She glanced at Nick, who had a smug grin on his face. “You aren’t the only one who can write great books, Shelby.”
She accepted the adorable book and sighed. “Ten things Nick and Emily Love about Summer Sinclair.”
They’d used her real name. She blinked back her threatening tears.
Emily hopped up and down on her lap. “We both got five things. Mine are first.”
“Ladies first, that makes sense.” Shelby laid a kiss on the top of Emily’s head. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
She opened the book and grinned at the crude illustrations. “This is pretty great. I’m worried you guys are going to outsell me.”
Nick slipped beside her on the picnic bench and pulled her close. “This is the time I’m choosing to tell you that I love you Shelby and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, blah, blah.” He kissed her cheek. “Here’s the blah, blah part.”
Tears blurred her vision as she hurried through Emily’s sweet pages. They were awesome, but she was dying to see what Nick had come up with.
When she’d turned Emily’s fifth page she said, “Thank you, Monkey-Brains, I love you too.” She kissed Emily and then handed her over to Lori who’d moved beside her, smart enough to realize what was coming next was something a person didn’t want to do with a kid on her lap.
She turned the next page, grinning in anticipation. Reading aloud for the group, she said, “Number six. Nick loves how Summer makes him feel when she’s with him. It’s even better than when he’s enjoying a cold beer and a plate of loaded nachos at a Broncos game.”
Shelby glanced at Nick and cocked a brow.
He laughed. “They get better, keep going.”
Chuckling, because nachos and beer at a Broncos game were a pretty great thing, she turned the page.
“Number seven. Nick loves how Summer smiles at kids. He wants three as soon as possible because she’ll be as great a mom as his own.”
Nick’s mom beamed a huge smile. “Thank you, Nick.” Then she turned to Shelby. “He’s right, Shelby. And I can’t wait to be a grandmother again.”
Nick’s dad agreed.
Shelby turned and met Nick’s gaze, probably grinning like an idiot. They’d never talked numbers, just that they wanted kids. She’d been too busy concentrating on the getting-him-to-marry-her part.
“Really? You want three?”
He nodded. “Is that too many? We can negotiate.”
She kissed him. “No, three is perfect. And you’re right. These are getting better.”
Flipping over the next page, she read, “Number eight. Nick loves Summer’s legs. He’s always reminded of what a brave woman Summer is when he sees them. She’s the most beautiful woman Nick has ever known. Inside and out.”
She found Nick’s hand and gave it a hard squeeze. She had to bite her bottom lip to stop the tears that threatened again. He couldn’t have said anything to touch her more deeply.
It didn’t matter what came next. All she knew was that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with such a wonderful, clueless caveman.
Still holding Nick’s hand, she cleared her throat. “Number nine. Nick loves the way Summer compromises. Nick’s really loving having his side of the bed back.”
She laughed. That was what was so great about them. He knew she’d be all choked up after his comments about her legs so he’d made a joke. They truly got each other.
Playing along she whispered, “You just caught me at a weak moment. Don’t expect any more compromising in the future, buddy.”
He slipped his hand from hers and slid it around her shoulder. His warm breath whispered against her ear, “We’ll see. Maybe you shouldn’t read the last one out loud.”
“Okay.” She turned the page. Number Ten. Nick plans to keep Summer naked for two solid weeks if she says “yes” to his next question.
A slow smile stretched her lips as Nick slid off the bench and knelt before her. He dug through his pocket and pulled out a little blue Tiffany’s box. Tilting the lid back he said, “I want you, Chester, and all the kids we’ll be lucky enough to make to live together happily ever after, Shelby. I know I’m no prince, but will you marry me? Please?”
Everyone cheered as she grinned and snatched the box from his hand. Slipping the ring onto her finger she fought the urge to jump up and down like Emily and Chester often did.
“This is the ring I wanted the most!”
Nick rolled his eyes. “It was the biggest and most expensive of the five pictures you placed strategically around our house, so I figured.”
Our house? Nice. “Thank you, babe.” She pulled Nick’s face to hers and laid her smiling lips on his. But as she kissed him, a thought occurred to her. She leaned back and whispered, “Did you steal my pills? You said you were in a hurry to have kids, but I’m not walking down the aisle with a baby bump.”