As I took his hand, he pulled me close, wearing an expression I’d never seen on his face before.
“What’s the special occasion?” I asked, meeting his gaze.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said, brushing his thumb over my knuckles.
My mind raced in a million directions. What was he going to tell me? Was it good? Was it bad?
“I should’ve told you this a long time ago, but I didn’t.” He paused before continuing, making me even more nervous. “I love you, Molly. And I don’t just want tonight or tomorrow—I want forever with you.”
For a moment, I couldn’t move or speak. It felt like the world tilted. His words echoed in my head as my brain struggled to catch up.
“Liam…” I took a deep breath, my fingers tightening around his. My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could feel it, and I searched his face, stunned. “You… you want forever? With me?”
“I want it all with you, Molly. I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want you to be the one I call after a long day. I want this baby with you—and then I want more. I want to read all your books, and I want you to teach me how to bake lemon bars. I want to watch a million sunsets with you. I want you by my side on all the good days and the bad.
“You were everything to me when I was a young and dumb teenager, and you’re everything to me now.It took me a while to find the courage to tell you how I really felt, but I’ve never regretted it—not once. You didn’t know it, but your picture got me through some of the hardest days while I was deployed. I was a fool to think I could ever live a life without you in it.
“I’m like the dark cloud in the sky, and you’re the bright sunshine, pushing through me and convincing me to shine even when I don’t think I can. You’re the only person who has ever made me see a future that doesn’t end with me becoming like my dad is. You can see the look on my face and know exactly how I’m feeling without even asking me. You know exactly what to say to make me feel better too. No one has ever cared about my feelings the way you do. With you, I feel whole. Without you, I feel completely empty inside.”
“So what exactly are you asking me here, Liam?” I asked as my heart melted in my chest from his words.
He gently tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. “Will you love me for the rest of your life the way I will always love you for the rest of mine?”
I tried my best to keep the tears at bay, but it was useless. They trickled down both sides of my face as Liam wiped them away gently, waiting for my answer.
“Yes, Liam, I will love you forever. It’s all I’ve wanted to do for so long, but I was scared you didn’t want the same thing. Clearly, I was wrong,” I said between tears.
The biggest smile I’d ever seen spread across Liam’s face as he cupped my cheek. He pulled me in for the most passionate kiss I’d ever experienced in my life—like fireworks were shooting out of our bodies.
When we finally pulled away from each other, Liam leaned his forehead against mine.
“You will never know how many prayers I prayed to get to this moment,” he whispered, his lips landing gently against my forehead.
Chapter 31 – Molly
To everyone else in the world, today was Valentine’s Day, but to me, it was my due date.
After some solid convincing, Liam managed to get me off the couch—my perching spot for the last few weeks—because at this point in my pregnancy, doing even something as simple as walking was hell.
But he said he’d made a reservation at one of my favorite restaurants in Great Falls. Snow had recently fallen too, covering everything in a beautiful blanket of white. As long as we weren’t doing anything like hiking or dog sledding, I could manage a couple of hours out of the house without being in excruciating pain afterward.
Before leaving the bedroom, I pulled on my comfiest pregnancy leggings and an oversized turtleneck sweater that hit at my upper thighs. Liam was standing at the kitchen island, watching me waddle over as fast as I could—which was turtle-speed slow.
I held my belly and turned around carefully. “I’m sure you’d rather me be walking out here right now in some kind of sexy lingerie since it’s Valentine’s Day,”I said, laughing. “But nothing fits me right now, so here I am. Take it or leave it.”
“You’re the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” he said. “Holding our son in your belly, your body preparing to bring him into the world at any moment. That’s better than any lingerie on the market, if you ask me.”
The way he gazed down at me made me believe he meant every word.
“I’ve heard sex helps stimulate contractions,” Liam said, as if his suggestion were purely to help me and had nothing to do with his own needs.
“You have to eat your dinner before you get your dessert,” I teased, grabbing his shirt and pulling him into me.
“Then we better get this show on the road before my dessert changes its mind,” he said, glancing up at the clock.
As I grabbed my purse and walked toward the front door, Liam slapped my ass.
“Calm down, feisty,” I said as we headed outside.
