Page 142 of My Best Bet

“No,” he lied. I arched an eyebrow at him. “I’m a little tipsy,” he conceded. “The guys made me take shots.” He chuckled. “Are you?”

I shook my head and bit my lip. “I have something to tell you.”

“Me first,” he grinned, making his dimple pop out. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I giggled and traced his eyebrow with my thumb before kissing him once more.

He placed me back on my feet and grabbed my hand while we walked the edge of the property by the lake.

“Remember my seventeenth birthday?” I asked.

He stopped and dropped his head back in thought for a second, his tongue peeked out the side of his mouth. “Pond skating, right? I was a smooth little bastard, eh?”

“Yes, you really were.” I smiled and looped my arms around his waist. “Remember when we were talking about our after?”

“Yeah,” He smirked down at me. “I was gonna buy you abigring.” He lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “I’d say check, eh?”

“Definitely. What else?” I mused, echoing my younger self.

“And abigold house,” he said, making my heart swell over the fact that he remembered the conversation just as well as I did. His eyebrows lifted and he gestured to the house behind us.

“Check,” I said, biting my lip.

“And as for the babies.” He dipped lower and inconspicuously trailed his strong hand up my leg. “We can–”

“Check.”

His hand paused. His face went slack. His gaze darted to my abdomen. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Then his apple watch went off, telling me his heart rate was spiking.

I burst out laughing with tears in my eyes, probably destroying my makeup. I always wanted us to have this version of after, but at seventeen, it felt like such a pipe dream.

He stood to his full height and took my face in his hands. “Mer, baby,” his voice wavered, “are you serious?” He tried his hardest to fight off a grin, but he was losing.

I nodded, smiling through my tears.

In an instant, he wrapped me up in his arms. “You’ve got my whole fucking heart, Mer. It’s completely yours, it’s always been yours. I love you, baby.”