“I overreacted.”
“Not true. If some idiot were trying to manhandle you, I would have done a lot worse. Let’s just say the stroganoff would have went flying. I would have involved dinner, dessert, dishes,andfurniture. The entire swat team would have showed. If anything, I think you were a lady about the whole thing.”
“Please don’t let this kill the relationship with your mother. I feel terrible.”
“She killed it. You didn’t.” I press a kiss over the top of her head. “I don’t want you to feel bad. Maybe in the future, when she comes to her senses, we’ll work things out, but, for now, I’m through with her. You’re not some wild oat, Laney. You’re the love of my life. You’re the woman I want to spend every last breath with and there’s not another soul on the planet who’s going to get in the way. This is it, you and me. This is real. This is what I want.” I take in a breath because I know where we need to go next, and I don’t want to.
“Ryder.” She moves her hands over my back and warms me. “You know I love you more than the universe and everything in it. I’d die to be with you. Idoowe someone an apology tonight, and it’s you.” She glances down and picks up my hand. “Last year I was driven to the brink of insanity with all that Meg drama. And that night”—her back trembles as she fights the tears—“I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt like you were choosing her. That I would never fully have you—that maybe I wasn’t enough.”
“You aremorethan enough.” I pull her in close and bring her lips to mine for a moment. “I swear to you, I wasn’t choosing her. I would never choose anyone over you, and, if I could go back in time, I’d do everything different.” I rock her in my arms. “I’m the one who owes you an apology. Weeks before that night my mother tried everything to undermine our relationship, but I kept making excuses for her. Deep down I didn’t want to believe she was capable, that she would be heartless enough not to care what I wanted—that she’d push off her own desires on me. That night, I held you in my arms until you fell asleep. I got a text from my mother. She said I needed to get to the house right away, that it was an emergency.” My voice cracks because it was the last time I would hold Laney until just a few days ago. “I thought it had something to do with my dad. I just took off without thinking. When I got to the house she said Meg fell down the stairs—that she was fine but asked if I could take her home.”
“That’s what she wanted—you out of my bed and with Meg.”
“And that’s when you came.” I drove Meg to her place. “She asked me to help her to bed, and I fell for it. Meg pulled off her dress. I swear I didn’t do it.” That’s when Laney burst through the doors with a fire in her eyes.
“You had spent so much time rescuing her like some poor, feeble kitten stuck in a tree, I was sick and tired of it. Seeing her like that—naked. Seeing you with her in the same bedroom.” She shakes her head. “That was the last straw. It was all I could take.”
“I’m sorry. You were right about everything. I swear I’ll never doubt you again.” I press my lips to her hair. “I’ve always wondered, how did you know to come?”
“I got a text.” Her pale eyes glitter with tears. “Meg said you were taking her to bed.” She presses her lips tight and swallows back the pain. “I could see that your mom was the puppet master, but Meg wanted you, she still does. I know you used to be close. That you went to school together but—”
“She doesn’t know how to quit and neither does my mother, that’s why I’m quitting them.” I trace out her lips with my finger. “I choose you, Laney. If Meg gets stuck in a tree, she’s going to have to call the fire department like everybody else. I’ll be too busy burying myself in a slice of Heaven.”
She gives a soft laugh. “I see what you did there.”
“Yeah?” I land a kiss on her lips and moan. “You know who didn’t see what I did?”
“The Big N.P.?”
“Precisely.” A pale flicker catches my attention out the window. “Look at that.”
“It’s snowing.” She latches onto my arm and gives a squeeze. “It looks like we get a white Christmas after all. You know what they say, if it snows on Christmas, a miracle can happen.” Laney gives a sad smile as she looks into my eyes. “I really love you, Ryder Capwell. Thank you for loving me back. I hope you never regret our relationship. I’m sorry what it’s costing you.”
“The only thing I regret is the year I spent without you. I’m in this forever.”
A smile inches up her cheek. “Forever hardly sounds like enough time to be with you.”
“You always were the smart one.” I give her ribs a little tickle. “Hey why don’t you look under the tree? I bet Santa left something there for you a little early.”
She inspects the floor surrounding the twirling evergreen and shakes her head. “Looks like Santa forgot. There’s nothing under there.”
“Why don’t you try near the top branch? I bet he tossed it up there. He’s always in such a damn hurry.”
Laney springs up and hikes to the balls of her feet. “Nope.”
I slip the red velvet box out of my pocket and get on bended knee.
“That’s because it’s down here.” I smile up at her sheepishly and crack the box open.
“Ryder!” She cups her hands over her mouth.
“I hope you don’t mind.” I swallow hard. Laney looks like a princess with the pink and green lights sparkling around her. “I’m actually one year late in giving this to you.” I had it worked out for last Christmas, but things didn’t exactly go as planned. Having her find me falling into another girl’s bed wasn’t on the shortlist of how I wanted to propose. “You don’t have to answer me, Laney. I know it’s only been a few days, and we’ve just straightened the ship, but I can’t help the way I feel. I need you in my life. I’d be more than humbled and honored if you would consider becoming my wife.”
Laney falls to her knees with tears running down her face, an ear-to-ear smile that’s just for me.
“Ryder.” She lands a mouthwatering kiss over my lips that lets me know exactly how she feels. “I do want to answer you.” She crashes into me with another quick kiss. “Yes!I want to be your wife. I’ve wanted to marry you for as long as I can remember. I’m not doing this life thing without you.”
“Thank you.” I touch my palms to her cheeks and kiss her with a tenderness that feels far too restrained for the moment, but I want to savor it, memorize it. “You’re the family I choose. This is it—me and you forever.”
