Page 129 of Perfect Pairing

And this experience was worlds away from that one.

With Shannon, I’d been scared to death, both by the infancy of our relationship, which, at the time, hadn’t been much more than fuck buddies, and by the thought of bringing a child into the world.

Hansen had been the best thing that ever happened to me…until Brie came along. All I felt in that moment, presented with the proof of our child growing in her womb, was a deeply rooted sense of peace. Of rightness. Of the realization that Brie and I were endgame, and our baby would never have to endurewhat Hansen had.

That, with her, Hansen and I finally found the family I’d always longed for.

Unintelligible words left my lips as I struggled to verbalize my thoughts into something that fully encapsulated everything I was feeling.

At last, I settled on, “I love you,” and drew her in for a deep kiss.

When we broke apart again, both breathing hard, Brie said, “I love you too.”

“I can’t accept this, though,” I said, closing her fingers around the ring.

“You don’t want to marry me?” she asked, expression stricken.

“Oh, I fully plan on marrying you,” I told her. “But you’re going to be the one wearing a ring until that day.”

With a wicked grin, I lifted her off the counter and walked us to my room, dumping her unceremoniously on the bed before moving to my dresser and withdrawing the ring box that had sat there for nearly two months.

“I bought this after Valentine’s Day,” I said, turning to her again. She sat on the edge of the mattress, and I knelt before her, popping the box open. I’d gone for something unique, something that represented Brie and what I felt for her. The stones sparkled under the overhead lighting, exactly like Brie’s face.

“A baguette?” she said with a little chuckle.

“Seemed appropriate,” I told her.

The rectangular sapphire glinted on a simple rose gold band, two tiny diamonds flanking it. I removed it from the cushion and held it out to Brie. Her hand shook as she lifted it, and I slippedit on her finger, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

She clasped my face in her hands and bent to kiss me, but a breath away, she said, “Thank you for making me the luckiest girl in the world.”

“Nah, honey,” I said. “I’m the lucky one.”