“No, it’s the future that counts. I love you so much, Kayla, and I’m praying you’ll marry me and we can raise our three children together. We could even make more babies, if you’d like.”
She blinked. “You’d want more kids?”
“Hey, the more the merrier. But if you’d rather not, I’ll be happy with three. Either way, DeeDee can invent one of her words for the complicated family we’ll make.”
Kayla laughed and it was the most beautiful sound in the world. “She’d love that.”
“So how about it? Will you marry me and love me for the rest of our lives?”
* * *
KAYLA TOOK A DEEP, shuddering breath. Jackson was choosing her instead of clinging to his wounds. She could do the same if she was willing to follow him in that leap of faith.
His hand was strong, and she remembered how he’d stuck to his parenting responsibilities through a long, difficult year with Morgan. He loved his daughter and had never given up, though it couldn’t have been easy, and he hadn’t given up with Alex, either, however many times he’d fumbled. Beyond that, he was opening his mind, showing the direction in which he wanted to grow as a human being.
She hadn’t wanted to risk the pain of anther messed-up relationship, but turning Jackson away wouldn’t guarantee being safe from hurt. It would only mean loneliness. He was right—protecting yourself too fiercely carried too high a price, because it meant living without love.
“I love you and I want to marry you,” she said steadily.
Jackson’s smile flashed like a Montana sunrise as he leaped to his feet and pulled her into his arms.
* * *
ALEX HADN’T BEEN able to believe it when he’d looked up to see Morgan standing in front of him. Sandy had laughed, and he realized she’d taken a picture of him with his mouth hanging open.
“Delete that,” he’d growled.
“Not a chance,” Sandy had refused.
Sandy’s mom had welcomed Morgan and insisted she eat with them.
“Let’s go shock DeeDee, too,” Morgan suggested after they’d demolished a bucket of fried chicken. “I want to see her face when we show up.”
But they didn’t get a chance to surprise DeeDee the way they’d hoped. She was looking out the window at Keri’s house and both of them came outside screaming.
“Where’s Jackson?” DeeDee demanded. “And Cory?”
“We had to leave Cory at the ranch,” Morgan explained. “Dad dropped me off at Sandy’s and said to let him know when I needed a ride. I just called and he’s coming over here to pick me up.”
“He didn’t go in to see Alex?” DeeDee asked.
“No.”
“That’s funny.”
Morgan shrugged. “Nah, I think he was just giving us space or whatever.”
“I still think it’s strange.”
“Maybe he went to see your mom,” Sandy suggested. “Alex says I’m wrong, but I think he has a thing for her.”
“Really?” Morgan said. “That’s awesome.”
“Mom said there wasn’t anything going on,” Alex insisted.
DeeDee excitedly hopped from one foot to the other. “I’m with Sandy and Morgan. It would be dopeacious if they got together!”
A minute later Jackson’s big SUV pulled into the driveway and Alex saw his mom in the front seat. Jackson waved and went around to open the passenger door. That was when Alex knew Sandy and DeeDee were right, because of the way they smiled at each other.
“You don’t mind, do you, Alex?” DeeDee asked. “If Mom loves him, we gotta make it easy on her, because we should take care of our family. And Mom looks awful happy. It really is dopeacious.”
Alex felt strange about it, but maybe it was a good kind of strange. “Yeah,” he agreed. “And for once I like one of your new words. Just don’t overuse it.”