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Chapter Forty-Three

JACKSON

We take a late night flight back to Chicago, and stay at Jackson’s apartment. Then, late the next morning, the train slows as we roll into Riverbend, the familiar sight of the small-town station coming into view. Ivy stirs against me, stretching slightly as she blinks awake.

“We’re here,” I say, pressing a kiss to her temple.

She lets out a sleepy hum. “Already?”

I chuckle. “That’s what happens when you pass out on me, sweetheart.”

She grins, but before she can fire back, I catch sight of her parents waiting for us on the platform. Carl stands with his hands in his pockets, scanning the train like he’s on a mission, while her mom waves the second she spots us through the window.

We step off, and Carl immediately reaches for Ivy’s bags, muttering about how I shouldn’t be making her carry anything in her “delicate condition.”

“I’m pregnant, not breakable,” Ivy protests, rolling her eyes. “That’s the last plane trip for a while though.”

Carl just grunts, ignoring her, and I don’t fight him on it. The man clearly loves her, and hell, I get it.

We load into their car, the drive through town quiet but comfortable. Ivy’s mom makes small talk, asking how the trip was, while Carl turns to me at a stoplight and says, “You still gonna coach next week like nothing happened?”

I smirk. “Yep. That’s the job, isn’t it?”

He grunts approvingly. “Good.”

When we finally pull up to the house, Ivy goes still beside me.

Our house.

The one she’s been dreaming about since she was a kid. The one I just happily put a lot of money into making a reality.

“Wow,” she whispers.

I watch her take it in—eyes wide, lips parted slightly, hands gripping the strap of her bag like she’s afraid to let go.

Carl parks, and before Ivy can even move, I reach for the door handle. “Stay here.”

She frowns. “Jackson, I?—”

“Stay.” I shoot her a look before stepping out, coming around to her side.

I open her door, reaching for her hand, helping her out like she’s some kind of princess.

She huffs. “You don’t have to baby me.”

I grin. “I know. I just like to.”

Carl coughs pointedly behind me. “We got a bed set up. Some furniture came in already, but it’s still pretty empty.”

“That’s fine,” Ivy says quickly, squeezing my hand. “That’s perfect. We can add as we go!”

We step inside, the air in the house cool, still smelling faintly of fresh paint and new wood. It’s empty, echoing slightly, but it already feels right .

Home.

Carl and Ivy’s mom help us set down some things, giving Ivy a few last-minute instructions before Carl clasps my shoulder and says, “If you do something stupid, I’ll kill you.”

I smirk. “Noted.”

They leave, and suddenly, it’s just the two of us.

Ivy lets out a long breath, spinning slowly in the middle of the living room. “This doesn’t feel real.”

I watch her, soaking in the way she moves, how she glows even in the dim evening light filtering through the windows.

I didn’t expect this.

I didn’t expect her.

But standing here, in the home we’re about to build together, I know there’s only one thing left to do.

My fingers brush over the ring box in my pocket.

It wasn’t supposed to be today.

It wasn’t supposed to be now.

But fuck it. She can’t travel with the team anymore, and I need her to know that this is it for me.

I step forward, reaching for her hand, my chest tightening when she looks up at me with those big green eyes.

“Jackson?”

I don’t answer.

I drop to one knee.

Ivy’s breath catches, her hands flying to her mouth.

She knows.

She knows .

I open the box, revealing the ring I picked out weeks ago. Simple but stunning. A classic round diamond, nothing too over-the-top, set in a band I know she’ll love.

“Ivy,” I say, my voice coming out rougher than I intended.

Her eyes shine. “Oh my God.”

I let out a breathless laugh. “I know this isn’t the traditional way to do things. Hell, nothing about us is traditional. But I love you. I love you more than I knew I could love anyone. And I don’t want to spend another second of my life without you.”

She chokes out a laugh, already nodding.

“I want this house with you. I want every house with you. I want all the Sundays, all the quiet mornings, all the late-night talks, and every single moment in between.”

Tears slip down her cheeks.

“I want to be your husband, Ivy. I want to be this baby’s father. I want to be yours . Forever.”

A shaky breath.

“I need to know—will you marry me?”

She drops down in front of me so fast I barely catch her.

“Yes,” she breathes, laughing as she throws her arms around my neck.

“Yes?” I repeat, like I can’t quite believe it.

She nods against me, whispering again, “Yes.”

And just like that, my entire fucking world shifts.

Because she’s mine.

She’s been mine since the moment I laid eyes on her.

And now?

Now, she always will be.