Page 187 of Stay With Me

My heart rate ramps up a notch when she goes to the next one.Thirty-nine weeks.

The week of Braxton hicks and lower back pain.

“I can’t believe that was only seven days ago.” She shakes her head.

The next page has two photos.

On the left side, her bump at forty weeks before she went into labor, and on the right is the photo of Willow in her special onesie.

She flips the page, and her smile widens as her eyes dance across the pages. Until it lands on Willow and she reads what her onesie says.

Her gaze snaps to mine, and her mouth falls open. “When did you take this photo?”

“Earlier when you were sleepin’.”

She looks back down at it and blinks. “Will you marry my daddy?” She reads it aloud. “Is that really what it says?”

My face splits in half at how stunned she is.

I pull out her ring from my pocket and hold it out for her to see. “Willow really wants her mommy and daddy to be married. She told me.”

She chokes out a sob. “Is that so? Our one-day-old baby said that?”

“Oh, she told me weeks ago. You were asleep, but we were up late chattin’, and it’s what she demanded, so I said okay, I’ll go buy a ring. Then we made a plan on how I’d ask, and here we are.”

She squeezes her eyes as she holds back tears.

“That’s pretty impressive of her.”

“She’s a smart baby,” I tease and then take her hand.

“Okay, I’m going to propose for real now.” I place a kiss on her knuckles and give her a wink. “Sunny, I hope you know by now how much I love you. But in case you ever forget, I will spend a lifetime reminding you because you changed my life. You brought light into it and gave it meaning again. You took my demons and made them your own. You make me laugh like no one else ever could. You are truly my best friend. You gave me the greatest gift anyone could ever give me—your love in return. You made me a dad. You gave me our own little family. And I don’t want to spend another day without you as my future wife. So, please…say you’ll marry me.”

By the time I finish, she’s a sobbing mess. I reach up and wipe her tears, then cup her face.

“Yes.” She nods frantically as she repeats the word over and over. “I’d marry you right now if I could.”

I chuckle as our mouths crash together in a desperate, hot kiss.

“I love you so much,” she whispers against my lips. “But how dare you propose when I’m in a hospital gown? I look like a grandma wearing a moo-moo.”

Pulling back, I rake my eyes over her body. “Well, then you’re a hot grandma because you’re gorgeous.”

Her face drops and she’s anything but amused. “You’re lucky I love you so damn much.”

I slide the ring onto her finger, kiss it, and then kiss her lips again. “Trust me, I know.”

Bonus Epilogue

Magnolia

You’d think with Tripp’s truck filled to the brim with bags and baby gear that we were going on a cross-country three-month vacation.

Nope, just an overnight trip to the rodeo.

With a ten-month-old.

It’s Willow’s first time at the Franklin Rodeo, and we’re meeting Noah and her family to watch Ellie compete. The Hollises go every year for the full duration of the event, but I’m not that brave to spend three nights in a camper with an infant.