Love, Diamonds, and Spades (Cactus Creek #2)(42)

Plopping down on the couch she grinned as her two favorite men put on their serious-musician look that they used whenever they would perform one of their duets. Rylan had been by her side every day of Cooper’s recovery, and since they’d spent much of that time in the hospital or holed up on bedrest, he and Cooper had had plenty of time to make up songs. As his recovery progressed, some of the songs were even implemented into his rehab, much to Coop’s delight.

The kid was a complete ham.

Rylan played a plinkety plunkety tune and Quinn laughed as she saw Cooper dancing around like a marionette before settling down and singing in that adorably sweet voice of his.



Chocolate cake for breakfast,

Bed time after seven,

Splashing puddles in the rain

till I’m soggy,

A lizard, a snake,

or even another doggie…



I know just what mommy would say



More dancing and then some pretty smooth rock star moves with a fake mic that had both she and Rylan laughing.



TV all weekend,

Practical jokes on my cousins,

Filling water balloons

with grape jelly

Belching my name,

using colorful language,

Or waving with one finger like Aunt Penny…



I know just what mommy would say



Quinn rolled her eyes and laughed. Sadly, her sister Penny was responsible for teaching Cooper every single one of those items in that verse.



Cooper then came up to her and stretched his arms up for a hug.

Instantly she picked him up and felt her heart wobble when he sang the next verse.



Huggles when I’m scared,

Kisses on my ouchies,

And no matter what, when I ask

if I’m gonna be okay…



I know just what mommy would say.



Tears—actual tears—rushed to her eyes. But who could blame her? It was too soon. The doctors had only just told them a few days ago that Cooper was done with surgeries.

And that he was officially ‘going to be okay.’

She’d been irrationally crying with relief at random times ever since—months, years of scared emotions being granted the chance to overtake her life after the fact.

So yes, she was still a tiny bit emotional when he began wriggling to be let out of the abominable snow rabbit hug she was smothering him with while just barely managing to keep her tears at bay.

A feat she was managing rather admirably…that is, until she heard him start singing the final verse.



An ace of spades,

A cool green diamond,

And finally a dad for me…



I HOPE I know what mommy will say.



Her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she replayed the lyrics in her head.

But then she just laughed when Rylan pulled a card out of his pocket, not a ring.

An ace of spades card.

A Disney Princess ace of spades card.

“What’d you do? Steal that from the deck?”

“I did. It’s been sitting in my wallet for quite some time.”

The man never ceased to be adorable. “When exactly did you take it? And you better not tell me it was before that one time we played Bullshit because that’ll mean you already knew I didn’t actually have four aces that day.” She’d lost that hand and inevitably ended up losing the entire game, if memory served.

Rylan’s lips twitched to the side.

“You little cheat!” But before she could demand reimbursement—preferably in the bedroom—for the one month of laundry she’d had to do for him as a result of the loss, she did the math. “Wait a minute, that was months ago. You’ve had the card since way back then?”

“Nope.” He tilted his head and gazed into her eyes. “I stole it that first night we played High Card.”

She blinked, feeling the air in her lungs getting mighty thin, and her pulse galloping at an alarming rate. “You kept that card in your wallet all this time?”

Then he dropped down to one knee and she stopped breathing altogether.

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the emotions shining in his golden gaze. “I took that card with me at first because I was going to use it as leverage if you ever turned me down for a date. But I’ve kept it with me ever since just in case you turned down my proposal.”

He opened the ring box.

When she saw the stunning green diamond ring, she gasped.

“It’s called a chameleon diamond. I knew I could never replace or erase the pain of remembering the heirloom you had to give up to cover Brody’s debts. And I didn’t want anything tarnishing our engagement. So, I got you a diamond ring that, hopefully, would only give you good thoughts. So Quinn Christiansen, will you be my wife?”

Then he reached over and plopped Cooper on his lap. “If it helps, Cooper already said yes to my proposal for him.”

“Look, mommy. Rylan gave me a cool green ring too! A Green Lantern super hero ring!” Cooper swung his legs back and forth happily. “But I would’ve said yes even without the ring,” he shrugged with all the matter-of-fact candor of a kindergartener. “He’s already the best dad I’ve ever had.”

Oh that sealed it. Her tears had no chance of staying in now.