“Sweetheart, you’re everything to me. You make me want to be the best man I possibly can be, for myself and for you.”
“Yes,” she blurts.
My brows lift. “I’m not done yet.”
“Oh. Okay. Keep going.” She dances in place, grinning through the tears shining in her beautiful eyes.
“I love the life we’re building. I want to spend every day by your side. Taking care of you. Making you laugh. Wiping your tears. The good. The bad. All of it. I’m in, sweetheart. I’m in with you forever.”
“Cole,” she whispers, moved.
I lick my lips. “So what do you think? Want to marry me?”
She’s silent for a beat. My stomach ripples with unease. Then she jumps.
“Oh, you’re waiting. I already said yes.”
My head hangs with a relieved huff. “Yes.Yes.”
“Yes,” she repeats affectionately.
With a delighted noise, she crashes into me, taking both of us to the floor. Our family laughs. My arms lock around her, mouth meeting hers. When we climb to our feet, we hug everyone as they congratulate us.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Benson mouthsringat me.
Damn it. I pat my pocket, feeling the box I forgot to get out. A rueful smile crosses my face.
“Sorry, sweetheart.”
Eve winds her arms around my waist. “It was a perfect proposal in my book. Perfectly imperfect, just the way I like it.”
My lips twitch at the mantra I’m always giving her when she’s being hard on herself. I drop a kiss on her forehead, then slide the engagement ring on her finger. With Jess and her friends’ help, I found a custom jeweler to create something as unique as she is, setting her birthstone amongst a cluster of gold leaves to look like a bouquet.
“It’s gorgeous.” She admires it.
“You like it? The girls helped me pick it.”
“I love it.” She tips her chin up for another kiss, murmuring against my lips. “Love you.”
“Love you too, Evie.”
When we part, we pose for photos. Eve rests her hand against my chest to show off the sparkling engagement ring. I haven’t stopped grinning since she said yes. Bauer jumps up on us, making both of us laugh. She bends to give him affection.
“Did you want to be in the photo too, my sweet boy?”
“I texted it to you,” Jess says.
“Thanks.”
Eve leans into me. I tug her closer while I pull up the photo on my phone.
“Send it to me, too,” she says. “I want to text the girls.”
I run my hand up and down her back, marveling that she’ll be my wife.
Once I shoot the photo off to her, I pull up the group chat the guys on the team put me in. There are several messages of their backyards covered in fresh snow and their meals. I text our picture to them and moments later, responses from rookies to upperclassmen players flood the chat.
Easton:Holy shit, Kincaid. Congrats.
