Delayed Call
Page 115
Her eyes widened as she smacked him, laughing. “Vaughn!”
“I’m kidding, asshole. Come here,” he hollered before taking her in his arms and smothering her with a kiss that had her flying to another world. Picking her up, he then set her on the counter and picked the test back up, holding it between them as he gazed down at the little window that read their future. “Wow.”
“Yeah. You’re not mad, are you?”
“Fuck no, why would I be mad?”
“It took you forever to sleep in a bed with me.”
“I do it all the time now.”
“And a whole day to figure out you loved me.”
“Hey, and I know it to be true now.” She shot him a deadpan look, and he shrugged.
“This is big.”
“It is. But, babe, this is awesome. A baby. With you. Wow.”
“Yeah. Our baby.”
A little grin curved his lips as he shook his head. “Do we have to get married now?”
She shot him a disbelieving look. “Please tell me that’s not how you’re asking.”
“Oh, that didn’t work? I have to do more?”
She glared. “I’m going to beat you.”
He snorted as he shook his head, looking back down at the test. “No, I’m not asking.”
“Oh, good.”
“Oh, you don’t want me to?’
“No, I do, but in your time.”
“I thought you didn’t like my timing.”
“It sucks sometimes. But just ’cause we’re knocked up doesn’t mean we have to get married.”
“This is true.”
“I thought so.”
“But this is better,” he said, holding up the stick to her, his eyes bright. “I’m obviously a beast.”
She scoffed. “Or I missed a pill.”
“Or my sperm beat your pill up and got it done because we are—”
“If you say legendary, I will make it so you can’t have any more kids,” she warned, and he shot her a playful glare.
“That’s rude. I gotta play tomorrow. Game five, round one! I’ll win it for you and our baby.”
Reaching out, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
He looked up, his lips still tilted. “More than okay. I’m happy. I want this. With only you.”
Her heart exploded as she leaned her face to his, kissing his lips. “Me too.” Parting, she grinned. “Maybe we can get matching tattoos of the baby’s name.”
“I’ll go find a Sharpie,” he said, walking out of the bathroom. She laughed as she jumped off the counter to follow him.
“But it’s better if it’s—” Her words dropped off when she entered the living room. The room was full of gold balloons and hundreds of white roses, with Tricksie and Vaughn standing in the middle of the room. Her mouth was gaping open as she looked around, taking in all he had done before she looked to Vaughn. “Whoa.”
“Yeah,” he laughed as he came to her, taking her hand in his. “While you were napping and finding out about our child, Jensen helped me bring everything in.”
“What is this?”
The side of his mouth quirked up as he met her gaze. “I’m proposing.”
“No way!”
“Yeah, I had it planned for a while.”
“You trying to one-up me?”
“A baby kind of one-ups a marriage proposal.”
She nodded. “Yeah, but now?”
“Yeah.”
“You want to.”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Wow.”
“I know, both of us surprising the other. We’re getting good at this.”
“We are,” she gasped, her heart pounding as she met his gaze. “Wow.”
“Yeah, so…” He sucked in a deep breath before shrugging his shoulders. “I think I always knew you were the one.” Her breath caught, her free hand coming to her stomach as she held his hand. “The moment I met you, I knew you were special. I knew you were going to keep me on edge and drive me wild. I didn’t know I would fall in love with you, though. I didn’t know that you would change me—completely. That one look in your eyes could brighten my day and make my heart skip a beat a thousand times a day.”
“Oh, Vaughn.”
He laughed as his eyes filled with tears. “The more I learned about you, the more I knew that when you finally loved, you loved with a fierceness because you hadn’t been loved enough. The thing is, Soledad, I want to love you enough and then some. Sorry, I’m shaking. I tried to act cool about the baby, but I think I’m having a panic attack,” he said, holding his chest as she sputtered with laughter. She wrapped her arm around his middle while his arms came around her, his nose nuzzling in her hair. “I just wanted to propose.”
“I know, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you dare. I want this.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, you’re doing awesome.”
He tipped her chin up. “It does, and I’m so happy about the baby. I am scared out of my mind, but we’ll be okay because we have each other.”
“I know. We will.”
“Okay, back to the proposal,” he announced, wiping away a tear from his face as he scooted back, taking her hand in his. This was so them, and boy, did she love it. Falling to his knee, he looked up at her. Though, he didn’t have to look too far. “No matter how much I say I love you, I always love you more than that. That will never change, Brianna Soledad. When I first met you, I never wanted to fall in love. I was fine being this guy going through life, but then you changed me. You not only made me want to love again, but you made me want to love you twice in my lifetime. Now and forever, and that’s my plan.”
Brie’s heart soared as butterflies went crazy in her belly, and her eyes locked with those of the beautiful man who was all hers. “Wow, you are pulling out all the stops, huh?”
“I’m not even done yet,” he said with a wink, and she grinned as their eyes stayed locked. “You told me you wanted the dog, the big proposal, the love, the house, and all that jazz way back when. Well, Tricksie and I, because we’re a family, want you to join our family. So come here, baby. Tricksie, come here.”
“I’m kidding, asshole. Come here,” he hollered before taking her in his arms and smothering her with a kiss that had her flying to another world. Picking her up, he then set her on the counter and picked the test back up, holding it between them as he gazed down at the little window that read their future. “Wow.”
“Yeah. You’re not mad, are you?”
“Fuck no, why would I be mad?”
“It took you forever to sleep in a bed with me.”
“I do it all the time now.”
“And a whole day to figure out you loved me.”
“Hey, and I know it to be true now.” She shot him a deadpan look, and he shrugged.
“This is big.”
“It is. But, babe, this is awesome. A baby. With you. Wow.”
“Yeah. Our baby.”
A little grin curved his lips as he shook his head. “Do we have to get married now?”
She shot him a disbelieving look. “Please tell me that’s not how you’re asking.”
“Oh, that didn’t work? I have to do more?”
She glared. “I’m going to beat you.”
He snorted as he shook his head, looking back down at the test. “No, I’m not asking.”
“Oh, good.”
“Oh, you don’t want me to?’
“No, I do, but in your time.”
“I thought you didn’t like my timing.”
“It sucks sometimes. But just ’cause we’re knocked up doesn’t mean we have to get married.”
“This is true.”
“I thought so.”
“But this is better,” he said, holding up the stick to her, his eyes bright. “I’m obviously a beast.”
She scoffed. “Or I missed a pill.”
“Or my sperm beat your pill up and got it done because we are—”
“If you say legendary, I will make it so you can’t have any more kids,” she warned, and he shot her a playful glare.
“That’s rude. I gotta play tomorrow. Game five, round one! I’ll win it for you and our baby.”
Reaching out, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
He looked up, his lips still tilted. “More than okay. I’m happy. I want this. With only you.”
Her heart exploded as she leaned her face to his, kissing his lips. “Me too.” Parting, she grinned. “Maybe we can get matching tattoos of the baby’s name.”
“I’ll go find a Sharpie,” he said, walking out of the bathroom. She laughed as she jumped off the counter to follow him.
“But it’s better if it’s—” Her words dropped off when she entered the living room. The room was full of gold balloons and hundreds of white roses, with Tricksie and Vaughn standing in the middle of the room. Her mouth was gaping open as she looked around, taking in all he had done before she looked to Vaughn. “Whoa.”
“Yeah,” he laughed as he came to her, taking her hand in his. “While you were napping and finding out about our child, Jensen helped me bring everything in.”
“What is this?”
The side of his mouth quirked up as he met her gaze. “I’m proposing.”
“No way!”
“Yeah, I had it planned for a while.”
“You trying to one-up me?”
“A baby kind of one-ups a marriage proposal.”
She nodded. “Yeah, but now?”
“Yeah.”
“You want to.”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Wow.”
“I know, both of us surprising the other. We’re getting good at this.”
“We are,” she gasped, her heart pounding as she met his gaze. “Wow.”
“Yeah, so…” He sucked in a deep breath before shrugging his shoulders. “I think I always knew you were the one.” Her breath caught, her free hand coming to her stomach as she held his hand. “The moment I met you, I knew you were special. I knew you were going to keep me on edge and drive me wild. I didn’t know I would fall in love with you, though. I didn’t know that you would change me—completely. That one look in your eyes could brighten my day and make my heart skip a beat a thousand times a day.”
“Oh, Vaughn.”
He laughed as his eyes filled with tears. “The more I learned about you, the more I knew that when you finally loved, you loved with a fierceness because you hadn’t been loved enough. The thing is, Soledad, I want to love you enough and then some. Sorry, I’m shaking. I tried to act cool about the baby, but I think I’m having a panic attack,” he said, holding his chest as she sputtered with laughter. She wrapped her arm around his middle while his arms came around her, his nose nuzzling in her hair. “I just wanted to propose.”
“I know, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you dare. I want this.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, you’re doing awesome.”
He tipped her chin up. “It does, and I’m so happy about the baby. I am scared out of my mind, but we’ll be okay because we have each other.”
“I know. We will.”
“Okay, back to the proposal,” he announced, wiping away a tear from his face as he scooted back, taking her hand in his. This was so them, and boy, did she love it. Falling to his knee, he looked up at her. Though, he didn’t have to look too far. “No matter how much I say I love you, I always love you more than that. That will never change, Brianna Soledad. When I first met you, I never wanted to fall in love. I was fine being this guy going through life, but then you changed me. You not only made me want to love again, but you made me want to love you twice in my lifetime. Now and forever, and that’s my plan.”
Brie’s heart soared as butterflies went crazy in her belly, and her eyes locked with those of the beautiful man who was all hers. “Wow, you are pulling out all the stops, huh?”
“I’m not even done yet,” he said with a wink, and she grinned as their eyes stayed locked. “You told me you wanted the dog, the big proposal, the love, the house, and all that jazz way back when. Well, Tricksie and I, because we’re a family, want you to join our family. So come here, baby. Tricksie, come here.”
