He wasn’t telling her anything new, but she let him talk.
“I didn’t think when we talked at the clubhouse. I hated the idea that you had no faith in me and needed more proof of my feelings for you. And I couldn’t handle you walking out of my life. It hurt me, baby. It brought out bad fuckin’ memories from my past.”
Her hand trembled as she wiped a tear from his face. “I’m sorry…” she said. Seeing him in this state made her realize that she should have given him more time. It all seemed so futile now. Why did she get so spooked at seeing all those women at his clubhouse? Why hadn’t she trusted him enough to give them more time? It all came down to her past.
She didn’t trust her own instincts after what happened to her with getting pregnant and losing her child at fourteen. She had directly thought the worse of him in order to protect herself as she was already falling in love with him.
“I’m sorry, too, Little Bird. I acted like a dick while what you needed was reassurance that I wasn’t about to just up and leave you. I kept you at a distance because I had it in my head that I was an ass, just like my father. I’ve pushed you away and I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
He picked up a rope from the ground, and her eyes widened. He’d tied a black velvet box onto the rope. Her heart raced in her chest while her throat went dry. Could it be?
“I meant to throw this over Flint’s neck and have him walk up to you, but damn, that pig is stubborn.”
“I once heard a wise man say that you can’t own a wild boar. It’s either a wild beast or a tame pig. You can’t have it both ways.”
He smiled and said, “Yeah. Forget about what I said. What the fuck do I know about animals? You obviously tamed me.”
She giggled, and it was like a weight that had been lifted off her shoulders. He opened the box in front of her, exposing a beautiful diamond band ring with a round diamond in the middle.
“Teagan Adriana Moore, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I promise to stand by your side and to love you forever. I’m all in. Please say you’ll marry me.”
“Yes! I’ll marry you!”
She jumped him and instantly pressed her lips against his. He laughed against her lips when he fell on his ass on the ground and she straddled him and kept on kissing him.
It took her a moment to realize that there were people surrounding them and cheering and shouting their congratulations. She jumped from Devlin and straightened her pastel pink sundress.
Her dad was the first to hug her. He kissed her temple and said, “Congratulations, sweetheart.”
She was stunned they were here. And even more so that her father even congratulated her on her engagement. Her mother wriggled herself between them and said, “We love you, dear. I couldn’t believe my eyes when Devlin came to us at the farm to ask your dad for his blessing.”
She shot an unbelieving look at Devlin, who smiled at Nora and Catriona simultaneously kissing him on his cheeks. “He talked to you? When?”
Her father nodded. “Yesterday. Had a good talkin’ with him. He understands what we expect from him.”
She didn’t dare ask him what that meant exactly. Her mom seemed to notice and said, “We just wanted to know the guy you fell in love with, Teagan. We knew nothing about him except who he hangs out with and what he does for a living. He showed us yesterday how much he cares about you by coming to see us.”
Her father hummed. “Earned our respect by doin’ things right.”
Ryan ruffled her hair and said, “I can’t believe you didn’t see through my dumb phone call earlier… We needed to get you out here, since Devlin insisted on getting that damn boar involved.”
Her sisters joined their laughs and, one by one, they all congratulated her. She got hugs and kisses from Devlin’s siblings before they went to sit down on several blankets scattered over the grass field.
Emmy had prepared a delicious lunch and brought out the best wine they had. She’d never felt so happy in her life. After dessert, she helped clean up the dishes and put away the stuff they’d used for their celebration picnic.
Their families moved to the picnic tables near the vegetable gardens, and she heard their laughing filter inside the kitchen via the window.
“Show me your room, Teagan Adriana Moore.”
She felt his hot breath against the shell of her ear and she dropped the dish in the sink. With his finger pressed to his lips, he ordered her to slip up the stairs without making any noise.
The moment she closed the door to her childhood room up in the attic, he’d thrown her on top of her twin bed with the flowery quilt. She leaned up on her elbows as she watched him take off his shoes and jeans. He undid his button-down shirt and she couldn’t help but touch herself in anticipation. She rubbed her fingers over her wet panties.
“Fuck, I need you so bad,” he said as he jerked his dick.
He leaned on the bed and she said, “Oh, shit. I don’t have any condoms.”
Devlin grinned from ear to ear and said, “I got tested and I’m clean. You’re the last women that touched me, Little Bird. If you’d want, we could go without.”