Grace Anne - By Kathi S. Barton Page 0,43

all that.”

Michael grinned. If the truth be known, this sister scared him the least of all. She was military like him and she’d be someone who would either have your back or have a knife at your throat. He grinned at the description that Grace had given about her.

“She’s a twin and the exact polar opposite of Lilly Pad. Where one is a school teacher who wouldn’t say shit if her life depended on it, the other would make a sailor blush and probably has. Sin is a bit...abrasive, but she’s loyal. If I had to go into a bar, she’d be the one on the tables dancing and singing at the top of her lungs, but the first one to throw the punch if she felt a brawl was going to be fun. I love them all and wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

“And you miss them,” he said to her. She burst into tears and nodded. He’d held her until she fell asleep then crawled into the bed with her.

Michael laughed at the thought of being tested by someone. “Tell her I am. I’ll see you soon.”

~~~

The ride to the house was quiet. Trace was nervous; Grace could tell. She was too. What if they wanted to know everything? She glanced over at Michael as he talked on his cell phone. What if they wanted to know what he was doing here? She didn’t even know herself.

Of course, she knew they were aware of them coming. She’d called Jazzie when the plane had taken off to let her know to find a place for Trace and Michael to stay. She’d told her that Payton had already made arrangements for them to stay at their house. She wasn’t sure who the “they” were and was afraid to ask. She put her hand on her belly again to try and settle it.

“There’s probably some ginger ale in the cooler if you want it.”

She looked over at Michael when he spoke.

“For your belly. Ginger ale usually does the trick with Trace when he’s got a nervous belly.”

“I’m not nervous,” she snapped. “I’m wondering what Cain will think about you barging in on his household. He’s not a very nice man when he’s pissed.” She looked at him when he threw back his head and laughed. Her entire body felt it. She wanted to snuggle up into his chest and stay there. Grace looked away when she felt the tears threaten. He was going to get hurt, maybe even killed, and there was nothing she could do about it.

“Come here, love. I want to hold you.”

She thought about telling him no, but he pulled her to him anyway.

“I want to tell you something. Something that you should know before your family asks.”

When he didn’t say anything more she sat up and looked at him. “What? I’m supposing you’ve been talking to them all along without my knowledge, right?”

He nodded.

“Well, what could you possibly tell me now that they don’t already know?”

He reached into his jacket pocket and handed her a small box. She looked at it for several seconds before she looked back up at him. The little blue box was something she’d never expected.

“Open it, Grace,” he told her softly.

She shook her head.

“Open the box and tell me yes so that I can slip it onto your lovely finger.”

She started to reach out and touch it. Her fingers were trembling and her heart was pounding hard. She closed her hand before she could touch it and looked up at him. “What if…what if you decide that you don’t want me after you meet my family? Shouldn’t you wait until after?” After what, she wasn’t sure, but he was already opening the box and taking out the ring. “Oh, Michael, it’s beautiful.”

It was a beautiful square cut yellow diamond surrounded by small, oval-shaped sapphires and rubies. The setting was on a wide band that had vines that looked to be spun gold that encircled the band and held the stones in place. She fell in love with it the moment she saw it. She was shaking when he slipped it just over her first knuckle.

“I don’t need to know the ‘what ifs,’ love. You’ve had my heart since the moment you pulled me to your mouth with my tie. I’ve never wanted a woman like I did you at that moment, and had there not been a room full of people, I would have taken you right there.” He slipped it past