Unable to help the emotions filling her heart, she reached for Blake’s neck and drew him to her for a long kiss. She poured all the love she had into it until the tenderness of the kiss sent tears to her eyes.
“Ah, yuck,” Justin said from beside them.
Blake smiled against her lips and made her laugh with him. “What was that for, sweetheart?”
“For being you. I love you, Blake. You’re a good man.”
Without taking his eyes off Gillian, he asked Justin, “How about we get your fishing pole and see if you can’t catch a fish, buddy.”
“Yay! Finally.”
Blake ran his hand through Gillian’s hair. “Wait here. I’ll set Justin up with his pole, and then I need to talk to you.”
She nodded. Blake walked Justin the ten feet to the riverbank and up onto a flat-topped rock several boulders out into the rushing water.
Gillian packed up their picnic. Blake returned to the blanket and sat, plucking her from her spot beside him and settling her between his legs, her back braced against his chest. His arms wrapped around her. They stared off into the distance and Justin happily holding his fishing pole, calling the fish to come to him.
Blake’s heart thundered in his chest. Could Gillian feel it? Alone with her finally, he grew nervous to talk to her. He took a deep breath and let it out.
“That was a big sigh. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He brushed his fingers down her hair and leaned over her so he could see her face. “Gillian?”
“Yeah.” She sat up and watched Justin jump to another rock, several feet from the really fast moving water. Blake had already warned him to stay near the shore and the slower current.
“You know I love you.”
She shifted and studied his face, reaching up to place her palm against his cheek. “I love you, too.”
“We only met a few short months ago, but I feel like I’ve known you my whole life. We have a lot in common. We can talk about anything. You’re my best friend.”
“I feel the same way about you.” She took her hand from his face and placed it on his chest over his heart. Her eyes filled with concern.
“Justin is a great kid. I love him. You’re a great mother to him.”
“I try to be. He has you to look after him, too.”
Blake smiled. That was exactly his point. “Yes. I want to look after him. I want us to be a family together.”
“We are, Blake. You are exactly the kind of man I want in his life.”
“I want to be a permanent part of his life—and yours. I want to help you raise Justin and have children of our own.”
Her eyes went wide with surprise. They’d been sleeping together for months, but they’d never discussed having children. She was on the pill, and except for letting him know that they were protected, they hadn’t discussed it further.
“Blake, are you saying you want to have a baby?”
“Yes. Whenever you’re ready, I’d like that very much. I never thought about having kids until I met you.” He looked at Justin with his fishing pole and the smile on his face. His joy was Blake’s.
He should tell Justin to move back closer to the shore, but lost the thought when an image of Gillian pregnant with their baby popped into his mind.
“I’d like to see you pregnant with my child. I’d like to see you with our baby pressed to your heart.” He slid his hand up her side, leaned in, and kissed her softly. With his hand over her heart, hers over his, and his face an inch from hers, he looked into her eyes and asked, “Gillian, will you marry me?”
Her eyes got even wider and a beautiful smile bloomed on her lips a split second before she fisted her hand in his shirt and dragged him to her for a wildly urgent kiss.
He pulled her down on top of him; her body pressed the length of his. She pecked kisses on his mouth, his cheeks, his jaw. Happy and excited, she forgot to answer him.
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes, Blake. Oh, God, yes. I can’t wait to marry you.” She kissed him again.
This time, he cupped the back of her neck and slowed her excitement, making her concentrate on the passion between them. When she pulled back and smiled at him, he almost lost his breath. He’d never seen her this happy.
Her eyes narrowed with concern. “Tell me this isn’t a dream, Blake. Tell me this is real.”
“As real as my love for you. I can’t live without you, sweetheart. I want you to be my wife, the mother to my kids, and my best friend for the rest of our days. We’ll move into the house. The trucks were delivering Justin’s new bedroom furniture. We’ll spend our lives together raising Justin, our kids, and working here on the ranch. It’s the life I never knew I wanted until I found you. Now it’s all I think about.” He held her tight, and she laid her forehead to his.