The Curve Ball - Samantha Lind Page 0,87

those times. Evie might not realize it now, but the way you showed complete grace when your name was dragged through the headlines, and people yelled at you and called you names at games, would show her how to be the strong woman I hope she one day grows to be. And there's no one better than you to show her that path.”

The tears fall faster down my cheeks at Justin's words. He pulls me closer to him, kissing my tear-soaked lips. “I love you,” I whisper against them before I’m pushed back by a squirming Evie. “I love you, too, baby girl,” I tell her as my tears turn to laughter.

“Evie and I have a question for you,” Justin says, pulling my attention back to his.

“Yes, I’ll make pancakes and bacon for breakfast,” I tease him, knowing exactly what he’s going to ask.

“That’s good to know, but that wasn’t what we were wondering,” he says, flashing a smug smile.

Justin leans over the bed and comes up with a small gift bag. I’m so confused by a few things. First, where in the heck was he hiding a gift bag, and for how long? Secondly, why does he have a present for me? Christmas is just a couple of weeks away, and it isn’t my birthday. “Here, open this,” he says as he sets the bag in front of me. Evie tries to lean forward and grab the tissue paper that is poking out the top, but I swoop it out of her reach just in time.

I reach into the bag and pull out a onesie, unfolding it to read the front. My eyes go wide as I take in what it says.

“Will you marry my daddy?”

My eyes snap to Justin, who is now holding an open ring box and attempting to keep Evie from grabbing it from him as she crawls all over him.

“We love you and want you to be part of our family officially. Will you marry me and become Evie’s mom for real?” Justin asks me, a huge smile covering his lips.

“Oh my,” I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand. “Yes!” I cry out, and he pulls me back into his arms, kissing me deeply as Evie smacks us in the face with her little chubby hands.

“We’ve got her forever,” Justin says to Evie as he shifts her to sit up higher on the bed between our pillows. He finally slips the ring out of the box and onto my finger.

“So, does this mean I can’t refer to myself as the nanny anymore?” I tease him, looking down at the enormous ring he just placed on my finger.

“I think fiancée has a better ring to it.” He winks at me. “And once I put your name on my bank account, do I really need to keep paying you?” He smirks.

“I’ve already told you that you could stop paying me,” I say as I plant another kiss to his lips.

“I know, but you wouldn’t let me put your name on my bank account, so will you now?”

“It kind of scares me to think of my name on an account with so many digits in it.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s a lot of freaking money. You know most people could only dream of making as much money as you do, right?”

“I’m aware.” He smirks—the jerk. “But I also know that I’m going to take care of my family for the rest of my life. Make my wife happy, maybe have a few more kids,” he tells me, and my eyebrows raise in question.

“A few, huh?”

“I missed that whole part of parenthood the first time around, and I know how much Evie has changed my life for the good, that I want that again. I want that with you. I want to see what Evie is like as a big sister, and, god willing, what she’s like as a teenager. I want it all, and I want it with you.”

“You sure are a charmer this morning,” I tease him. “You sure you’re feeling okay?”

“I’m feeling on top of the world. The best woman in the world just said yes when I asked if she’d marry me and become my daughter's mom.”

“Okay, way to make a girl cry again.” I wipe at my eyes because tears spring to them once again this morning.

“How about we go make those pancakes and bacon?” he asks, changing the subject. “You ready for some breakfast, Evie girl?” he asks her, picking her up and blowing a