Page 29 of She Autumn Be Mine

“You asked me if I think of you as only a friend.” I held his hazel eyes that returned to kindness, no darkness to spare. “I know you’re more, and you probably knew it before I did. But the past hurt me—” I left the rest of that thought be. “I’m not ready yet for whatever comes after saying we’re more than friends. Please, we need to take things slow.”

“But the sooner we get married, the better for the custody case.”

“I know. I agree. To the world we’ll be married. When it’s just us at home, we don’t rush things. We’ll take baby steps.”

The corner of his mouth lifted, although he could hardly hide the smolder in it that he thought I wouldn’t notice.

“I’ve got nothing but time, pumpkin. All the time in the world for you.”

“Pumpkin?” I arched an eyebrow. Only I liked the way he said it—punkin’.

“Yeah. Because today was pretty amazing being together.”

“Dada!” Stetson smacked Jake’s jaw with a tiny hand and giggled, sealing the deal for all of us.

We stood in my tiny kitchen, talking engagements, a wedding date, a justice of the peace, becoming a family on paper. My heart fluttered wildly, overwhelmed with emotions I refused to name. It was too soon to be anything else. It was just the first step.

Jake left not long after, with a hug and chaste kiss to my temple, with a list started on his phone of everything we needed to do, already planning this like the most important mission of his life, like the SEAL he’d always be.

I locked the door behind him and leaned against it, glancing around my little apartment. An hour before, the envelope on the table had wrecked me. Now, it had lost some of its power.

Stetson yawned over his mini-pumpkin, leaning his head on it at last, eyes drowsy. The best one in the bin, Jake had said. He didn’t quit searching until he found it.

That’s what he’d done with me, too. Found me. Maybe not the best one though. A little bruised, a little broken. But time could heal many things. Even me.

“Oh, my God. I’m getting married.” My hand flew to my heart, hardly believing it. I was going to need to get a whole lot better at telling it—because so far, I couldn’t even sell it to my own kitchen.

NINE

Blessed

Jake

The porch at Rhodes Ridge held six of the best men I knew. I had called Ash first, and asked if I could gather everybody at his place for a serious discussion this evening. It needed to be held away from the bunkhouse, away from town, and most of all, away from the women.

The timing worked well. Willow had taken Ro into Lewistown for shopping. Sage and her sisters were in charge of book club night at church. Autumn was home with Stetson for the night. So it was Ash and Colt, Knox and Carter, Cash leaning on the rail, and Sheriff Gavin Patrick, who’d come straight off shift and still wore the badge.

“I called you all here to tell you a few things in private,” I began. “I asked Autumn to marry me.”

Colt’s boots came off the rail. Knox choked on his coffee. Carter broke into a grin so wide it needed its own fence. Even Cash—who I’d figured couldn’t be surprised given our previous conversation—straightened up off the rail.

“I told you to take a chance,” he blurted. “Tell her you were falling for her. Maybe ask her out to dinner. You kind of skipped a few steps there and jumped straight to marriage, buddy.”

“I guess I figured I’d go for it all.” I wore a smile because despite the way this marriage came about, holy fuck—I was getting married. To Autumn. Who, a few nights back, had stood in her tiny kitchen a half-inch from my mouth before her kid saved her from me. I’d replayed that half-inch nearly-a-kiss roughly four hundred times since—her chin tipping up, her breath catching. The way her eyes dropped to my lips like she’d already decided.

Baby steps, we’d agreed. Fine. But a man can know exactly which step he’s waiting on.

Colt, practical as a fence post, asked the only question that mattered. “Did she say yes?”

“Yeah. She did.”

The guys all jumped to their feet, giving me back slaps, and handshakes. Carter hollered loud enough to spook any wildlife around.

“I’ll be honest, McCall, I didn’t even know you two were dating. I thought it was some kind of friendly babysitting arrangement.” Knox shook his head the whole time, his grin more visible these days, keeping his beard trimmed up since the wedding.

“So did he, until I kicked his ass into gear,” Cash chortled.

I let them have their fun. Then I set my beer on the rail, and they all quieted down, realizing there’s more to it.