He gave her his heart.
As the last wave of pleasure settled, Jesse caught his breath and looked into her eyes. He had no doubt that she was the thing that had been missing from his life. She was the one who would hold his hand for the rest of their days.
He dragged in a ragged breath. “Bristol Alexa Reece, I love you.”
“Really?” She bit her lip, her lashes fluttering against her rosy cheeks. “You do?”
“Yeah. This isn’t just some post-orgasm glow. I know the difference. I enjoy being with you. I’d rather be with you than everyone else.” He shook his head. “Hell, I’m writing a song for you, about you. I haven’t done that in years. You amaze me. You inspire me.”
Bristol’s face tightened. Her mouth turned down. Tears flowed. “I love you, too.” Then she laughed. “God, we sound crazy.”
“I’m about to sound crazier.” He swallowed. “Marry me.”
Chapter Ten
“He proposed!” Bristol squealed as she rushed downstairs to relieve Jayla of her temporary duty, anxious to bend her bestie’s ear.
“Hayden? Because if he did, I’m gonna kill that jerk.” Jayla finished putting some cash in the register, then turned to look at her. “Never mind. Hayden didn’t do that to you.” She grinned. “He couldn’t do that. Jamie did, I’ll bet. Girl, you look more like he propositioned you. And you accepted—thoroughly.”
Bristol flushed. “That’s not important.”
“Orgasms are always important.”
She looked around the restaurant to make sure no one else was nearby. “Jamie isn’t Jamie. He’s… You should sit down.” She dragged a gaping Jayla to the nearest table and all but shoved her in a chair.
“What the hell? Who is he, then?”
“Jesse McCall.”
Jayla looked blank for a second, then she scowled as if Bristol had lost her mind. “You’re sure.”
“Completely. When I figured it out, he fessed up.”
“You’re saying the world-famous singer bailed you out at Bubba Oink’s Bone Yard and pretended to be your boyfriend, then went home with you and rocked your world before he proposed?”
When Jayla said it like that, the notion sounded absolutely crazy. Some of Bristol’s excitement deflated.
“Yes.”
“After knowing you for only a few days? And you mean he proposed marriage, right? Not some crazy three-way like he used to have.”
She’d forgotten about those rumors.
“Marriage.” She winced. “Yes.”
“And what did you say?” Jayla leveled her with an insistent stare.
“I haven’t answered him yet.” She bit her lip. “It sounds ridiculous. Romantic, even. But I want to say yes.”
“You didn’t, though. Something stopped you. There’s a reason.”
“I don’t know. On the one hand, it feels sudden. But…when I’m with Jesse, I’m so happy. He’s not the guy we see in the press. He’s changed.”
Jayla shot her a skeptical scowl. “They all say that. Why does he want to marry you?”
“He says he loves me. I-I think I love him, too. I realize we haven’t known one another long and I still need to learn tons about him but…he’s a better man than Hayden. In some ways, he even reminds me of Daddy.”
Her best friend took her hand. “What would you do about this place?”
