“Jamie,” I breathe, a tear slipping down my cheek, even as I can’t help laughing. “Thank you for coming here, but don’t tease about that. I saw you this morning and it’s like I haven’t been able to function properly until just now. It’s like breathing for the first time. What are we supposed to do? Tell everyone the truth?”
He swipes at my tear-stained cheek. “One step at a time. I was only half-kidding about the tacos—Angel likes the leftovers. Isaac gave up being Prime Minister, so the least I could do is hop on a plane to see the woman I plan on spending the rest of my life with. My father was right, you deserve a grand gesture.”
More tears fall. “I really don’t. I just want you.”
Jamie closes the distance, kissing me with hesitation I’ve never felt from him before. It could be that there’s a possibility someone could see us, or that he doesn’t believe I’m just as in love with him as he is with me. I’ll have none of it. Without a second thought I tear my lips from his and grab his hand, dragging him back into the dinner with his fingers firmly interlaced with mine.
As we approach the table, Olivia spots us first and gasps. Everyone else follows her line of sight and suddenly having this much attention on me has my cheeks hot.
I’m about to launch into a word-vomit of a speech when Jamie beats me to it, grounding me. “Hi, everyone. I didn’t mean to crash your wedding. Congratulations, by the way.” While Jamie’s talking, Isaac gestures to Fiona and she comes over. He whispers something to her and milliseconds later, there’s another table added to ours and two more chairs. “We have?—”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been completely honest with all of you,” I interrupt. “Jamie—James—and I have been seeing each other since he started working for Olivia.” No one seems surprised, so I press on. “Human Resources is aware, and I planned on telling you all this weekend anyway after the wedding, but he just showed up. So, here we are… ruining your wedding.”
Olivia insists, “You’re not ruining anything, Bree.”
I’m about to contradict her when Isaac taunts, “You’re in Vegas. Why don’t you get hitched already?”
Jamie replies without skipping a beat, “Okay.”
“Isaac, you’re hilarious… Wait. What did you just say?”
“Okay,” Jamie repeats.
“Isaac just joked that we should get married, and you said ‘Okay.’” I can’t process what’s happening because the man I’ve been in love with for months said he’d marry me, but no one proposed.
“Was it a joke?” Jamie’s little smirk that I love and hate appears. “Because I don’t think it was. I love you, and I wanted to be theone to ask you—that’s why I’m here—but since Isaac just asked for me. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“What is happening right now?” I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh, then mumble to myself, “Did I just really accidentally get engaged?”
Jamie pulls my hand from my face and kisses my tattoo. “It doesn’t matter. I’m here because I’m ready to spend the rest of my life with you—not as your boyfriend or yourfriend—as your husband. If you don’t believe me, call Alejandro. I don’t want to spend another day with you doubting how much I love you or how I have no plans on abandoning you or our baby. The four of us are a family. Why not make it official?”
Every time he calls this little girl inside me his, my heart breaks. I wish I could go back in time to ensure she is, but time travel doesn't exist. “This is a big decision. We should make a pros and cons list. I had one in my desk, but it’s a little outdated.”
“Go for it.” Nothing I have said has shaken him.
“Did you really come all this way and want to… marry me?”
“When will you finally get it?” He keeps his voice low, so only I can hear. “You’ve been my forever since the moment we met. If you’re ready for me to be the last man who ever loves you, then let’s do this. But on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Our baby will be ours until she’s old enough to know that I’m not biologically her father. One day, she’ll yell at me that I’m not her dad, but we’ll deal with it when that day comes. I didn’t know who my father was until five years ago, so I sure as fuck don’t care that she doesn’t share my DNA… I’m her dad.”
“Maybe you should work out this conversation in private,” Ned suggests, and he’s right. To be honest, I’m surprised he was invited, since there was so much to clean up after Olivia and Isaac were outed. Then again, he’ll have his work cut out for him to clean up the mess Jamie and I just made.
However, Ned is never wrong. While we’re amongst friends, and someone could overhear, Olivia’s wedding would be shoved to the back of the headlines if this got out today. Jamie and I step away and find a quiet space in a tucked-away storage closet.
The man I love is here with me, miles from home, to get married? To me? It doesn’t feel real. This doesn’t feel like us. If our friends weren’t celebrating their wedding tonight, I’d already have my skirt hiked up in a dark corner with the same smirk Jamie always has as his release slips down my thighs.
What the fuck am I saying? Jamie wants to get married?!
I place his hand on my stomach. “To be clear, I love you, and this baby is absolutely as much yours as she’s mine. It’s messy, and I’m so sorry for that. But… you’re sure?”
“I’ve known since the night we met what I was signing up for,” he reminds me.
“She’s so lucky that you’ll be her father, and we’ll have years to workshop the right words, but if you really marry me, I need you to know I would marry you, even without this—our—baby. I love you and?—”
“I don’t need a disclaimer,” he growls, but quickly corrects, “I love you and our baby. We’ll figure it out, but I want you to marry me for no other reason than because we love each other.”
