He tried to comfort Chelle, murmuring “Shh, it’s gonna be okay. I’m here, I’m here baby.”
She looked up into his eyes, gasping out between sobs, “I don’t…want you…to mar…ry me bec…ause I’m….pregnant.”
He held her face in his hands wiping her tears away, God, she was so beautiful. “Baby listen to me, I didn’t even know that you were pregnant when I asked!”
Her lips quivered and he couldn’t stop himself. He had to kiss her. He had to kiss the mother of his child. He leaned down slowly and brushed his lips against hers. He felt her body relax into his and he slowly deepened the kiss, stroking his thumbs across her jawline. She sighed and her body melted into his. He peppered kisses on her cheeks, which tasted of the salt of her tears, then the tip of her nose, her forehead, her eyes. He wanted to kiss every inch of her, to claim her as his, and he would. But first he knew that they needed to talk.
As hard as it was, he made himself stop showering her with soft kisses. When he looked into her eyes now, he didn’t see tears there, just passion. God, he loved her so much.
“Chelle, will you please marry me, be my wife, have my baby, raise a family with me?” He wanted to strip her out of her clothes and make love to her. He needed to feel her, to be inside of her. But first he desperately needed to hear her say yes.
She looked conflicted, unsure. Her breathing was labored and he thought she might be about to cry again.
“What?” He asked, “What’s wrong baby?”
“What about New Orleans? Your bar?” she asked.
“I already told them I was moving back home. I’m still an owner, I’ll probably need to take trips down there every once in a while but I can do a lot of what I need to from here. Honestly, they were so tired of me moping around the place that I'm about half convinced they were planning to ask me to go back to 'silent partner' status, anyway,” he concluded ruefully.
She nodded, but still didn’t look convinced. He knew something else must be bothering her, and he needed to get to the bottom of it. “Chelle, what’s really wrong?”
Her lip started to quiver again, and she said in a small voice, “You’ve never even said if you love me.”
Oh God, he felt like such an ass. How could he be screwing this up so badly?
He looked straight in her gorgeous almond shaped eyes and tried to convey what he felt inside for her, “I love you Chelle. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. I love you so much it didn’t even occur to me that you wouldn’t know how much I love you.
“Chelle, baby, I don’t deserve you and I know I messed things up by leaving. I am so sorry for that. I am so sorry I didn’t believe enough in myself to stay and fight for us. I know I hurt you but please...please let me make it up to you for the rest of our lives.”
She smiled up at him and he knew for a fact that making her smile was what he was put on this earth to do.
“Did you mean what you just said?” She said, mimicking back the question he had asked her in San Francisco when he overheard her conversation with Katie.
“Yes,” He parroted back the answer she had given to him.
“Ask me again.”
He smiled as his heart filled to capacity with love for this woman.
“Rachelle Thomas, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. You are caring, loving, funny, and sexy as hell. I love you. I love your heart. I love your mind. And, God, I love your smile. I want to make you smile for the rest of our lives.”
He wiped the tears from her face as she smiled up at him, “I want to go to bed every night with you in my arms, where you belong. I want to make you breakfast and make sure you always remember your jacket and your keys.” She laughed through her tears as he got down on one knee, “I want to take care of you and our baby always, forever. Chelle will you marry me?”
Her smile widened as she lifted one shoulder in a shrug, “Well since you threw in breakfast...yes, I will.”
Relief and elation coursed through his body. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his cheek to her stomach. She ran her fingers through his hair.
“God, I missed you,” he said, holding her tightly. He never wanted to let her go.
“I missed you, too.” She continued to rake her fingers through his hair.
“There’s really a baby in there? Our baby’s in there?” He asked, his voice filled with wonderment, his face still pressed against her belly. He just needed to hear her say it again.
“Yes, our baby’s in there,” She smiled down at him, her beautiful brown eyes dancing , “I love you, Riley. I love you so much.”