The sound that comes out of her is definitely half laugh and half sob. “Yes. A million times yes. I love you, and I can’t imagine my life without you and Kody.”

I slip the ring out of its cushioned home and slide it onto her finger. Lainey throws her arms around me and kisses my neck, my cheek, and then finally my lips, whispering I love you over and over.

Kody uses my knee to pull himself to a stand, shouting, “Ma!”

We both laugh, and I know that—despite the lack of romance—this is exactly the kind of proposal that works for us, because Kody is part of every single equation.

We take him up to bed. When he sees the ring on Lainey’s finger, he tries to pry it off, and when that doesn’t work, he tries to put her hand in his mouth.

Lainey holds his favorite teddy bear in front of him as a distraction. He grabs for it and cuddles it to his chest. We kiss him good night, put on his music, and turn on the night-light before we leave his room.

“This is beautiful. It’s exactly what I would have picked for myself,” Lainey says as we uncork a bottle of champagne so we can have our own private celebration.

I debate whether or not I should take the credit for it. “Remember when I took Stevie shopping over the holidays?”

“She needed something for some kind of event, but you came back empty handed.”

“I may have lied about that.”

“I figured it was just an excuse for the two of you to get some time together.”

“Well, there was that too. But really I wanted her help picking out the ring. It was between that one and another one.”

“You’re so sneaky.” She grabs the front of my shirt and pulls my mouth down to hers. “I can’t believe you’ve been holding on to this for months!”

“I was just waiting for the right time to ask. I wanted to make sure you were ready.”

“Still, that’s a long time to hold on to that. And I can’t believe Stevie never said anything.”

I laugh. “She knows better.”

Lainey bites her lip, a coy smile turning up the corner of her mouth. “You know, if we’re being completely honest with each other, I have something I should probably tell you.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Remember that time you taught me to drive when we were in Alaska?”

“Of course.” I had a hard-on the entire time. Lainey behind the wheel of a pickup is sexy as hell.

“So, I told you I didn’t have a license, not that I didn’t know how to drive.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I used to drive my dad’s pickup all the time. I just never bothered to get a license, because I didn’t like freeway driving—and you were so excited about teaching me, so I didn’t want to ruin it for you, or me, really.”

I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her tight against me. “Now who’s the sneaky one?”

“It was a little white lie.”

“I guess that means we’re even, doesn’t it?” I drop a kiss at the edge of her jaw.

“Mmm. A lie for a lie. I think we’re all done with those, aren’t we?”

“Definitely. But this one served a purpose. Are you ready for a little private celebration, future Mrs. Bowman?”

“Very ready.”

I spend the next hour showing Lainey with actions, and words, exactly how much I love her, and that I never want to be without her, ever again.

EPILOGUE

LIFE IN TRAINING

Rook

Four months later

Lainey’s fingers are in my hair, tugging gently as her hips move in tandem with my tongue. Tomorrow I’m making her my wife in the same location I fell in love with her: Kodiak Island. So tonight we’re having a little precelebration.

Well, actually, in about an hour Lainey’s parents and my mom are coming over so Lainey can have a night with her girlfriends, and I’m going out with the guys. Bar options are limited out here, so we’re going to have a campfire and drink some beers at one of the cabins down the road. It’s the same place Lainey first stayed, except I bought it, demoed the cabin, and had a brand-new one built. It might be a little overkill, but I wasn’t sure my family’s four-bedroom cabin was going to be enough for us—and I’m planning to spend a good part of my summers here, so I might as well have room for my extended family and friends. The new cabin has eight bedrooms, eight baths, two kitchens, two great rooms, and a massive dining room. It also has a guesthouse with three bedrooms.

Lainey’s family and my family both fit there. Our friends from Chicago and a few of the guys from Seattle that I’m already close with have rented out the majority of one of the lodges not too far down the road. The move to Seattle has been good for Lainey and me, and while I’ll miss the guys in Chicago, having Alex as my coach and Lainey’s family close by has been amazing. Even better, my sister is moving to Seattle for a job, so we’ll each have family close by.

I’m already getting settled in with my new team, and most of the guys are great. Apart from a couple of pains in my ass, it’s been a pretty smooth transition. Being captain of a brand-new team is daunting, but it’s also inspiring. It was a position I almost didn’t get, thanks to some hotshot named Bishop Winslow, but in the end it worked out for me. But more importantly, Lainey is happy in Seattle, and so is Kody.

And right now, based on the little whimpers and moans of encouragement, my almost wife is definitely happy.

One of Lainey’s hands disappears from my hair to grab a pillow, which means she’s about to come and she wants to muffle the sound because she’s afraid she’ll wake Kody. She’s not particularly loud in bed, but I’d like to finish what we’ve started without interruptions, so I don’t stop her.

Thirty seconds later her inner thighs clamp against my head, blocking out all sound apart from the rush of blood in my ears as she comes. As soon as her legs relax again, I kiss my way up her body and settle between her thighs, easing inside.

“The next time I make love to you, you’ll be my wife.”

“You’re a sexy fiancé, but you’re going to be an even sexier husband.” She pulls my mouth down to hers, licking inside on a low moan—partly because I’m filling her up, but also because she loves kissing me after I’ve gone down on her. For as sweet and sheltered as Lainey once was, she’s an adventure in and out of the bedroom, especially these days.

I move over her, matching the roll of her hips as I cradle the back of her head.

“I’m so glad you came back to me,” I say against her lips.

“We came back to each other.”

We kiss and cling and moan into each other’s mouths. Lainey does that thing with her tongue that always amps me up, and I shift her right leg, tucking her knee against my ribs so I can hit the spot that makes her whimper my name and dig her nails into the back of my neck.

“I love you so much.” I push up on my forearm, aware that she’s close to coming again, and I want to watch it happen, because the next time it does she’ll officially be mine forever.

She touches my cheek, eyes soft and full of need. “And I love you.” Her soft gasp is followed by “Oh God” and my name. It isn’t until the stiffness in her body eases and her hips stop jerking into mine that I change the tempo, moving faster, chasing my own orgasm.