Page 109 of Wrangled Love

“Oh yeah. I remember now!” He moves to my side, smiling wide at Briar.

“You two are being so silly,” she chuckles. “What do you have up your sleeves?”

Before I lose my nerve, I close the distance between us, and drop to one knee. Her breath catches as she watches me, stunned and speechless.

“From the moment Caleb and I stepped into the cottage, I knew things would never be the same.” I take her hands in mine. “You’ve brought more joy and happiness into our lives than I ever thought possible. Beyond being Caleb’s dad, nothing would mean more to me than making you my wife.” I stare up into her beautiful brown eyes. “When I decided how to do this, I thought back to how it all began—with the three of us—and knew I wanted this new chapter to start the same, and in a place that’s special to us.”

My hand trembles as I take the ring from my pocket and hold it out to the woman who means everything to me.

“Briar Halstead, will you marry me?”

A quiet moment passes as she reaches over to gently squeeze Caleb’s hand. He beams at her, practically buzzing with energy. Her eyes shine with affection before she turns back to me.

“Yes!” she exclaims, tears glistening in her eyes. “Absolutely, yes.” She drops to her knees in front of me as I slide the ring on her finger. “Jensen… how did you get this?”

“Julie wanted you to have it.”

“I’ve always loved this ring,” she whispers in awe. “It’s perfect.”

I lean in and kiss her on the lips. “I love you, sugar.”

“I love you too, cowboy.”

My gaze lingers on the ring she now wears. I’m grateful for the journey that led us here and eager for the life we’re building together.

I nod at Caleb, like we’d practiced. We went over this part several times yesterday with Heath and Walker while Briar was out with her friends, and he’s been counting down the hours until he can ask Briar his own question.

He angles toward her. “Hey, Briar.”

“Yeah, little man?” she asks.

“Remember how, when you went to live with Julie when you were a kid, you started calling her Mama Julie?”

Briar’s face brightens. “I do.”

“Well, I live with you now, and I was thinking maybe I could call you Mama Briar?” he questions, bouncing on his feet.

Caleb approached me about it last week, asking if he could have a special name for her like she has for Julie. And together we came up with the idea of Mama Briar.

Briar draws him in, her eyes finding mine as she replies, voice thick with emotion. “Yes, sweetheart. I’d like that very much.” A single tear trickles down her cheek. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Mama Briar,” he whispers.

My heart overflows with gratitude as I watch Briar embraceourson. We’ve agreed to wait until he’s older to decide whether he wants her to adopt him. Briar doesn’t want to take away from the memory of Amelia and will respect whatever choice hemakes. We’re a family in all the ways that matter most, and that’s all either of us could ever ask for.

The woman of my dreams is going to be my wife, we have the most amazing son, and our home is full of laughter and joy. I’m living proof that sometimes the best kind of life is one with muddy boots, starry skies, and a heart full of love. It’s safe to say that I’ve been completely wrangled by love.