“She’s my family now. Your mom too,” Cate said matter-of-factly, and it was the truth.
Cate was still close with her dad. Anthony visited over Christmas, and I met him for the first time. Her mom and sisters were seething jealous over Cate’s new celebrity status. They couldn’t believe she’d landed a pro athlete, and were eaten up with jealousy. They mentioned it frequently in the beginning, but then we cut them off.
“By the way, your mom’s planning to stay here for a week when we have the baby,” she said.
“What about the dogs?” I clenched my jaw, thinking about the dogs she’d bring with her. We didn’t need all those pets in the house with a new baby. “And my dad?”
“Apparently, her new boyfriend is going to stay with the animals, and your dad’s going to come when the baby is a month old. I’ve got it all set. Plus, Ri is going to come with the baby and me on my first taping as an extra set of hands, and Sean’s going to stay with your mom.”
“Fucking A, my girl’s good. But you don’t need to do all that shit. And the taping . . . I thought we were waiting three months before you went back to work.”
She shook her head, biting her bottom lip.
I’d come to know that look. It was the same one she got when she was doing her “secret project.” It was a cross between determination and stubbornness.
“Cate,” I growled.
“Six weeks,” she whispered into my neck. “It’ll all be good. This is big. I already have most of the research done, and I want to get two segments taped before your season starts. Next year, I plan to be there when you win the finals.”
Six weeks? Was that safe?
I knew better than to argue. I gave her belly a little tap, and she looked up at me.
“I’ll be fine, Steele, don’t you worry. Women have been doing this for centuries.”
“I know, but not my woman.”
“Please, don’t go all caveman on me.”
Her breath was warm on my face and spiked my already frazzled nerves. It was time I spoke my true feelings, and I wasn’t sure how my little feminist would take it.
It’s now or never.
I tilted her face so her gaze would meet mine. “Cate, listen, I know we said we’d be unconventional. You hated your parents’ marriage, and I never wanted to be my dad, getting married for a baby. But, shit.”
I roamed her cheek with my thumb, frustrated with myself. I was fucking this whole thing up.
“I want to marry you, Caterina. And right now, I don’t care about all your feminist crap. You’ll have your career and a baby and me and anything else you want. You can have your name or mine; it doesn’t matter.”
I slid to the floor and knelt at her feet. I kissed her belly and was rewarded with a kick in the face.
Looking up at her, I said, “I also hope we’re not having a soccer player, because that shit’s boring. So, what do you say, Cate? Make an honest man out of me?”
She didn’t say anything.
“Cate? Are you going to leave me hanging?”
“No . . .”
“No, you won’t marry me?”
I gulped air. We were having a baby, and as far as I was concerned, getting married was the best thing for all of us. Cate was mine and would be forever; there was no reason not to.
“No, I’m not going to leave you hanging. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
I reached up to wrap my hand around the back of her neck and brought her lips to mine.
“Good,” I murmured.
Almost forgetting, I tugged the ring out of my pocket and put it on her finger. It looked damn good there.
“Matches my lucky underwear,” I said, taking in the deep emerald in the center, framed by two emerald-cut diamonds.
She ran her finger over the gemstones, tracing each plane and sharp corner as she let out a little sigh. “It’s gorgeous. Our son can give it to a special woman one day.”
“Our what?”
“Oh shit.”
Cate clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at me. She’d made it this long without telling me the sex of the baby.
“Oh my God. You had me so flustered, I just went and ruined the surprise for you, babe,” she said, and I couldn’t tell whether she was laughing or crying.
“It’s a boy?”
“Yup, a boy. Maybe the soccer player you’ve dreamed of.”
“Another Southern gentleman.” I lifted her shirt and planted my lips on her smooth skin.
“I hope not right away, if what you mean is going south on a woman. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’ll be a boob man to start.”
“Now I know where your head was at, my little Cate with the dirty mind.”
Not bothering to crawl back up the couch, I squeezed Cate’s ass and she squirmed, giving me access to tug her leggings down.
“I’m hungry,” I said, working my way down her neck with kisses.
“There’s food,” she teased.
“It can wait.” I tugged her panties down, revealing a bare mound.
“Mmm.” I lowered my tongue to the top of the triangle and breathed in her scent.
And then I ate.