She Loves Me (Harmony Pointe #3) - Melissa Foster Page 0,146
gone to heaven. He read the engraving aloud: “Back off, bitches. I’m taken.” A deep laugh rumbled out, and he hauled her in for a kiss.
Laughter, cheers, and barks ensued.
“That’s my girl,” Piper’s father called out.
As Piper slid the silver band on his left ring finger, he said, “Taken by the best woman in the world. I couldn’t love our commitment, my ring, or you more than I do right now.”
“I bet you will in a second,” Piper said, handing him the other ring. “Since I ripped you off of having a Mrs. Dutch, mine’s engraved on the outside.”
Tears stung his eyes as he read the inscription. “Harley’s.” He slid the ring on her finger, and the love in her eyes nearly did him in. He said, “I love you, baby,” and pressed his lips to hers.
“Congratulations, boss!” Kase hollered, causing another uproar of cheers.
“Are they married?” Louie asked.
“No,” Harley and Piper said at once, making everyone laugh.
Piper gazed into Harley’s eyes and said, “But in our hearts we are.”
“Always and forever,” he said, and then he sealed their promises with a kiss, silently thanking the powers that be for the water on the floor that had caused him to fall and land in the hospital all those weeks ago.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“HOW ABOUT ‘OLD lady’?” Harley asked later that evening. He’d spent the last ten minutes trying to come up with a word to use instead of wife.
“Sure. Unless you like your balls.” Piper snuggled closer to him on the couch.
After her proposal, Delaney had picked up the girls early from school, and they’d celebrated with their family and friends, messy cake-hair, pajamas, and all. When she and Harley had finally come home, Harley had taken his sweet and ever-so-delicious time helping her bathe. They’d made excellent use of the bench she’d installed in the shower. He helped her ice her foot and rearranged his schedule to chauffer her to and from the job site for the next few days until her foot was better. He’d always been good to her, but she hadn’t expected him to be good for her. He made her see him for who he really was, forcing her to open her eyes and feel his love—and to see that she was not only lovable forever, but that she had loads of love to give, too. She looked forward to giving him every ounce of it for the rest of their lives.
“Well, I can’t use spouse, and partner is too generic.” He held up his left hand, admiring his ring for the millionth time that evening. “How about my sexy thang?”
“Too hookerish.”
He chuckled. “Sex slave?”
“Let’s see how that’ll go over in public. ‘Hi, God-loving friend. Meet my sex slave, Piper.’”
“You’re probably right. It’s not politically correct. How about forever fuck buddy?”
She elbowed him in the ribs.
He oomphed, and his arm shot across his body.
“Oh shoot! I’m sorry! I forgot Marshall hit you there.” She lowered her voice and said, “But you deserved it. I am way more than your fuck buddy.”
Jiggs’s head shot up from where he slept on the floor, he yawned, and put his head back down.
“I know you are, Trig, but I love riling you up. Just keep your elbows to yourself.” He pulled her onto his lap, wincing with the effort, but still, his smiling eyes caught hers. “What I want to call you is mine, but that’s going to sound funny to other people, so I think I’ll stick with my girl, my better half, and my forever love.”
“And I’ll call you my everyday man candy.” Piper wound her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. She’d never felt happier and her world had never felt more right than the moment she’d told Harley she wanted forever with him and he agreed to her unconventional proposal.
“Do you think you can fit twelve-inch in there somewhere?”
She put her face beside his and whispered in his ear, “This twelve-inch friend must be very important to you, but sorry, Dutch, I’m not into threesomes.”
He grabbed her sides, and she squealed, trying to wiggle out of his lap as he lifted her and gently tossed her onto her back on the couch.
“I thought your ribs hurt!” she said through a laugh as he came down over her with a devilish grin, carefully avoiding her injured foot.
“I will never be too hurt to do this.” He pressed his lips to hers. “And I’ll never share you with a soul.”