Left for Wild - Harloe Rae Page 0,107
turn to spill. Tell me more about them.”
She huffs out a heavy breath, sending some tendrils flying off her forehead. “Well, you met them at the hospital. Talk about a trial by fire. Springing you on them might’ve been the best introduction.”
“They seem nice.” I attempt to keep my tone even. In truth, her mother seemed ready to dismember me and sell off my pieces to the black market.
Blakely tips her head back with a raspy giggle. “You’re being very diplomatic, as always. My mom can be a bit…high strung. She’s been borderline reclusive for years. Things haven’t been the same since my dad died. It’s been just the four of us for most of my life.”
A rusty spike drives straight into my windpipe. I try not to wince. My parents and I barely speak, but losing one of them would be devastating. “Shit. I’m sorry, Lee.”
She waves my condolences away. “It’s fine. Don’t apologize or be afraid to talk about him. He passed when I was young. Fatal car wreck. We’ve all had time to grieve. My mother is a different story, though. Her coping methods aren’t healthy. She became more paranoid after his death. That’s the main thing I worry about. When I leased this apartment and got a job at the prison, she nearly lost her marbles. But things have been better as of late. Probably because I’ve been stuck at home.”
“Waiting on me,” I grumble.
“Totally worth it. I wouldn’t take this journey with anyone else.”
“Your mom might need some convincing.”
“Don’t take it personally. No one is good enough for her girls.”
Sour sludge fills my mouth. “Then I’m definitely not making the cut.”
“Listen to me.” She rises into a kneel, clasping my cheeks between her palms. “Stop thinking that way. You’re smart. You’re courageous. Generous. Considerate. Sincere. The greatest man I’ve ever known. You’re enough, Halder.”
I swallow at the knot tangling my vocal chords. “Is this one of those points where I’m supposed to believe you, regardless of personal opinion?”
“Blindly so, yes. And you’re gonna be a really great dad.” She settles my palm on her stomach.
“I can only hope to make you proud.”
Blakely sprawls halfway on top of me, bending in for a kiss. “You already do.”
I trail my fingers down the slope of her spine. “Marry me.”
The idea sprouts spontaneously, growing faster than my impulsive mind can conjure. But I wouldn’t retract that phrase for a winning lottery ticket. The lax muscles along her back snap taut in an instant as she bolts upright, propping on both elbows.
Her jaw is slack as she gawks at me. “Did you just propose?”
I tap the third finger on her left hand. “Well, I wasn’t really asking.”
“That’s what I thought.” She flops down to resume her previous position, muttering a string of nonsense. “For future reference, that’s not a subject to joke about with a woman.”
“No, I mean it wasn’t a question. I’m assuming you’ll agree.”
“You’re serious?”
“Wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”
She narrows her gaze on mine. “Is this because I’m pregnant?”
“Nah, sweetheart. It’s been on my mind since we woke up stranded together in that desolate forest. Fate and destiny and all those other romantic notions landed us there. Are you gonna reject me?”
The tears brimming in her eyes suggest the opposite. “Of course not.”
The thrumming in my chest triples with a rabid beat that’s seeking only her. “So, that’s a yes?”
“If you’re in need of an answer to that non-question, then yes. I’d love to marry you.”
I smash our lips together, rolling her underneath me to deepen the embrace. A belated thought pokes through the smoldering lust in my brain. I rip my mouth away with a muffled groan.
“Give me one second.” I slide off the bed and dig out her present from the pocket of my jeans. The tangle of vines and flexible twigs form a mostly perfect circle. “A bit primitive, but not entirely meaningless. Further proof this isn’t a rash decision.”
“You made me a ring?” Her voice wavers with raw emotion as I slide the band on.
I wanted to make her something to remember our beginning, regardless of how we end. “In the forest, yeah. I was too chickenshit then. The significance has changed a bit, so maybe it’s better I waited.”
Her stare is locked on the piece of our woods. “I would love a rare gem you created, regardless of the meaning.”
“I’ll buy you a real one tomorrow,” I vow.
Blakely shakes her head. “This handcrafted beauty is more valuable than a flawless diamond. I’d