Justice Falling (Falling #3)(66)

Our boy.

Nate thinks of Tanner as his. He claims my son the way a dad should. The way a real father does. Tears filled my eyes and he held my face. Tanner was going to have everything I didn’t. And it was me giving it to him. Me and the most amazing man. It was a true justice for all the hell I’d gone through as a child and as a single mother.

“You really want Tanner to be yours?” My voice betrayed my emotions.

“Precious, he already is mine. The day I met him and looked into his eyes, I saw my future. In him and in you, the woman I was meant to love.”

“Okay.” I let everything go. The fear, the worry, the past. Nate and Tanner were my future and it was staring me in the face. For once, I wasn’t going to be scared. I was just going to fall.

“Okay what?” Nate cupped my face and wiped away my tears with his thumbs.

“Okay to everything. To it all. Marriage. A family but most of all to you being Tanner’s father. I couldn’t have picked a better man if God had given me the chance to mold you myself.”

Nate’s smile was the biggest I’d seen. He jumped up, pulled me into his arms and swung me in a huge circle. “You mean it, love?”

“Yes.” I laughed, meaning every word.

“You’re making me the happiest man. I’m going to treat you and Tanner so well. And we’ll have a baby of our own right away!” He squeezed me.

I laughed and hugged him back. “I’m actually rather shocked we aren’t already pregnant with as many times as you have “conveniently” forgotten to use protection.” I grinned.

“I didn’t forget. I just bloody didn’t use them. Nothing comes between me and my woman. If we get pregnant, all the better.”

My eyes widened. “You were trying to get me pregnant?” I smacked his arm.

“Not exactly trying. I just figured if you got pregnant with my babe we’d have a wee one and move things along. Now you’re saying we can anyway. Works smashingly for me!” He kissed away my response with a toe-curling kiss.

I moved out of his arms. “So, when do you want to start all of this?”

His look turned predatory. I knew that look. I saw it not an hour ago when he took me to heaven and back on our desk. Slowly I backed up. He followed. “No time like the present, Precious. You better run because I’m going to shag the shite out of you!”

“You can’t!” I stopped when my back hit the French doors. I found the handle behind me. “I’m on my cycle remember?”

“I don’t give a damn, my love.”

“What if I do?” I tilted my head to the side as he caught me around the waist.

“You’ll get over it.” He took my lips with his own.



***



“I’m going to marry Camille,” I said, entering Collier’s office. He was on the phone.

“Beauty, I’m afraid I’ll have to call you back. It seems as though my brother’s a stone’s throw from going off the trolley. Call you soon, wife.” He smiled and hung up the phone. “Now what is this about getting hitched?”

“I’m doing it. I picked out the ring this morning.” I laid the blue velvet box on the table and Collier grabbed it. He opened it and saw the princess cut diamond set in antiqued white gold with baguettes on the sides. A long whistle escaped his lips.

“That’s a mighty fine ring you’ve got there.” Collier looked at the ring then back at me. His lips twisted into a grin. “She pregnant?”

“No you old sod! She’s not pregnant…unfortunately,” I grumbled and took a seat across from him.

My brother’s eyes widened. “You mean you want her to be with child?”

“I wouldn’t be against her carrying my lad, no. With Camille, Colly, everything has changed. I want to be with her all the time. I need her to have my name and for every man on this earth to know she is taken. And I’m going to adopt Tanner, too.”

Collier’s hands steepled under his chin. “That’s a lot of change in a short amount of time. Why the rush?”

“Pot, meet kettle…would you like a spot of tea, brother mine?” Coming from a man who shacked up and married his woman in less than a year, I couldn’t believe he’d spit that weak argument.

“Touché.”

I grabbed the ring and put it back in my pocket. “It’s not a rush. I just know Camille is it for me. Something about her and her son drew me in and made me never want to leave. I have a fierce need to protect them. Did you ever feel that?”

Collier nodded and blew out a breath. “Right away, yes. I wanted to lock up London and never let her out of my sight. Only now can I go a day without speaking with her, but in truth, it’s still torture.”

I smiled and stood. “Well, I can’t wait to make her my wife. Only I’m going to give her the wedding of her dreams.”

“Bloody hell, please do. At least you’ll get mum off my arse. She says now that I’ve taken away her opportunity to see me get married, she wants a grandchild posthaste.”

I grinned. “Well, brother, maybe I can take care of that, too.” I winked and he slumped back in his seat, shaking his head.

“My have you changed. It looks good on you.”