Nonstop (Open Skies #3) - Becca Jameson Page 0,72

he teased.

She was so damn excited about what she was going to say to him next that she almost couldn’t contain herself. She’d planned this for a few weeks though, so now that the moment was here, she wanted to torment him and drag it out.

“If we’re going to call my parents and then yours, they are going to ask questions about our intentions toward each other.”

He shrugged. “It’s none of their business. We’re grown adults. They will have to suck it up and accept that we’re setting the timeline for our lives, not them.”

“True. But it would be easier if we gave them the answer they’ll be looking for.” She bit her lip, stifling her excitement.

Bracken froze, his eyes going wide and then wider. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

She nodded, fighting the grin that wouldn’t stop growing.

He rose up fully, hovering over her. “Rebekah? Are you telling me you’re ready to commit to marrying me?”

She shrugged, pretending it was no big deal. “I mean whatever.”

He jumped up higher, straddling her, his hands landing at the sides of her face. “Don’t fuck with me, baby. Are you serious?”

She couldn’t torment him further. “Yes, Bracken. I’m serious. I love you more than I ever thought I could love another human being. I think we should get married.”

He stared at her while his smile grew larger by the second. “Say it again.”

“I love you.”

“And the other part.”

“I want to marry you.”

He scrambled off her and slid off his side of the bed.

She followed his movement, confused.

And then he was back on the bed, and this time he was holding out a box. A small box. A ring box. His smile was so big, he was like a kid at Christmas. He opened the lid to reveal a diamond solitaire on a gold band. The diamond was a bit large but otherwise simple. Elegant. Perfect.

“Rebekah Safire, will you marry me.”

“Yes.” Tears started to fall, and she didn’t bother to stop them.

His fingers were shaking as he removed the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. After staring at it a moment, he pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I love you so much, baby. Thank you for making me the happiest man alive.” He dropped down alongside her again, pulled her into his arms, and kissed the sense out of her.

When she finally leaned back to draw in a breath, she said, “Now, how do we respond to the next question they will all ask?”

He grinned. “You can tell them whatever you want, but I’m in favor of a justice of the peace later this afternoon.”

She giggled. “Why did I know you would say that?”

He kissed her cheek, her lips, her chin, her neck, her shoulder, her chest. He kissed her everywhere as if he couldn’t get enough. “I can’t believe you’re finally going to be mine.”

“I was always yours, Bracken.”

He kept grinning.

“How long have you had that ring?”

“Since the morning when we got back from Maine and you went to your condo. I went to the jeweler that day, knowing it was a good opportunity while you weren’t home so that you wouldn’t get suspicious.”

“That was before you suspected I might be pregnant.”

“Yes.”

For some reason that warmed her heart even more.

“Do you think if we got married this week, we could convince our kid he or she was premature?”

She laughed. “No. We are not lying to our kid. We’ll tell him or her that we were madly in love when he or she was conceived, and we remained so for the rest of our lives.”

“I like that,” he whispered. “We are going to blow our friends’ minds later tonight when we tell them all the news in our life.”

“That’s for sure.” Bex couldn’t stop smiling. She’d been through a lot. It was time for her to be happy. After months of counseling, she was confident in her decisions and shaking free of the past. She rarely woke up gasping anymore. Dr. Rawlins got some of the credit, but Bracken got most of it. Though both of them would say that it was all Bex, and she was starting to believe them when they told her she was a strong woman. She could handle anything because she’d already handled more than most humans.

She could even deal with being a mom. She was no longer as nervous about the concept. She was getting excited.

Bex was nearly giddy by the time everyone showed up for