Chipper arrives at his parents’ house around eleven. By then, I doze on the couch, having stolen it from D.B. when the dog went outside to pee. Candy left for bed after letting him inside. I remain in the living room where Hayes watches the end of a very boring old baseball game.

“I’ve returned,” Chipper whispers in my ear as he wakes me.

“I’m sleeping.”

“I’ll carry you to the car.”

“Don’t touch me. I’m sleepy.”

“Are you on your period again?” he asks, nuzzling my neck. “Should I fear for my chopper?”

“Can we sleep here? I don’t want to go into the cold.”

Chipper looks up at his father staring at the TV. “We’re bunking here tonight.”

“Don’t care.”

“Oh, Papa,” Chipper whimpers in a little boy voice.

Through partially open eyes, I see Hayes smirk. He doesn’t say anything, and Chipper stops tormenting him.

“I had a big plan for tonight,” Chipper whispers to me. “A really romantic one too.”

“In the future, your romantic plans should take place earlier in the evening. I like to sleep at night.”

Chipper sits on the floor next to the couch and caresses my head. “Did you have fun tonight?”

“I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”

Grinning at me, Chipper rests his head on the couch and watches the TV. “I swear I’ve seen this game before.”

“I’m going to sleep now.”

“Or you can join me in the guest room.”

“No nookie.”

“With as loud as I get? Of course not.”

“You are a sex-crazed diva,” I whisper and sit up. “It’s one reason I love you.”

Chipper jumps up and pulls me to my feet. His lips are on mine quickly, and he continues kissing me while guiding us to the guest room. I wave at Hayes but have no idea if he notices.

Once in the bedroom, Chipper pulls back the blankets and kicks off his shoes. “Mom keeps a few of my clothes here. Do you want to sleep in one of my shirts? Or I can find something of Cricket’s.”

“Your shirt would be nice,” I say, smiling at the sight of him now standing in only his boxers. “I did have a nice time with your parents tonight. We talked about Thanksgiving, and I have an assigned food to bring. Made me feel like a part of the family.”

Chipper walks to the dresser and finds a pale blue and white Tennessee Titans shirt. I love how it fits me like a loose dress. Smiling at him, I climb into bed and squirm lower under the covers.

“I missed you tonight. I even worried a little.”

“I wish I’d gotten back earlier.”

“Because of your romantic plans?” I ask, reaching for him when he only stands next to the bed.

“Yeah, but it can wait until tomorrow.”

“Or you can do it now.”

“No, it should be romantic.”

“Like how we met and I puked, and you took me to your house where I puked again?”

“Yeah, you were so sexy that night.”

“We can wait, but I don’t need romance. I need you. I did that night. And the night I freaked out about meeting Bonn. And when I was drowning in loneliness at the rental house. And so many other times. So you wait until tomorrow if it’s to make you happy, but for me, I’ll be happy as long as I have you.”

Chipper studies me for a seriously long amount of time. I even yawn twice before he kneels down and searches his jacket pockets. Watching him, I’m more focused on the muscles rippling in his back than what he has in his hand.

Kneeling next to the bed, Chipper sighs softly. “I had thought about the right words, but there are no right ones. When I told people I fell in love with you at first sight, they laughed at me, and they weren’t wrong. The words sound fucking stupid. Some things, though, are beyond words. They’re not sensible. Love is one of those things. I saw you, and I knew, and I was right.”

My face flushes bright red before spreading to the rest of my body and leaving me a giggling fool. Chipper smiles at my reaction and then reveals a red box.

“This is my first gift,” he says, sounding adorably nervous.

I stare at the box, but we both know I’m too indecisive to open it any time soon. Chipper removes the lid to reveal... Wait, what?

“I don’t get it.”

“I’m sorry I mocked toothless hillbillies and made you feel insecure,” he says and picks up what my brain informs me are top dentures. “These belong to Howler. I meant to yank out his teeth, but he doesn’t have any left so these are all I could get you.”

I stare at the dentures and then look at him with a horrified frown. “You took these from him.”

“Right out of his mouth while he was knocked out.”

Bursting into inappropriate laughter, I fall back on the bed. Howler’s dentures are in a box. Chipper stole them. The man I love knocked out the man I hate and stole his fucking teeth!

“That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard,” I cry, struggling to breathe. “You took his teeth. He’s going to wake up with an empty mouth. That’s insane. You’re literally crazy.” I reach for him and pull him closer for a kiss. “The best people are insane, you know?”

“It’s our family motto,” he says and covers my lips with his.

Soaking in his heat, I wrap him tighter against me. When our lips part, I whisper, “Then I want to be crazy too. I love you, and I love my gift.”

I start giggling again, thinking of Howler waking up to find his teeth missing. Without a doubt, Chipper covered his tracks, so I don’t even ask if he’s safe from retribution. My man knows how to handle crazy stuff like this as well as he knows how to handle me.

“I love you,” I whisper against his lips.

Chipper rests a small gift box on my stomach. “Then be my wife.”

My breath catches, and I suffer from a momentary panic. Choices make me freeze up, but spending my life with Chipper isn’t really a choice.

“But what about the government knowing our business?” I ask, smiling at him.

“Let them. I want everyone to know I love you and you’re mine.”

“Yes, then. Always yes.”

Chipper moves aside the large box with the dentures inside before climbing into the bed and opening the ring box.

“I’m assuming you washed your hands with really hot water after the Howler thing, right?” I whisper as he slides the ring on my finger.

Giving me a sweet frown, he says, “It doesn’t fit.”

“I know what does,” I tease and set the loose ring on the side table. “I promise to be quiet if you do.”

The frown gone from his face, Chipper glances at the door. “Did I lock it?”

“I did. I mean, like we were really going to go to bed without nookie. You’re trying to knock me up, remember?” I say, winking at him.

“Oh, yes, I do, Missus Dole-Wilburn.”

Wrapping him tighter in my arms, I can’t imagine loving this man any more than I do this moment. “You hyphenated,” I coo before kissing him.

Chipper never gets the chance to answer because my lips refuse to leave his. As our limbs tangle together, I struggle with a whirlwind of emotions—overwhelmed by love, hopeful for the future, amused at the idea of a denture-less Howler, and blessed to find joy after the pain of losing my mother.

Everything I have is because Chipper Wilburn saw me across a stinking bar and decided I belonged to him.