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“I love the sapphires and emeralds.” Surrounding the diamond, they are like little stars circling the moon.

“They match the color of your eyes. I had the ring made special for you. Had to go to Italy to get it, though.”

“What? No free shipping?”

“Not this bugger.”

“Cost you a small fortune, didn’t it?”

“You’re worth it.”

“Was the trip to Italy your ‘business trip’?”

“Guilty.” He takes my hand in his. Presses a kiss dead center on my palm. “My apology for showing up late. For not telling you how beautiful you looked that night. Every man’s eyes, young and old, were on you, and I wanted to take them outside and smash their faces to the back of their skulls for looking at you with hunger in their eyes.”

“I’m yours. We are yours. Always, Maddox.”

“We?”

I lean back and rub my belly. “We’re pregnant.”

“Pregnant? You’re having my baby? Our baby?”

“Yes.”

“Aw, sweetheart.” Tears in his eyes. “I’m one lucky bastard. You make me so happy, Blaise.”

“And all because of Betty. Did you know my father, Jack, proposed to my mother, Violet, in this car?”

“I do now. Thank fuck for Betty. And thank fuck for you. I love you, Blaise Stassi.”

“I love you, Maddox. Now let’s get inside. We have more babies to make.”

“Wait a minute. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It doesn’t. It’s my excuse for you to make love to me utterly and thoroughly.”

“What you want, I’ll give. Always, my love.”

* * *

Nine months later, we have a baby girl. Two years later, another girl. We tried again, hoping for a boy. Finally on the fourth try, we did have a boy. We named him Jack Devlin after my father and my grandfather. We named our oldest girl Cillian. Go figure.

Maddox and I lived happily ever after.