Nodding, she told me, “It’s definitely not anyone else’s. You’re… only the second man I’ve slept with. And the first was years ago.”
Then I laughed with joy, and a moment later I turned ghost white. “I’m going to be a daddy. I thought we’d start with a puppy first. But this is…”
“So you really do want a future with me?”
“OfcourseI do.”
“I’m just confused, because I thought we were just a…”
I furrowed my brow. “I’ve known we were more than a one-night thing since our first night together.”
“You have? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I’ve been trying to. You’re the one who wanted to keep us a secret. I thought you were ashamed of me.”
Surprise lit up her face. “Why would I be ashamed of you? You’re perfect, Knox. Absolutely perfect. I thought you only wanted a little fling with me.”
“I want more than that with you, Gwen. You complete me. You make me sane in a crazy world. You soften my dark thoughts. You make me want to be a better man.”
Then, I put my hands on her cheeks and kissed her.
It was the kiss of a man who was in this formorethan just a fling.
When I pulled back, my eyes were hooded over with emotion. I growled, “Now that you’re pregnant youhaveto marry me. No backing out allowed.”
Gwen grinned up at me. “That goes both ways. I saw how Ruby Mae looked at you at the last party Emerald threw. Between her and Kelly, I wasn’t sure I stood a chance.”
“Those women were like a pack of piranhas,” I joked, “and you just left me to them.”
Then, I put on my serious face. “Don’t ever leave me alone with the single women of this mountain again. I need you to protect me from them.”
She laughed and hugged me. “And here I thought Ruby Mae was about to club you and drag you off to her cave.”
I hugged her back, my hand drifting down to her belly. “If I’m being honest, I was a little afraid of that woman.”
Gwen rested her head on my bare shoulder, and I realized I was still in my damp towel. I needed to get some clothes on. But first, I needed to settle one last thing. “No baby of mine is growing up without a daddy. So you pick the date, but make it soon. Okay?”
“Knox, I don’t want you to marry me just because of the baby.”
My hand tangled into hers. “Gwen, I’mnotmarrying you just because you’re having our baby. It’s the perfect excuse. This weekend I was going to show you the place I’m thinking of buying. I was going to… ask if you’d like to live there with me. And if the conversation had gone well, I’d planned to give you the ring then.”
She searched my eyes. “You put in an offer without showing it to me first? What if I don’t like it? What if I want something different?”
“Then we’ll get you something different. I only put down five hundred dollars of earnest money. I figured if you didn’t like the place, it wouldn’t be a big loss. But I think you’re going to love it. It has lilac trees and a wide front porch. The kind you put a swing on and watch the day go by.”
“You keep talking about those lilac trees like they’re something special.”
“I hear that they are. But we’ll have to wait until springtime to find out the truth.”
My other hand drifted up to her neck, stroking it lightly. “And I know you said you’ve been waiting for a chair to open at the hair salon. But… this house has an extra outbuilding on it that’s got water and power and tall ceilings. I think with a coat of paint and a little elbow grease we could turn it into a small salon. You might like that even better than a busy place.”
A tiny smile creaked onto her lips, and her eyes shone brightly. “Are you serious right now? Because if you’re not serious, Knox, you’re going to break my heart. And I don’t want to live the rest of my life with a broken heart.”
I kissed her then.
The kiss of aseriousman.
The kiss ofherman.
