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His gaze softens and warms. "You really want to adopt them?"
I nod. "And some rescue dogs."
He chuckles and his hand rubs my hip and back. I love cuddling with him like this and talking about all the possibilities.
"It would have to be my rules," he says with one eyebrow raised.
I frown at him. "We'd have to negotiate rules we can both live with."
He nods. "I'd want them to be free to come and go. No family obligation like the bullshit you dealt with. If they're here, it's by their own choice."
"Agreed."
"I'd want it to be unconditional." His voice breaks. "If they fuck up, we still love them. They have to know that and believe it. We have to live it like that."
The emotion in his voice makes my heart squeeze and eyes sting. This is who we're meant to be. The idea is taking seed in my soul and blooming like kindling in a fire.
"What would you want?" he asks me.
I chew on my bottom lip and think. What would I want? "I'd want this place to be a refuge, assuming we're staying here. But wherever home is, I want them to feel safe. Theyshouldn't bring people from their pasts up the mountain. They should leave all that at the bottom of the hill."
He nods. "Smart."
"I'd want to have Sunday dinners." He lowers his chin and looks up at me from under his lashes. The Sunday dinners at the Bianchi's were always a disaster. "We'd make it work. We'd actually communicate. I want to have parties that are fun. Not obligations."
He sighs and pulls my leg up over his hip. "Are we doing this?" he asks me and squeezes my knee.
I wrap my arm around his neck and smile. "Let's invite them to stay while we build the cabins. We'll take it one day at a time."
He leans in and gives me a soft, warm kiss. I love my Unstoppable Foster Twist's kisses. I'll love them forever.
He pulls away and stares into my eyes. "I want to marry you."
I gasp and my stomach plummets. I sit up and glare down at him. "What?" Is he proposing?
"After your first triathlon," he continues.
I blow out a long slow breath. "What do you mean?"
He sits up next to me, his arm still around my back. "You need to do that for yourself. Not as part of us. You do it before we're married. It's important for you to do it on your own. I'll be there."
Hmm. Not sure I like him putting conditions on us, but I get it. I've put off doing it for too long. Now's the time. Which reminds me. "Okay, then you should win the Round Table Gauntlet first," I say with challenge in my voice.
He exhales and starts kissing me, sending tingles through my body. After a few minutes, we're both turned on and ready to get naked, but he never answered my challenge. "So? You'll do the Gauntlet?"
He licks his lower lip as his eyes look from my lips to my eyes. "I will train and try out for the Gauntlet."
I run my index finger over his gorgeous cheek and stop on his dimple. "Good. I like this."
I feel like we've reached a huge milestone. We've got a plan for our family, and we love each other like crazy.
For the first time in my life, everything might actually be good. Not just okay. Not surviving, but thriving and treasuring each day with a man I love by my side.
Chapter 28 Blizzard
One month later, Foster, Mace, Knox, and Remy are in town getting supplies to build more cabins. The heat from the fireplace warms my feet as I break open my book for my anatomy class. Our new puppy, Blizzard, a snow white Husky-wolf hybrid rescue, is lounging with his nose on my thigh.
I'm not getting very far in this book though. I'm spending too much time staring at the photo of me finishing my first triathlon. I'm all sweaty and my mouth is open. Not the best picture of me but you can see the pure joy in my eyes.
