get pregnant? How would Nick and I handle something like that? It isn’t such a big deal for Mason and Lark—they’re already engaged—but Nick and I are so new…
“I thought that went pretty damned well.” Nick grins as he reaches to open the passenger’s door to the Midget but pauses before pulling it open. “What’s up? You look sad.”
“I’m not sad, just a little…worried.”
“It’ll be fine,” Nick says, gathering me into his arms for a hug that isn’t as comforting as it should be. It only reminds me how much I want to be naked with him, even if it isn’t the smartest idea. “Lark and Mason are obviously thrilled about the baby. None of the rest of it matters.”
“I agree, but my parents can still make them miserable if they want to. Hopefully, they’ll behave.”
“They gave us a fair shot, I thought,” Nick says. “Wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting.”
I arch a brow. “Even when Aria basically proposed for you? She wasn’t kidding about the matron of honor thing, just so you know.”
He gazes down at me for a long moment, a thoughtful look on his face.
“What are you thinking?” I finally ask, too nervous to endure the silence a second longer. “Busy plotting your escape?”
“Nope, kind of the opposite,” he says, before adding with a shy smile, “Exactly the opposite.”
I cock my head. “What do you mean?”
“What if…” He trails off, taking a deep breath before he continues, “What if we got engaged?”
My eyes fly so wide so fast it hurts a little.
“I mean, then we could move in together, and no one in your family would have a problem with it,” Nick continues in a reasonable tone. “And even if they did, we’d just remind them that Mason and Lark lived together while they were engaged, and they’d have to back off.”
“Yes, but then we’d be expected to actually get married, sooner or later.” I laugh, my heart pounding in my throat and so many emotions swirling inside me that I’m not sure what to feel. “You do realize that, right?”
He shrugs, and hurt flickers across his face. “You say that like it’s the craziest thing you’ve ever heard.”
“It’s pretty crazy,” I say. “We’ve only been dating two weeks. My family would flip out. Aria can get away with stuff like that, but I really can’t.”
Nick’s arms slide from my waist as he takes a step back, his focus dropping to the grass by the curb. “Right. You’re right. Baby steps.”
“Or toddler steps at least. Just definitely no sprinting,” I say, trying to inject some humor into the moment and…failing.
Nick looks even more awkward and embarrassed than he did before.
“Hey, listen,” I say, taking his hand and holding on tight. “I meant what I said. I love you, and I’d be lying if I said the thought of us maybe ending up together together hasn’t crossed my mind, but I mean…you won’t even tattoo me until we’ve been together for six months.”
“A tattoo is forever,” Nick says, lifting his gaze to mine. “Sometimes even laser treatments won’t get rid of them completely.”
“Well, marriage is forever, too,” I say. “At least I want mine to be.”
“Me, too.” He threads his fingers through mine. “I know I’m not the most traditional person in a lot of ways, but I only want to tie the knot one time. And just so you know, I’ve never even considered that kind of thing with anyone else. Ever. Not even close, no matter how long we’d been dating.”
“Not even Sarah Beth?”
“No one,” he confirms. “Honestly, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to get married, but…it doesn’t feel scary to think about that kind of life with you. What your sister said didn’t spook me. It made me…excited.” He squeezes my hand. “I like the idea of waking up next to you every day.”
“For the rest of your life?” I ask, my pulse thundering now.
Nick’s tongue slips out to dampen his lips a little nervously, which is both endearing and sexy as heck at the same time. “Yeah. I think so.”
I pull in a shaky breath, torn. A part of me is already soaring into the skies on giddy love wings, lifted up by how intensely thrilled I am to hear those words. Another, more logical part, is warning me to pump the brakes—forever will still be waiting for us after Nick and I have been dating at least a few months—and a third, panic-inclined part is shrieking that I don’t even