Stolen Course(78)

“It’s just that you are really bad at proposals.”

“It would appear that I am,” I respond, causing her to laugh.

“Happy tears,” she explains, pointing to her eyes.

I smile and kiss the tears on each cheek before lightly pressing my mouth to hers. I bring my hand to her face and tuck a stray hair behind her ear.

“I love you. You have put up with all my shit, but swear to you that I will do everything in my power to always be the man you deserve. We don’t have to get married. This is enough.”

“Well, that’s a shame, because I was just about to say yes.”

“Emmy,” I warn before I get my hopes up.

“Let’s get married, Caleb.”

“Stop,” I whisper, dropping my forehead to hers.

“I’m serious. You’re hot, and I’m about to get really fat. I figured I should snag you while I’ve still got it.”

"Swear to me you’re serious about this," I beg as my heart pounds in my chest.

“This is it, remember?”

“I fucked up the proposals, but I swear I’ll get everything else right. I swear, Emmy.”

“No you won’t, but that’s okay too,” she whispers, pulling me down for a passionate kiss that ensures I will be back inside her in three…two…“Fuck, Caleb.”

One.





“ARE YOU ready?” I shout across the house.

“I’ve been ready for three hours!” Caleb shouts back.

“It’s not my fault that maternity clothes are hideous!”

“Hurry up, Emmy.”

I sigh, staring in the mirror, pulling down my fitted dress over my large belly. I look like a sleepy cow on my wedding day. Fantastic!

It’s been two months since Caleb and I got ‘engaged.’ He went out and bought a ring the next morning while I was still sound asleep. I woke up to him sliding it on my finger. He never exactly asked me to marry him, but I still said yes.

Today is the day we agreed to get married. I figured Caleb would have rushed me to the courthouse as soon as I accepted, but I was actually the one who had to pin him down to pick a date. I thought for a brief second that he was having cold feet, but he just smirked and picked a random date off the top of his head. It ended up being in the middle of the week, but we decided just to stick with it.

Today, in front of court-appointed witnesses while six months pregnant, I will become Mrs. Caleb Jones. Not even a year ago, I would have laughed my ass off if someone had told me I was going to be in this situation today. It’s been quite the ride, but I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.

“Let’s do it!” I say, walking into the den, only to come to a screeching halt when my eyes find Caleb. He’s wearing dark washed-out jeans, a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up to show off his amazing tattoos, and a simple black tie.

I will not have sex with him. I will not have sex with him. I will not have sex with him.

“Take your clothes off.”

“You first,” he says with a wicked smile.

“Jesus, you look hot.” I walk over and straighten his perfectly straight tie.

“I look like a hobbit standing next to you.” He kisses my lips with the gentle brush, refusing me the full connection he knows I’m longing for.

“I love when you lie to me like that,” I mumble against his lips.

“Let’s get out of here, Ms. Erickson.”

Caleb has been calling me this for weeks now. It used to kill him to hear my last name, but ever since we set a date and he knows it’s going to change, he can’t seem to say it enough.

The courthouse isn’t exactly a long drive from our house, and I’m thankful for that when nerves take root in my stomach. I have no idea why I’m nervous, because I’ve never been more sure about anything. Caleb and I agreed that today would just be us. We made plans to have Jesse and Brett, Kara and whatever random guy she is dating, and even Eli and Casey join us for a cookout at our house to celebrate this weekend.

We don’t talk a whole lot about Sarah anymore. He knows when I go visit her, but he never has a single word, negative or positive, to say about her. It’s almost like she is a person he has never even met. To say the least, it’s really fucking weird for Caleb not to have an opinion.

“I got us a room at a bed and breakfast for the night,” Caleb announces as we park in front of the Steel House. “Those are kind of Southern, right?” he asks with a huge glowing smile.

“Why? We live like two miles away?”

“Because I’m marrying the love of my life and she insisted on not having a wedding, so I felt the need to waste some money on a hotel room.” He leans over to kiss me. I try to dodge him just for fun, but he grabs the back of my neck, sealing his mouth over mine.