“Jackson,” she said evenly while taking a step to the side, “remember when I told you I’d get you back for stuffing wedding cake up my nose?” Another two steps. “We’re even now. It’s done.”
Jax advanced. She retreated. “Jackson Thomas Maris, I am in my wedding dress.”
He winked at her with a devilish grin and said, “Run, little rabbit. Run.”
Vanessa let out a scream mixed with laughter as she picked up her dress and took off down the beach with her husband hot on her heels.
“I’ve decided those two are crazy,” Aiden said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Can’t argue with you there. Now, why don’t you tell me about these plans you’re making with Jax?”
Aiden hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his cargo pants and looked out over the black and silver waves. He half shrugged and said, “They’re not really plans. Not yet, anyway. I was gonna talk to you first to see what you thought.”
Kat moved in front of him. “Okay then, talk to me now.”
He took a big breath and said, “I thought maybe we could take the winnings from the Four by Four and invest in starting our own gym with Jax. He wants to open one here and I thought it would be a way to earn a living while still working on getting back into the game, so to speak.”
“But what about your house in Boston? And being around your family and Joey? You just got that all back.”
He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her in close. She ran her hands up his strong arms and rested them on his shoulders. “I’ve already spent my whole life there, and I’ve seen how much you love it out here. You need to be with your sister, and all I need is to be with you.”
Again with the tears! For the love of all that’s holy, this is getting ridiculous!
“Besides,” he added, “we can always go back to Boston for long visits and whatnot.”
“Well, then we should probably schedule a couple of visits in the next six months or so. After that it might be tricky for a while.”
His brow furrowed. “Why’s that?”
Butterflies kicked up in her belly and nerves almost had her changing the subject, but she took a deep breath and bit the bullet. Linking her hands behind his neck, she locked her eyes onto his and said, “Because I’d imagine it’ll be difficult flying that distance with a baby.”
Aiden’s jaw went slack, and he may have even stopped breathing. Kat’s heart beat like a bass drum in her ears as she waited for some sort of reaction from the man she loved.
At last, he stammered a few words. “H-how did—? When? How long?”
“I’d say approximately six weeks. Remember the quickie in the Nova?”
“But that was just once.”
“Yep,” she agreed, her nerves growing. “Oddly enough, that’s all it takes.”
Holding her at arm’s length, he stared at her still-flat belly in childish wonderment. “We’re having a baby,” he said softly. Then his eyes flew up to hers, and he practically shouted with a smile, “We’re having a baby.”
Laughter from nerves and excitement and relief bubbled from her chest. “Yes, we’re having a baby.”
With a whoop, he hauled her up around her waist and spun her around a couple times before setting her down gently. “Goddamn, you make me so happy. I suppose now I’ve gotta make an honest woman out of you and propose, huh?”
“I wouldn’t care if we never got married,” she said honestly. “Just so long as you never stop fighting for us and our family.”
“Not ever, I swear.” Framing her face in his hands, he kissed her under the moonlight with more tenderness than she ever thought possible. “For the record, though, I wanna marry you real bad. Change that Scottish last name of yours to a proper Irish one.”
She chuckled. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. So whatdya say?” he asked as he swept her up into his arms. “You with me, kitten?”
With tears in her eyes and her heart in her throat, she nodded. “Now and forever.”
Acknowledgments
As always, first and foremost, I’d like to thank my amazing husband and wonderful children who sometimes have to sacrifice their wife and mother so that I can follow my dream.
Liz Pelletier for her editorial brilliance, her unwavering support, and for always going above and beyond for me, no matter the circumstances.
KP for being my BFF and taking turns with me talking each other off of ledges.
Jamie Burch of Chasing the Moon Creations for designing a beautiful, one-of-a-kind necklace for Irish and Kat. Thanks for letting me be picky.
Adam Von Rothfelder for his enthusiasm of naming him as my inspiration for Irish, playing the part of Irish on the cover, but most importantly for his friendship.
My mother, Michelle Bisbee, for being a one-woman promotion machine.
My sister, Tricia Bisbee, for helping me more ways than I can count with more things than I can list, and for being my very best friend.
My aunt-in-law, Sharon Macella, for always being there for me and treating me like her own.
My cousin-in-law, Amber Wetherell, who has become one of my biggest supporters and great friends.