“Yep.”
“I fucking love you!” He grabbed each side of my face, slamming his lips against mine. “I love you so much, Pigeon,” he said, kissing me over and over.
“Just remember that in fifty years when I’m still kicking your ass in poker,” I giggled.
He smiled, triumphant. “If it means sixty or seventy years with you, Baby…you have my full permission to do your worst.”
I raised one eyebrow, “You’re gonna regret that.”
“You wanna bet?”
I smiled with as much deviance as I could muster. “Are you confident enough to bet that shiny bike outside?”
He shook his head, a serious expression replacing the teasing smile he had just seconds before. “I’ll put in everything I have. I don’t regret a single second with you, Pidge, and I never will.”
I held out my hand and he took it without hesitation, shaking it once, and then bringing it to his mouth, pressing his lips tenderly against my knuckles. The room was quiet, his lips leaving my skin and the air escaping his lungs the only sound.
“Abby Maddox…,” he said, his smile beaming in the moonlight.
I pressed my cheek against his bare chest. “Travis and Abby Maddox. Has a nice ring to it.”
“Ring?” he said, frowning.
“We’ll worry about rings later, Baby. I sort of sprung this on you.”
“Uh…,” he trailed off, watching me for the reaction he expected.
“What?” I asked, feeling myself tense.
“Don’t freak out,” he said as he shifted nervously. His grip around me tightened. “I kind of…already took care of that part.”
“What part?” I said, my head craning to see his face.
He stared up at the ceiling and sighed. “You’re going to freak out.”
“Travis….”
I frowned as he pulled one arm away from me, reaching for the drawer of his night stand. He felt around for a moment and I blew my damp bangs from my eyes.
“What? You bought condoms?”
He laughed once, “No, Baby.” His eyebrows pulled together as he made more of an effort, reaching farther into the drawer. Once he found what he was looking for, his focus changed, and he watched me as he pulled a small box from its hiding place.
I looked down as he placed the small velvet square on his chest, reaching behind him to rest his head on his arm.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“What does it look like?”
“Okay. Let me rephrase the question….when did you get that?”
Travis inhaled, and as he did, the box rose with his chest, and fell when he pushed the air from his lungs. “A while ago.”
“Trav…,”
“I just happened to see it one day…and I knew there was only one place it could belong…on your perfect little finger.”
“One day when?”
“Does it matter?” he rebutted. He squirmed a bit, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Can I see it?” I smiled, suddenly feeling a bit giddy.
His smile matched mine, and he looked to the box. “Open it.”
I touched it with one finger, feeling the lush velvet under my fingertip. I grasped the golden seal with both hands, slowly pulling the lid open. A glimmer caught my eye and I slammed the lid shut.
“TRAVIS!” I wailed.
“I knew you’d freak out!” he said, sitting up and cupping his hands over mine.
I could feel the box pressing against both of my palms, feeling like a prickly grenade that could detonate at any moment. I closed my eyes and shook my head. “Are you insane?”
“I know. I know what you’re thinking, but I had to. It was The One. And I was right! I haven’t seen one since that was as perfect as this one!”
My eyes popped open and instead of the anxious pair of brown eyes I expected, he was beaming with pride. He gently peeled my hands from the case and pulled the lid open, pulling the ring from the tiny slit that held it in place. The large round diamond glittered even in the dim light, catching the moonlight in every facet.