“Huh?” I ask, confused by his words.
“We’ll get married when we get back home.”
“You haven’t even given me a ring yet.”
His lips morph into a mischievous smile. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Lifting his hand between us, he wiggles his pinky at me before slipping the small vintage ring off and reaching for my hand. I gasp, wondering how I didn’t notice it there before. It’s perfect and looks oddly familiar.
“This was Mama’s ring.”
Tears sting my eyes. “Linc.”
“Dad took her to the top of the water tower in town, where he spray-painted her name and got down on one knee. I thought about doing something romantic like that but I couldn’t come up with anything that I thought would impress you so here I am, a man standing in front of a woman”—he slips the ring on my finger then looks deep into my eyes—“asking her to marry him.”
My heart flip-flops in my chest as my eyes fill with tears. “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you.”
“I knew this would seal the deal,” he says, sliding it onto my trembling finger.
His hands frame my face before his lips brush mine. “God, I can’t believe we’re finally starting our life together. I wanna marry you before I go on tour.”
“Linc, we have plenty of time. I think we should wait.”
Pulling back, he tilts his head. “Haven’t we waited long enough?”
“Yes, but I want to make sure Caroline is okay with this. We need to give her time to adjust.”
“Babe, I’ll be on the road for months at a time. I don’t wanna wait. I’m tired of waiting. I’m ready to build our life together. I wanna make you my wife.” His hand drifts to my belly. “And if you’re not pregnant already, I want you carrying my child as soon as possible.”
“What makes you think I would be pregnant already?”
“Because we haven’t been using protection and you haven’t mentioned birth control.”
“I have an IUD. I had it put in a couple years back to make sure Dean and I wouldn’t have any more children, and I could never remember to take my pill.”
His brows furrow. “Do you want more?”
I smile. “Of course. I would love nothing more than to be the mother of your child.”
“Children, babe. I want more than one.”
“Wait…how many are we talking about here?”
“At least two more.”
“Two huh?”
“Yes, a boy…so he can carry on the Matthews’ legacy.” He dips his head, bringing his lips to rest upon mine. “And a little girl who looks just like you.”
My heart swells, bursting at the seams with so much love and adoration. “I want that, too.”
His arms wrap tighter around me, holding me close. “I can’t believe you’ll be gone for six months.”
“I’m gonna fly home every chance I get and you’ll come out to see me. Then, after this tour, I’m done.”
“Linc, you can’t quit.”
“Not quit, but do things my way. I think I’ve earned that. I don’t want to be away from you, Caroline, or our babies when they come along. If I weren’t tied to this damn contract I would tell them to shove it up their ass, but I’m a man of my word and I have to see this through. This is the last bend in the road for us though. Then it’s all downhill from there.”
