Page 13 of One Night Rebellion (Bellehaven Hotties #10)

O ne Year Later

Addie

My feet are killing me. I kick off the heels and press my feet into the softness of the rug, letting my toes curl into it now that they’re not squeezed into pointy-toed hell. “Fuck, that feels good,” I mumble before stumbling over to the couch.

I sink down, a cloud of pink chiffon swirling around me. I love Rachel. But I’d rather die than be caught in this dress again. It’s hideous… okay, well, it’s hideous on me. I’m not a pastel kind of girl. It just doesn’t work for me.

I prop my feet on the coffee table and almost whimper with relief.

It’s been a long day. Being a bridesmaid isn’t just showing up and walking down the aisle.

The photos were endless. I have never smiled for so long in my life.

My cheeks are sore from it. Well, that and clenching my teeth every time someone wagged their finger and said, “You and JT will be next.” Maybe we will.

I don’t know. I’m glad people are happy for us and cheering for us to make things work, but I also still really want people to mind their own business.

The side door that leads in from the carport opens and JT walks in. He’s shed his tie and his jacket, but he’s still wearing the crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled back and the black pants from his tux. And damn he looks good.

“It was a nice wedding,” he says.

“It was,” I agree. “I think Mom cried an entire river tonight.”

He smiles and ducks his head. “She was happy for him. Maybe a little sad too, cause he’s her baby… well, one of ’em.”

I get it. I got a little choked up too. Malcolm is my big brother and for a lot of years, it was him and me.

Mom was always trying to keep between us and my father.

Then when he was gone, we all just went into survival mode.

But then Lucas came along and our whole lives changed.

Marriage, when it’s the right one, is a game changer.

“Well, I don’t think it’ll be too long before she’s that happy again,” he says.

I sit up then. “What do you know? Did Malcolm tell you? Because it’s one thing for her to be that happy about her eldest child getting married. It’s a whole other thing for her to find out she’s gonna be a grandmother!”

His face goes pale. “Addie, you’re not… we’ve been careful!”

“Not me, you jackass. Rachel. They’ve not told anybody yet. But since I had to hold her hair while she puked her guts up this morning, I get to be in on the secret,” I tell him.

He looks completely poleaxed by it. Then he laughs. “I cannot wait to see Mal changing diapers. Oh, this is gonna be good!”

“He loves kids. He’ll be fine. But you and I will be on babysitting duty, so you better make peace with the idea you’ll be changing a few too.”

He’s still chuckling to himself. “I think I can manage. But only the pee ones. The others are gonna have to be somebody else’s job.”

“Uh-huh. This isn’t 1950, sir. Things don’t work like that now. If… IF… you and I ever have a kid, we’re going to be sharing all the work.”

“Don’t you think we ought to talk about getting married before we start talking about kids?”

I would laugh at that, except it doesn’t sound like a joke.

He doesn’t say it in the snarky way that makes me think he’s just being sarcastic.

He says it like maybe he’s actually thinking about it.

Which is thrilling and terrifying all at once, but I know I’m getting ahead of myself.

“Why? You planning on proposing anytime soon?”

He shoves his hands into his pocket and leans back against the wall. “And if I was?”

I don’t answer. I can’t. Then he pushes away from the wall and walks toward me.

When he reaches the couch where I’m sitting, he drops down onto one knee and pulls a small velvet box from his pocket.

“I’ve been carrying this around with me for a few days.

I made Malcolm go with me to pick it out, so if you hate it, that’s on him. ”

“I’m not going to hate it.” It could be the ugliest ring in the world and I would love it. Because it’s from him. Because it’s him telling me he wants to be with me forever.

He opens the box by like one centimeter, then stops. “You’re sure? You know, I’ve been second-guessing this choice for days. Maybe I should take it back to the store and exchange it for a different one.”

I reach out and grab his shirt, gripping it tightly in my fists. “JT, you open that box and you do it right this minute. Don’t you make me wait.”

His smile spreads into a full-on grin. Then he flips open the box to reveal a simple platinum band with a single square cut stone. It’s simple and perfect. “There’s supposed to be a question here,” I remind him.

“Addison Hartford, will you marry me?”

I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing myself against him. “I thought you’d never ask. Do we have to do a big wedding? I like my friends too much to make them stand around taking pictures for hours in ugly dresses and tight shoes.”

He slips the ring from the box and pulls my left hand down to where he can slide the ring on my finger. “We can do whatever you want. Big wedding. Elopement. We can fly to Vegas and be married by morning. It’s whatever you decide, baby.”

“Or we could just drive to Pigeon Forge and be married tonight. Not that I’m in a hurry or anything,” I tell him.

“How about we leave bright and early in the morning… we can pack a bag, I’ll book us a cabin, and we can have our honeymoon too while we’re down there.”

I glance down at the ring and smile as I loop my hands behind his neck again. “Let’s get an early start on that honeymoon… but you’re gonna have to carry me to bed because I don’t think I can walk after wearing those heels all day.”

He picks me up, not in his arms, but puts me over his shoulder like he did the very first time. “Again,” I tell him, “this is not the romantic moment I had envisioned.”

His hand slides up the back of my thigh to my ass, and then comes a light smack. “Might not be the most romantic, Ads, but it’s definitely got its appeal.”

His hand moves again, sliding under the layers of chiffon. And I have to admit, he’s not wrong.

“Have I told you how much I love you?” I ask as he pushes the bedroom door open.

“You have… but you can tell me again. Every damn day.”

The End.