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“I’m not joking. Let’s get married,” she said in the same tone she’d used when she’d promised ice cream earlier.

Colt rubbed his hands up and down his face. “Please stop playing around and tell me why you’ve suddenly changed your outlook on marriage.”

She sighed and tilted her head back and forth. “Because I think you need help.”

“Oh, I’m definitely going to need help. I just inherited two kids and got a wife in the span of twenty-four hours.”

Remi chuckled. “I mean, I’ll help with the kids.”

“You can help with the kids without marrying me.”

Why in the world was he trying to give her a reason to back out? Marrying Remi had been his dream for years, and now, it might just be within reach. Whatever the reason behind the change, he wanted to marry Remi.

But the stark reminder that she had some aversion to marriage rang in the back of his mind. She didn’t love him, at least not in the same way he loved her. They’d never even kissed! He definitely wanted to kiss her, but…

Oh, and they had two kids. Somehow, they’d gone about the whole making a family timeline all wrong.

Remi put her hands together and leveled him with her most serious expression. “Listen, we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I just had a feeling during the meeting that we should be doing this together. Plus, if Brittany’s crazy sister shows up, she won’t have a chance of even making waves if we’re a united front and providing a good home for Ben and Abby.”

Colt’s throat constricted as he stared at Remi. She was willing to get married–the one thing she’d always swore to avoid–to help him secure a happy home for his niece and nephew.

She looked at the ground and fiddled with her fingers. “I remember what it was like to be a kid. It was terrifying. I can’t let those kids grow up like that.”

He reached for Remi’s hand and brushed his thumb over the skin. He’d meant to stop her fidgeting, but now, he just wanted to link himself to her. He didn’t know much about her childhood, but hearing that the strong and capable Remington Taylor had once been a scared kid tore him up inside.

If she’d let him, he’d spend the rest of his life giving her enough love to erase all those hurts.

Remi stared up at him. “Well, what do you think?”

“I think this has got to be a dream because–”

“Come on, Walker. Cut the dramatic indecision. You’re making me sweat.”

“You didn’t make me sweat at all when you–”

“Let’s not bring that up right now,” she interrupted. “I have a feeling this is what we’re supposed to do, but we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Colt rubbed his neck. “I mean, we’re not even dating.”

Remi paused for a minute, and there was a ghost of sadness in her eyes. “I know you want a marriage like that. And you deserve a partner who… I care about you. I care about you a lot. I’ve always been afraid of marriage because… I— I bring a lot of baggage to the table. None of it is good. I know it’s stupid and selfish, but I wouldn’t want to marry a bad man, but I don’t think I deserve a good man like you. There. I said it.” She threw her hands out to her sides, then let them fall against her thighs.

Colt stared at her, shocked by her openness. “Are you kidding me? I’m not sure I’m a good man, but I can guarantee I won’t be a bad man. What are you even talking about?”

“I wasn’t always a Christian, and I lived a selfish and reckless life. I did terrible things. I’ve been with men. I broke the law. Lots of times. Though they won’t find it on my record because I never got caught. I took things from good people. I let people down. I lied a lot. I did drugs. I drank. I–”

Colt clapped his hand over her mouth. “Please stop.”

Remi’s shoulders sank as if the weight of all of those words hung heavy on her small frame.

He wasn’t going to say he’d expected any of those things because wow. But he’d never had the impression that Remi was perfect. He only knew that she was perfect for him.

“Stop talking about all those things. I don’t care about your past. This is about our future.”

Our future. Those small words had big meaning, and the impact of this decision was settling in. Remi had offered to marry him. Granted, not because she expressly wanted to, but because she had a huge heart whether she realized it or not.

She might not ever love him the way he loved her, but he would keep reminding her that she was infinitely important, if only to him and the Lord.

Because the Lord could make something beautiful out of ashes. Remi was a living, breathing example of how He could change a person’s heart. She called herself a thief and a liar, but Colt saw a beautiful daughter of the King.