get murdered by our families."