Empty Net
Page 152
“Good,” she said intertwining her fingers with his, “I’ve missed you.”
“Not as much as I’ve missed you.”
They shared a long loving look before Audrey looked down to where their hands lay on her growing belly. “Are you excited about Chicken?”
“Ecstatic. I bet you were shocked, huh?”
“Oh my God, I couldn’t stop crying! It was nuts.”
“Yeah, the doctor came out and was telling us what was wrong and then he said, but the baby is fine, I almost passed out,” he said but then the grin he was wearing fell as his eyes met hers, “I was so scared I was going to lose you both.”
She reached up cupping his face, “I’m never leaving you again.”
“You are damn right on that one, love. Damn right,” he said with a nod, “we have a lot of planning to do, I’m going to have to find another house, and built another closet.”
“Shirtless, right?” He laughed as she smiled as much as she could. When she went to push her tongue to her teeth and felt her gums, she freaked, “Eek, do I look horrible with no teeth?”
“You look beautiful,” he said confidently as she blushed.
“I’ll match our baby.”
“No, we’ll get it fixed before then,” he said with a smile, “but I promise you are beautiful,” he added when she sent him a look.
“Sure,” she joked as he leaned over and kissed the side of her mouth, when they parted she asked, “Was everyone freaking out?”
Tate nodded, “Yup, I think me and Fallon were the worst. We wouldn’t leave your side.”
She smiled, “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be, we love you and like Fallon said, we are blessed to have you back.”
Nothing was said as they held each other’s gaze. Anger filled Audrey all of a sudden and she wished she could rip Levi Moss’ throat out. “I hate him,” she whispered before looking up at him, “I never thought I could hate someone the way I hate him.”
Tate laughed, “I want to kill him.”
Audrey nodded, “I glad you saved my life.”
He reached over cupping her face, “I’m glad you saved mine, love.”
“How did I save your life?” she laughed, “you didn’t get beat up.”
“No,” he said with a shake of his head, “but I’ve been walking through darkness since my family died and, baby, you brought light to my darkness. I was empty, Audrey, completely and utterly empty, but now I am so full of love and happiness. All because of you. I owe you my life, so do you really think I’d let you die on me?”
Audrey’s eyes filled with tears as her mouth quirked in a painful grin, “I love you more than life itself, Tate, you know that, right?”
He smiled, “I don’t want to sound cocky, but yeah, I kind of knew that.” They laughed before he leaned over kissing her as softly as he could. She wished that her mouth wasn’t messed up so she could ravish his mouth but it would heal, she would heal.
“Are you hurting?” he asked softly, moving his fingers along hers.
“Not really, a little.”
He nodded, “Good, let me know, I’ll get the nurse.”
“Okay, I will.”
Tate shot her another grin before reaching over to the table beside her. “Now I know it’s killing you to know what everyone on Facebook is doing, that’s why I’ve been charging your phone.”
Audrey’s eyes went wide with excitement, “I love you,” she giggled as she pushed her icon while he watched. They sat discussing all the ins and outs of her friends. He told her about all their friends coming to see her, and how they all brought flowers for when she woke up. As Tate spoke, Audrey was was busy thanking everyone for the Get Well wishes she had on her Timeline when her phone started to vibrate and Tate’s picture came up on the screen. Her face twisted in confusion but before looking up to ask him why he was calling her, she noticed that where it would say Tate’s name, it said something else:
Will you marry me?
“What the hell?” Audrey said confused. She looked over at Tate, but all she saw was half of him. Tate looked up at her from his bended knee with tears in his eyes and the biggest grin imaginable on his face while still holding her hand in his. “Oh my God.”
“I got you this ring while I was in Canada,” he whispered as he slid a beautiful silver band that had his name engraved along the top of it onto her ring finger. He looked back up at her and continued, “But it isn’t your engagement ring. I planned to ask you to marry me when I took you home, but I can’t wait that long. I need you to know that you mean the world to me and I want you to be my wife. I want to raise our child together and Audrey, I want to make more. I want to make a life with you, I need you, love. All of you. For the rest of my life.”
Tears rushed over her cheeks as she nodded, “So you want to make me Mrs. Oooooooodder?”
Tate smiled his own tears welling up in his eyes, “I do. And I want to make more baby Ooooooders with you.”
Her brows came in as she asked, “This isn’t like a Shea Adler type of thing is it?”
Tate laughed moving his hand over her cheek, “No, I’ll let you decide how many we have.”
Audrey pulled him into her arms, kissing him hard against his lips, passed the pain, passed the dizziness, everything. She was going to marry this man; she was going to love him for the rest of her life. She didn’t care how old he was, and that he might be a little damaged, she loved him. All of him.
“Not as much as I’ve missed you.”
They shared a long loving look before Audrey looked down to where their hands lay on her growing belly. “Are you excited about Chicken?”
“Ecstatic. I bet you were shocked, huh?”
“Oh my God, I couldn’t stop crying! It was nuts.”
“Yeah, the doctor came out and was telling us what was wrong and then he said, but the baby is fine, I almost passed out,” he said but then the grin he was wearing fell as his eyes met hers, “I was so scared I was going to lose you both.”
She reached up cupping his face, “I’m never leaving you again.”
“You are damn right on that one, love. Damn right,” he said with a nod, “we have a lot of planning to do, I’m going to have to find another house, and built another closet.”
“Shirtless, right?” He laughed as she smiled as much as she could. When she went to push her tongue to her teeth and felt her gums, she freaked, “Eek, do I look horrible with no teeth?”
“You look beautiful,” he said confidently as she blushed.
“I’ll match our baby.”
“No, we’ll get it fixed before then,” he said with a smile, “but I promise you are beautiful,” he added when she sent him a look.
“Sure,” she joked as he leaned over and kissed the side of her mouth, when they parted she asked, “Was everyone freaking out?”
Tate nodded, “Yup, I think me and Fallon were the worst. We wouldn’t leave your side.”
She smiled, “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be, we love you and like Fallon said, we are blessed to have you back.”
Nothing was said as they held each other’s gaze. Anger filled Audrey all of a sudden and she wished she could rip Levi Moss’ throat out. “I hate him,” she whispered before looking up at him, “I never thought I could hate someone the way I hate him.”
Tate laughed, “I want to kill him.”
Audrey nodded, “I glad you saved my life.”
He reached over cupping her face, “I’m glad you saved mine, love.”
“How did I save your life?” she laughed, “you didn’t get beat up.”
“No,” he said with a shake of his head, “but I’ve been walking through darkness since my family died and, baby, you brought light to my darkness. I was empty, Audrey, completely and utterly empty, but now I am so full of love and happiness. All because of you. I owe you my life, so do you really think I’d let you die on me?”
Audrey’s eyes filled with tears as her mouth quirked in a painful grin, “I love you more than life itself, Tate, you know that, right?”
He smiled, “I don’t want to sound cocky, but yeah, I kind of knew that.” They laughed before he leaned over kissing her as softly as he could. She wished that her mouth wasn’t messed up so she could ravish his mouth but it would heal, she would heal.
“Are you hurting?” he asked softly, moving his fingers along hers.
“Not really, a little.”
He nodded, “Good, let me know, I’ll get the nurse.”
“Okay, I will.”
Tate shot her another grin before reaching over to the table beside her. “Now I know it’s killing you to know what everyone on Facebook is doing, that’s why I’ve been charging your phone.”
Audrey’s eyes went wide with excitement, “I love you,” she giggled as she pushed her icon while he watched. They sat discussing all the ins and outs of her friends. He told her about all their friends coming to see her, and how they all brought flowers for when she woke up. As Tate spoke, Audrey was was busy thanking everyone for the Get Well wishes she had on her Timeline when her phone started to vibrate and Tate’s picture came up on the screen. Her face twisted in confusion but before looking up to ask him why he was calling her, she noticed that where it would say Tate’s name, it said something else:
Will you marry me?
“What the hell?” Audrey said confused. She looked over at Tate, but all she saw was half of him. Tate looked up at her from his bended knee with tears in his eyes and the biggest grin imaginable on his face while still holding her hand in his. “Oh my God.”
“I got you this ring while I was in Canada,” he whispered as he slid a beautiful silver band that had his name engraved along the top of it onto her ring finger. He looked back up at her and continued, “But it isn’t your engagement ring. I planned to ask you to marry me when I took you home, but I can’t wait that long. I need you to know that you mean the world to me and I want you to be my wife. I want to raise our child together and Audrey, I want to make more. I want to make a life with you, I need you, love. All of you. For the rest of my life.”
Tears rushed over her cheeks as she nodded, “So you want to make me Mrs. Oooooooodder?”
Tate smiled his own tears welling up in his eyes, “I do. And I want to make more baby Ooooooders with you.”
Her brows came in as she asked, “This isn’t like a Shea Adler type of thing is it?”
Tate laughed moving his hand over her cheek, “No, I’ll let you decide how many we have.”
Audrey pulled him into her arms, kissing him hard against his lips, passed the pain, passed the dizziness, everything. She was going to marry this man; she was going to love him for the rest of her life. She didn’t care how old he was, and that he might be a little damaged, she loved him. All of him.
