“Yeah, Kennedy was ready to tear them limb from limb. We all were. It was hard to get the guys to take one alive,” Ford said.
The old man pinned me with another glower. “I don’t see a ring on her finger.”
Again, I didn’t let him get to me. I gave him my cockiest grin. “Working on it. Quincy doesn’t love it when I get mushy, so I’m waiting for the right opportunity to pop the question.”
Quincy shot me a surprised look.
“Come on,” I said, drawing circles on her back with my hand. “You had to know it was coming.”
Quincy blinked rapidly. The hormones had made her far more emotional than usual, which she hated.
“You didn’t?” I asked more softly, my words just for her.
“Um…I just didn’t know if you were into that,” she admitted, leaning in close, as if everyone else wasn’t surrounding us eating barbeque. “You know…with your parents and everything.”
We hadn’t told my parents yet, either. I’d planned on doing that after I convinced Quincy to marry me. We’d have to invite them to the wedding, after all. But I’d be damned if I let them turn it into another political media circus. Maybe we’d elope. Maybe we’d get married right here on this deck.
The rest of the group tactfully shifted the conversation to give us some privacy.
I tipped my forehead down to touch it against hers and murmured, “Flyer, I’m into it. I’m into you. I’m into us. This baby. Our family. Of course, I want to marry you.”
She nodded, clearly still struggling not to cry. “Cool.”
“Does that mean you’re going to sayyes?”
“Are you asking me now?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
She let out a watery laugh. “Then I’m not answering.”
I groaned. “That’s my girl.” Always giving me pushback. That was one thing I was sure of. Quincy was going to give me a run for my money with everything.
And yeah, I was totally up for it.
One hundred percent.
“So, what’s the plan? Are you staying here? May I come out for the birth?” Janet asked when we brought our attention back to the group.
“Yes and of course,” Quincy said. “I will definitely need you.”
Janet’s eyes filled with happy tears. “I’m so excited. I love babies.”
“I know.” Quincy smiled warmly at her mom. “Our baby will be so lucky to have a doting grandmother.”
“And a senator and an admiral for grandfathers. We might have a future president on our hands,” the admiral said.
I had to work not to grit my teeth. I knew the admiral was just proud of his future grandchild, but his prediction was far too close to what my parents would want for comfort.
Quincy reached for my hand again, this time under the table. “Our baby won’t be going into politics,” she said quickly. “At least, not unless she or he is totally willing.”
Her father took a long, musing look at me and seemed to understand. He nodded. “Of course.”
I squeezed Quincy’s hand. “If she’s anything like Quincy, she’ll do whatever the heck she wants and excel at it. Because she has pretty fucking amazing parents.”
EPILOGUE
QUINCY