It causes Carter to grin. “Hungry?”
I finish my bite and wipe my mouth with my napkin. “More like stockpiling fuel. I’m hungry, but I don’t have much room left to actually eat, so the few bites that I manage, I make it count,” I explain.
“Solid plan.”
The baby shower came and went, and the house is ready. All the while, my feeling is unbearably strong, and it’s time to share it. A silence begins to hang over us, and it causes Carter to shift in his seat.
“I’m going to assume that you’ve been quiet lately because the approaching labor might feel daunting?”
A smile begins to crawl on my face. “Nah. It’s something else.”
He stands and offers me his hand. “Come on.”
My brows furrow, and I let him lead the way. He tows me to the middle of the living room and spins me straight into his arms, and we begin to sway. We always have background music on when we’re eating dinner. And now it seems to help fit his desire to dance.
“What are we doing?” I wonder.
“Dancing.” His piercing eyes spear straight into my heart. “We used to do this all the time.”
It’s true. I would pull him into the middle of the kitchen to dance with me for no reason. “Are you trying to calm me?”
He brings my hand to his chest. “Do I need to?”
That flutter floats inside me again. “No. I’m perfectly relaxed lately.” Especially as my thoughts have unraveled into clarity of what was meant to be.
“Good to hear.”
Inhaling a deep breath, I’m ready to lay it all on the table. “You know how we managed to forgive our own stupidity, otherwise known as our divorce?” I attempt to throw in some light-heartedness, and I’m thankful when the corner of Carter’s mouth shoots up. “Well, I also didn’t want to feel as though we needed to have a shotgun wedding because I’m pregnant.”
“I get that. However, that’s not why I want that ring back on your finger,” he assures me.
My fingers resting on his shoulders curl into his shirt. “But I also wouldn’t want to marry because I’m caught in an emotional moment when we meet our child.”
Carter cocks his head to the side, and his eyes have a glint of curiosity as he searches for a clue in my own eyes. “Where are you going with this?”
“We’ve had a quickie wedding once, and this time I’m pregnant and it’s kind of the cherry on top.”
He doesn’t blink. “Again, what are you trying to say?”
The magnetism surrounding us is heavy.
“Carter, I want you to slide the ring back on my finger because I’m ready. I do want to get remarried. I’ve never been more certain.” My entire body feels lighter.
What happens next is a blur, and the only thing keeping me grounded is Carter’s lips on mine. A confirming approval. Hard until he brushes his mouth side to side. He hooks his finger under my chin and steals my view, but then he abruptly drops his hand and whisks off in a hurry, leaving me standing in confusion.
The sound of him thumping up the steps fills my ears, followed by heavy feet on the upstairs floor. Blinking a few times, Carter returns downstairs at the rate of a shooting rocket.
Holding up the rings, I chuckle under my breath.
He pants as he lowers to one knee. “I needed the fucking rings.”
“I noticed,” I say blankly.
His facial features grow stoic. “Rosie, after everything we’ve been through, we’re only stronger, I promise. I’m asking you again and for the last time. Will you marry me?”
I touch the sides of his face because I need to feel him, and I grin at him. “Hmm, let me consider.” I toy with him as I draw out the moment. Faltering, I nod. “Yes!”
I pray that the ring still fits around my finger because everything seems bigger on my body. Luckily, the ring wraps around my skin, still a perfect mold.
