“It’s only fair since you drive my body crazy all the time.”
I waggled my eyebrows. “I wonder if you’ll still be lookin’ for some when we’re in our eighties.”
“No doubt about it. I’ll speed after you in my wheelchair for some sugar.”
I burst into laughter and leaned my head against his when he crawled over me and tucked himself behind me on the sofa.
“How many babies will you give me?” he murmured as his hand absentmindedly stroked my swollen abdomen.
I glanced over my shoulder to him. “How many do you want?”
“At least five.”
I gnawed on my lower lip. “Five total or like, five boys? ‘Cause we could have all girls, and me body won’t be able to go until you get your mini football team of lads.”
Kane rumbled with low laughter. “Five total will be fine. I come from five siblings and you do too. I like the number five.”
I leaned back and kissed his forehead. “Five it is, bud.”
“They’ll have to be close in age, too,” he stated. “So right after this one comes out, we’ll have to get working on the next one.”
My lip curved upward. “So lots and lots of sex then?”
“Yep,” he chirped. “We have to make sure your eggo gets preggo.”
I laughed and held my stomach.
Kane slid his hand over my hand and gave it a squeeze. “We’re having a baby,” he whispered.
“We are indeed,” I beamed.
“I couldn’t be happier, Aideen,” Kane said and sat upright. He looked down at me for a long moment before climbing off me and walking out of the room.
I watched him leave the room and confusion caught hold of me. Wanting to know what he was doing, I heaved myself up off the sofa and followed him out of the room, down the hallway and into our bedroom.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” I asked from the doorway.
He was standing in front of his nightstand, staring down at something he plucked from the top drawer.
“I wanted to do this after the baby got here, and I wanted it to be perfect and romantic, but I can’t wait anymore.”
I stared blankly at him as he dropped his hands to his side. He turned to face me then and walked over to me, his eyes locked on mine.
“What are you talkin’ about?” I curiously asked.
Kane grabbed my hands gently, took a deep breath, then he did the most out of the blue thing ever.
He got down on one knee.
“Aideen—”
“Omigod.” I gasped and pulled my hands from his so I could cover my face.
“I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love a woman.” He smiled wide, his eyes gleaming. “You’re my everything, and have completed my life by just existing. I can’t put into words the love I’m feeling knowing you’re carrying my unborn child... it’s mind-blowing. I love you so much, and I was hoping you would do me the honour of becoming my wife.”
“Omigod.”
With a cheek splitting smile, Kane said the words every girl in her right mind dreamt of hearing, “Will you marry me, babydoll?”
“Kane,” I whispered.
Kane lifted his right hand and revealed a large single diamond ring, with mini diamonds filling the band. Without words, I lifted my left hand and watched through blurry eyes as he slid the ring onto my ring finger and then sealed it in place with a forever binding kiss.
“Yes,” I said when I found my voice. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Yes. Yes. A million times yes!”
Kane sprung to his feet, grabbed my hands and pulled me up against his chest. He crashed his lips to mine and then kissed all over my face as I cried. Tears flowed from my eyes, and hiccups started when I couldn’t control the sobs.
“I can’t believe this,” I wept.
Kane kissed me once more. “I was terrified to ask you in case you said no. I know you love me, but fuck, that was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. The not knowing took years off my life.”
I blinked with shock. “When? How?”
“I bought the ring weeks ago, just after you got... hurt. I then asked your dad and brothers for permission, and after giving me a hard time for a few hours, they gave me their approval and called me an asshole.”
I cried again. “You a-asked for per-permission?”
“Of course,” Kane responded. “You’re precious to your guys, and I wouldn’t take you away from them without the go-ahead. I also wouldn’t have made it two days before they hunted me down and kicked my ass if I didn’t ask.”
I laughed as I cried.
I threw my arms around him as best as I could with my stomach keeping me from fully pressing against him. His arms wrapped tightly around me, and for a few seconds we were silent as we held one another. Kane broke the silence when he chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
Kane pulled back and said, “Damien was just getting used to seeing me with you, and knowing you’re really having my kid. Knowing we’re engaged will blow his mind.”
I beamed as I thought of my new favourite person.
“He will be happy for us,” I said with a nod. “They all will be.”
Kane pressed his forehead against mine and said, “You’re mine forever, now.”
I smiled wider than ever before. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
We both turned our heads when a voice shouted, “The favourite brother has arrived!”
I grinned. “Speak of the Devil.”
Kane’s mouth curved as he took me by the hand and led me out of our bedroom, down the hallway, and into our sitting room where we found Damien setting up Kane’s Xbox with two wireless controllers.
“What game do you have?” Kane questioned as he walked over and dropped onto our sofa.
Damien almost squealed with excitement. “Fifa 16.”
Kane clapped his hands together, but stopped when he found me staring. I grinned when he cleared his throat and focused on his brother.
“Heya, Dame.”
Damien looked over his shoulder to me and winked, “Hey beautiful.”
Kane rolled his eyes, but said nothing as I smiled at his baby brother. He fully accepted that I was head over heels for his brother, just like I was for the rest of the Slater brothers.
“Dame,” I whispered.
He looked back to me and smiled as I wiggled the fingers on my left hand at him. He shook his head for a few seconds, not understanding what I was up to until he saw the ring. His brow furrowed together and his lips parted.
He jumped up and spun around to look between Kane and myself with his mouth hanging open.
“Shut the fuck up!” he shouted after a long stretch of silence
Kane burst into laughter, and so did I.
“You guys! Is this for real?”
I bobbed my head up and down, my smile stretching from ear to ear. “We’re engaged. He just asked me before you walked in. I obviously said hell yes.”
Damien’s shock was evident, but so was his happiness for us.
“Congratulations,” he choked out before rushing forward and wrapping his large arms around me, squeezing me tightly.
When he released me, he dove for Kane. He cursed him out as he began hitting and kicking him as he lay in a mess on the sofa in laughter.
“Three of my brothers are engaged, there is just Dominic left to ask Bronagh,” Damien said when he got to his feet.
I smiled. “It’ll happen.”
“I thought it would have happened when we were teenagers, but I can feel him doing it soon. He worships the ground that girl walks on.”
I hugged my fingered ring to my chest and looked at Kane. “As soon as the girls get here, I’m startin’ to plan our weddin’.”
Kane swallowed. “Do I need to be heavily involved? I mean, you know I’ll do anything and I want to be involved, I just don’t understand the importance of flowers and colours and such. I don’t want to do or say the wrong thing.”
I snorted. “Honey, you just need to show up and say I do.”
He snapped his fingers at me. “That I can do, babydoll. Deal!”
I grinned and walked out of the room towards the bathroom so I could shower. As I undressed, turned the shower on and waited for the water to heat up, I let my mind drift.
It was hard to believe that Damien was home only six weeks. Even if I tried, I don’t think I could ever forget the day when he walked back into his brothers’ lives, and dived right into my heart.
He made one hell of an entrance.
Six weeks ago...
“Oh, my God,” Kane breathed in disbelief. “Oh, my fucking God.”
I was right there with him, I couldn’t believe who I was seeing.
I reached for Kane, but instead of a hard body, my fingers grasped at thin air. One second Kane was beside my bed, and the next he was across the room lifting his little brother into the air, which wasn’t an easy task because Damien was like Nico, he was massive in stature.
“Nice to see you, too.” Damien laughed when Kane set him back on the ground.
Kane held him out at arm’s length, stared at him for another long moment then crushed him with another hug.
Damien wheezed and slapped at Kane’s sides. “Can’t... breathe.”
I laughed, but winced in pain.
My throat hurt so badly.
“Damien!” Kane repeated out loud and touched his face like he was trying to check if he was real. “Fuck. Little brother, you’re here.”