“Tabitha—”
“I told her no.”
“Thank God.”
“But, I did tell her she could come down for lunch next week.”
“I’ll take off work—” I start.
Tabitha quit work not long after we found out she was pregnant. I didn’t ask her to, and never would have. She said she wanted to enjoy being pregnant and she was already tired all the time, she didn’t want to add long shifts to her day and make it worse. I was glad, but I never want her to feel like her career doesn’t matter. I’ve made it clear if she wants to work, we will work it out. She jokingly told me as hard as I go at it that I’d probably have her pregnant before Sarah Rose was three months old.
She’s not wrong. I love Tabitha pregnant.
“I have lunch with your mom next week. I invited Hilary to join me there. She seems different since she had her son and I’d like to see my nephew. I’d really like for our child to know her cousin…” she says and I grin. I can’t stop myself. I bend down and kiss her.
“My mom will eat your sister alive,” I tell her after we finish kissing.
“Not if Hilary is being honest and she’s changed. If not…”
“Then, my mother and you together will put the fear of God into her.”
“Well yeah, but mainly your mother. She won’t allow anyone to hurt her future granddaughter,” Tabitha laughs.
“Or you. She loves you, gorgeous.”
“I know she does. You gave me so much Brody, but your family has too. I never knew what it felt like to have a family’s love and support before. I wasn’t kidding you know,” she says and I frown.
“About what?”
“You are my hero. You went out of your way to help me out when you could have easily told Hilary the truth and humiliated me.”
“Well, to be fair I didn’t do that unselfishly, Tabitha. I wanted in your pants,” I respond with a smirk.
“Lucky me,” she laughs. “But, from that moment and every moment after, Brody, you’ve never failed to be here for me. To love me. I never believed in fairytales before you, but every day with you just gets better and better. You are my Prince Charming, Brody.”
I turn slightly to reach my nightstand drawer and pull out the ring I bought. With the mess and chaos of her sister’s wedding and then her worry over not getting pregnant… there just never seemed to be the right time.
Until now.
“Brody?” she asks, but I turn back around to face her.
“Then I need to make sure I give you a happily ever after,” I tell her opening the box to the diamond engagement ring.
“Oh my, God…” she whispers, surprise and shock on her face.
“Will you marry me, Tabitha Riley?”
“Yes!” she cries, without pause. She wraps her arms around me and I hold her close.
This is my world. Tabitha and our child are everything. She might think I saved her that day at the hospital when I pretended to be her boyfriend. But I know the truth.
Tabitha saved me and she gave me everything I always wanted and never thought I’d have.
She’s the real hero in our story….
Our love story.