Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
I groan. “We always do yours first, but fine. Which game did you get me this year?”
He bends and picks up a bigger box than usual. I frown. “It’s not a game, is it?”
“Nope,” he says, surprisingly cheerful as he hands a similarly shaped package to Boone and Roxie, although she gets two more packages from him, too.
I withdraw my arm from around her to tear off the paper, then I freeze when I see the baby memory book inside. My heart skips as I flip through it, seeing spots to press footprints and jot down notes of each milestone.
My eyes squeeze shut, the reality sinking in so much deeper than it has before. Holy fuck, we’re having babies.
I breathe through the momentary wave of panic, and when I finally open my eyes again, I see Boone and Roxie blinking down at their own books, Boone suddenly grinning like a fool and Roxie’s eyes shimmering with tears.
She blows out a breath, then gets up to wrap her arms around Chance. “Thank you. That was amazingly thoughtful. It’s even got a section for notes about the pregnancy. They’re going to love being able to read all this stuff one day.”
He nods, holding her close for a moment before Boone hands out his gifts. Baby carriers for Chance and me, and a necklace for Roxie with a diamond-encrusted infinity symbol. She got us each a leather cuff with our initials stamped inside.
“I’ll do mine later,” I say finally, once the rest of the gifts are opened.
Boone gives me another skeptical look, but herds us to the dining room for lunch without arguing. We eat more than humanly possible, and afterward, once we sit back down in the living room, that perfect Christmas glow settles over us.
I glance at the tree again and decide it’s time.
“Rox?” I say casually, swallowing my nerves and trying to keep my voice steady. “Can you come stand here with me for a sec?”
Instantly, she looks suspicious, narrowing her eyes at me from her perch in front of the fire. “Why?”
Chance groans under his breath. “Oh no.”
Boone mutters, “Here it comes.”
“Jeez, relax.” I take her hand, tugging her gently to her feet and guiding her over to the tree with me. “I just want to show you something.”
Chance stands too, and Boone follows. I position her in front of the tree, the lights forming a halo around her hair, making her look like every Christmas miracle ever performed.
For a moment, I almost forget what I’m doing, but then I turn to the tree and reach up among the branches, pulling off a clear glass sphere I hung while no one was looking. Inside are three rings, designed to fit together as well as we do.
She gasps softly, her gaze lingering on the sphere for a beat before it flies back up to mine. “Dillon…”
“Yeah,” I say, suddenly feeling way too many feelings for a guy who never used to feel much other than hungry and horny. “You see where this is going.”
Boone steps up beside her, not missing a beat now that he’s seen the rings. His features are open and his eyes clear when they meet mine. He even gives me an approving little chin tilt, but my heart is racing too much to acknowledge it as he turns to her.
“Sweetheart,” he says, but then trails off when Chance comes up behind her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head as he hooks an arm around her waist.
“We love you,” Chance murmurs against her skin, then lifts his gaze to mine.
“We want this to be forever,” I say, picking up where he leaves off and cracking open the sphere. The rings fall into my palm, but I don’t hand them over just yet, simply holding her shocked gaze as I continue. “I know we’re not traditional, and I know the world doesn’t exactly have instructions for a situation like ours, but Montana allows common-law marriage. We can make it legal in whatever way works.”
Boone smiles at her, reaching for one of her hands while Chance takes the other. “What he’s trying to say is that we all want you, and not just for today. You’re ours and we’re yours. That will always be true, no matter what.”
Her eyes fill with tears, and Chance steadies her, pulling her closer to his chest and murmuring against her hair. “It won’t always be easy. We get that. Frankly, we don’t know how people in town will react, but here’s the thing. We don’t care. We don’t care if it’s legal or if it’s recognized everywhere. We just want to commit ourselves to you.”
I drop to one knee. “Marry us, Roxie. All three of us. Just say yes, and we’ll figure out everything else later.”
She doesn’t even hesitate. “Yes.”
Just that. Breathless. Immediate. Certain.