“Whatwhatis?”
His expression softened, along with his tone.“The reason you haven’t yet realized I love you.”
Honest to God, her breath left her and she wheezed, “You love me?”
“I thought it was obvious.”
This time she gave in and smacked him.“No, it wasn’t, and I can’t believe you didn’t tell me sooner.”
“Laylee?”he said with a smile.“I love you.”
A high-pitched bark, followed by a deeper bark, signaled that the beasts had awakened and their private time had ended.
Knox held her still when she would have gotten up.“They’ll keep another minute.”
Deciding he was right, she settled against him and said, “I love you, too.”It felt so amazing to say it out loud, she grinned.“I think I’ve been falling in love with you for a while and this past week, it just landed on me with so much clarity.”
He nodded.“It was a lot.I wanted to be there for you.I hope I made it a little easier.”
“Knox.”She indulged in another kiss.“I’m not the only one who went through stuff.You were right there too, being impressive and take-charge and …” The words stuck in her throat, so she took a second to compose herself.“You were everything.More than I knew a man could be.”
“And good in the sack.”
The laugh took her by surprise.“Yes, very.”
His slow, easy smile was so sexy.“What a relief, because my mom already told me she’s keeping you.”
Such a nice sentiment.“I have so much to tell Skye when she gets back home.”
The barking was now right outside the bedroom door.“One more thing.”
“Better hurry,” she said.“They’re starting to sound impatient.”
“You probably realized after meeting my family that I want the whole deal.Real commitment.Forever.In sickness and in health.”
Her eyes widened.“You want to get married?”
“Only to you, and only when you’re ready.”
“So if your family hadn’t liked me …?”
“I wanted you to like them, not the other way around.I already knew they’d love you.”
“I do like them.A lot.”It didn’t seem possible for one body to hold so much happiness.“What if I’m ready to get married right now?”
“I think we’d need to wait for Ford and Skye, but otherwise, whatever you want is fine by me.”
“I want kids,” she warned.“I didn’t.I mean, I hadn’t thought much about kids until my pregnancy scare.It panicked me, but it also … I don’t know.It made me think about holding a baby, caring for him or her, and I think the idea started brewing and hasn’t completely stopped.”
Without a speck of concern, Knox smiled.“I look forward to being a dad, and I’m sure you’ll be an amazing mom.”
She didn’t doubt Knox’s ability to do anything, but she wasn’t so sure of her own maternal skills.“What if I mess up?”
“I’ll tell you what my mom and dad taught me.No parent is perfect.Mistakes will happen, guaranteed, but love is the most important thing.Through the years we’ve had disagreements, but never, not once, have I doubted their love.”He ran his fingers through the length of her hair.“You’re already an amazing sister.Family is important to you, and it’s important to me.When we take that step, I’m confident we’ll do all right.”
“Having a baby might make modeling a problem.”
“And that worries you?”
