Standing, he moved the three feet from his bed to mine as I turned onto my side to give him room to sit.
John pivoted and cupped my face.
Without thinking, I put my left hand over his. “What kind of man are you?”
Our eyes locked as he swept his thumb back and forth over my cheek.
“I’m the kind of man who gets what he wants. I thrive on a challenge and don’t run when things get difficult. I’m a man who knows when they’ve found someone special, it’s okay for things to get messy. I trust my instincts. So much so that I willingly married a man in a drive through ceremony in Vegas officiated by Santa Claus.”
My eyes widened. “No fucking way.”
He sighed and stood up. “One day you’re going to believe me the first time.”
Reaching for his back pocket, he pulled out his wallet and opened it. Within seconds he pulled out two pieces of paper, then put them on the bed in front of me.
My heart had begun to hammer as I slowly sat up. I glanced up at him as I picked up a photo. Sure enough, there we sat in his truck with Santa Claus hanging out the window of the drive-thru chapel while Mrs. Claus looked on.
I picked up the second paper to find it was a photocopy of our marriage license.
“Holy shit, John,” I said, my voice pitching higher than normal.
He shrugged and sat back down. “I told you. So if you think for one minute that I would allow you to suffer alone, you’d be dead wrong.”
Before a full panic attack could set in, he put his hand back on me.” Brent, the most important thing you need to know is I’m all in. I know you’re going to need some time to wrap your head around it, but I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. If I have to keep reassuring you every day, I’ll do it. You’ll either get sick of hearing it, or you’ll finally believe me.”
John leaned over and kissed me like he’d never kissed me before. And I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if he ever changed his mind about me.
CHAPTER 15
JOHN
We checkedout of the hotel and headed back to the practice facility in hopes of getting what we needed. After a little internet search, I discovered that Rush had an open practice today. So if our boy Turner was there, he’d be easy to find.
Brent was feeling better, but I was still careful with what I allowed him to eat, much to his displeasure.
“I think I can handle a burger, ” he announced from the passenger seat.
I looked over at him when I stopped at the light. “If you shit in this car, I’m going to kill you.”
“But that’s illegal.”
“Only if they find the body. And I’m a SEAL. I know things.”
Brent’s laughter made me smile. The stupid kind that made my face hurt. And when he leaned over and put his hand on my thigh, I knew he was playing dirty.
“But last night you said you were all in. Remember?”
His eyes were filled with mischief, and I knew he was on the road to recovery.
“I draw the line at cleaning up shit. I’ll buy you some damn diapers.”
When I pulled into the parking lot of a chicken place, I gave him his options. “You can have mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese.”
“Toddler food. That will fill me up,” he griped. It was on the tip of my tongue to suggest something else fill him up, but I’d wait until a more appropriate time than the drive-thru of a chicken joint.
“You can get the family size. Just humor me. Because if that doesn’t settle well on your stomach, I’m leaving you on the side of the road and going home.”
Brent found that hilarious, so when I pulled up to the window, I ordered three carbohydrate specials and two electrolyte waters.
