Mr. Mitchell Billionaires' Club Book 2 - Raylin Marks Page 0,183
Ash had no other option than to hand me the phone after she lost it completely once Jimmy proposed to Addy next.” Jake smiled and hugged me. “Welcome to the family, kid,” he said, then went toward where Ash was embracing Addy.
“You sure you want in on a binding contract with this guy?” Alex smirked at me as Jim approached, and Addy was already showing her beautiful necklace to Ash, Jake, and Collin, proudly telling them that Jim was her dad now.
“The binding contract will be signed.” I laughed, hugging Jim’s best friend, then leaned into Jim as he brought his arm around me. “The real question is, can all of you take us?”
“We accepted you both a long time ago,” Jake said as he rejoined us with a wink. “Hey Addy,” he said, reaching for her, “let’s get out of here and let mom and dad look through their time-traveling glasses together. My horse is faster than Jim’s, anyway.”
“Yeah, he’s sorta my dad now, Jake.”
Jake chuckled. “Well, then, that makes me your uncle, and I expect to hear Uncle Jake come out of that mouth next time.”
They all rode off together, leaving Jim and me alone to soak up this treasured moment. We sat down next to the tree. “God, I love you,” I said, tearing up again. “I’m at a loss for words.”
Jim brought his arm around me as we reclined against the tree. “So, I planned that we’d take off for that little hotel we stayed at before. Then, after a night alone, perhaps you and Ash will start in with the wedding arrangements.”
“It doesn’t need to be anything fancy.” I laughed.
“Fantastic,” he kissed my temple. “Then, when we’re back in the States, we’ll head to the first courthouse we see. The next monumental question I want you to consider heavily is solely up to you and what you believe is best for Addy.”
“What is it? My mind is still stuck on your amazing proposal.”
“Well, I was thinking,” he said, “you know how you got full custody of Addy after Derek got locked up again?”
“Kind of hard to forget when your kid’s dad flunks out of rehab for the third time and then goes on a crime spree before getting sent to prison for the foreseeable future, don’t you think?” I said with a half-laugh. I wished I could say things were going differently for Derek, and he was now the father he should’ve been, but the truth was that he was better off in prison, and that was precisely where he’d landed himself.
“I think we all saw it coming from day one with that guy,” he said. “That’s sort of what has me thinking. With me being surrounded by lawyers daily, I tend to overthink things sometimes, and I worry about things. What happens to Addy if something were to happen to you?”
“Jesus,” I thought, almost in a panic. “I’d never thought of anything like that before.”
“Well, I say all of this because I want you to know that I would gladly adopt Addison after we’re married.”
I shot up and looked at Jim as if he were high or something. “That is asking a lot of you. I mean a lot.”
“Truthfully, I’d want it no other way. It doesn’t change the way I love her or plan to care for her for the rest of her life, though, but it’s asking you to trust me as her legal parent. Maybe it’s a heavy thing to consider. I just want you to know that I’m all in, one-thousand percent.”
“You’re the best thing to ever happen to both of us,” I answered, turning to face him. “I trust that we will be together forever.”
He pulled me into his arms. “Then it’s all settled.” He kissed my nose, “You will soon be Mrs. Avery Mitchell, and our little wild child will be known to all as Addison Mitchell. Has a damn good ring to it, doesn’t it?”
I straddled him. “What do you say we get these horses back to the house, say goodbye for the night, get in that car, and blast up to that castle?”
Jim arched his eyebrow at me, “I think I should drive this time.”
“That’s the thing about marriage, darling,” I used the term we used when we were fake-married on our last trip, “what’s yours is mine now.”
Jim chuckled and nipped at my lips. “Are you sure you want that pain-in-the-ass company? That’s the downside of this marriage, you know. I get a sweet little