Unfinished Ex (Calloway Brothers, #2)(98)

“Sorry folks,” Tag says. “I guess there’s nothing to see.”

People dissipate, giving me looks of pity. I feel like the biggest idiot. Why didn’t she come home? Is something wrong? With her? The baby? I pull out my phone. No messages. Wait—I can track her. I pull up the app. It says she’s… here?

I glance around but don’t see her. I do see Calista. I don’t feel like talking to anyone. I just want to find Nicky. But Calista is emphatically waving me over. Then she points to a limousine in the street.

“She’s in there?”

Calista smiles. “Go get your girl.”

How things have changed from a few weeks ago. Who’d have thought the mother of one of my future children would be standing here encouraging me to go propose to the other mother of one of my future children. I mean, you can’t make this shit up.

When I approach the limo, the driver gets out and opens the door for me. It’s hard to hold in my surprise, and my laughter, when I look inside. Twinkly lights and roses are all over the interior of the limo. And Nicky is sitting among them, sporting a beautiful but nervous smile.

I climb in and motion outside. “I kind of did a thing out there.”

“I kind of did a thing in here.”

I pull her engagement ring out of my pocket. “But my thing includes this.”

Tears coat her lashes. “Oh, god, Jaxon.”

I scoot my way over to her. “Your thing is definitely better because your thing has me making love to my fiancée in a limo.”

“It does?”

“I damn well hope so.” I hold up the ring. “I swore I’d never get married again. But that was before I knew marrying the same woman was a possibility. I’d never marry anyone but you, Nicky.

You’re my soul mate. The person I want to grow old with.” I touch her belly. “The mother of some of my children.”

She chuckles.

“And if you want to stay home with the baby for now, who am I to say you can’t? But you have to promise me that when you’re ready, you’ll go chase tornadoes. You’ll drive into the path of a hurricane and stand on the edge of a volcano. Because no matter how much it worries me to watch you do those things, it’s all part of why I love you.”

“Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure, Jaxon?”

“More than I’ve ever been before.”

“Good. Because you’re looking at XTN’s new weekday weather anchor.”

“What? They still offered you the job? I thought they’d have banned you from the building after what you did earlier.”

“Me too. Instead, they offered me more money, great maternity leave, limited travel time for eighteen months, and get this, I even talked them into bringing on Marty as my producer. Oh, and the use of the station limo for tonight.” She swallows. “So I could propose.”

I swear I feel my heart grow larger. “You were going to propose? And you’re staying in New York?”

“If you’ll have me.” She eyes the ring I’m holding. “And I’m guessing you will.”

“Yes.”

She smiles sweetly, tears rimming her eyes. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”

I get on a knee and work myself between her legs. “Nicole Forbes, will you marry me? Again?”

“Only if you start calling me Nicky Calloway.”

My eyebrows shoot up.

“Professionally, I’ll be Nicole Forbes, but for all other intents and purposes, I’ll be Nicky Calloway, legally and otherwise.”

“So that’s a yes?”

She holds out her hand. “That’s a yes.”

I slip it on, noticing it’s a tight fit.

She laughs. “I’ve put on a few pounds since we last did this.”

I nuzzle her neck and cup her belly. “I love your extra pounds. And I love you.”

“I love you, too. I always have.”

I nudge further between her legs and trap her against the leather seat. Staring into her eyes, I see my future. It’s not the same future I envisioned the last time we got engaged. This future is full of half-siblings, middle-of-the-night phone calls whisking her away to some natural disaster, ex-girlfriends who live next door, and otherwise pure chaos. But I’m not sure I’d have it any other way.

I lean in and capture her lips with mine. Our kiss starts out gently, like when we were teens, then turns more demanding, our tongues battling madly for dominance. I let her win. Then she lets me. I have a feeling this is how our whole relationship is going to go from here on out.

We’ve shared a million kisses over the years, but this one tops them all. Her flowery smell floats through the air, mixing with the aroma of the roses strewn about the limo. Her lips taste of butterscotch, her neck of salty tears. My heart flutters knowing this woman is going to be mine forever.

I pull away. “You’re mine,” I say with the will and determination of a gladiator.

She lets out a contented sigh. “Yes.”

I kiss her cheek. “I’m never letting you go.” I lick her neck. “No takebacks.” I run my tongue along her throat. “We’re talking forever here.”

Looking up to see tears rolling down her cheek, I wipe them and stare at her beautiful face. Her pink lips turn into a slow smile. She pulls my hand to her belly and settles it in place. “Can you feel her?”