“Daddy!” voices shouted from down the hall.
“Shit, I think that’s my cue that I have to get up.” He kissed the side of my neck and then whispered in my ear again. “I love you Gemma. I meant what I said. One day I want you to be my wife.”
Then he released me and got out of bed. Stunned again, I let out a mumbled, “I love you too.”
I didn’t want to get my hopes up. And I didn’t care if it was too soon or what anyone else thought.
If Bodie did ever ask me to marry him, I knew what my answer would be.
A thousand times,yes.
* * *
Watchingthe girls open gifts was entertaining.
The glee on their faces and squeals of delight made my heart full of joy.
Bodie sat on the floor, his back to the couch and I sat between his legs leaning against him as we laughed, joked, and enjoyed the time with the girls.
It felt so domestic and my pulse raced as I thought about him telling me less than an hour ago that he wanted to marry me, along with the girls’ exclamation of me being their mommy too. A shiver ran through my body in excitement.
“Are you cold?” Bodie asked, leaning forward, his warm breath tickling my ear and causing another shiver.
“If you keep responding to me that way, I may have to lock the girls in their room so I can have you before we head out for the day.”
I turned in his embrace as a gasp left my lips. “You wouldn’t.”
He gave me a sexy smirk. “Of course not, but it’s fun to get a rise out of you.”
I playfully swatted his shoulder and he leaned over and quickly kissed my lips.
But not quick enough.
“Embry told us this would happen,” Peyton said, as both girls stood staring at us when I turned back around.
I needed to tell Miss Embry to shush.
“It will probably happen a lot more,” Bodie told his kids.
At one time he worried about what they would think and if it was best to let them know about us yet, but now that the cat was out of the bag, he was diving in, headfirst.
It felt wonderful even if I worried that everything seemed too good and part of me was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Someone still had it out for me and I didn’t think they were done yet. I just didn’t understand why it was happening. It was Christmas and I didn’t want to think about it so I shoved those thoughts deep down and buried them for the time being.
“Okay,” Piper said with a shrug as if it was no big deal.
“Can we open more presents?” Peyton asked.
Bodie and I decided to do our gift to each other later that night. And we had opened ornaments and pictures from the girls already that they made at school. We also had gifts for the other kids and our friends, but those we’d do at Braxton’s later. Each family was doing their own at home before heading over.
I thought about that for a minute and a pang pierced my heart at the thought of Capri being alone right then. Everyone had a significant other, or family, and Patience, along with her son, had Ruby’s family.
But Capri, she had nobody.
And she would never talk about where they were or too much about herself. The woman was a mystery, but I still felt awful she had nobody to wake up with on Christmas morning. At least she agreed to come later today when we all gathered.
“Can we open these pretty packages?” the girls asked, bouncing up and down.
