— EIGHTEEN —
“THREE weeks I’ve been waiting for this, hurry the fuck up.”
Dani stared at Jake with more than a little amusement. “It’s a single run of stuff in two trucks, and we’re getting pizza for everyone afterward. We might as well let them digest their breakfast a bit now.”
“There’s a storm coming in later. Do you know how long it took me to get everyone with a day off? Three—”
“Three weeks, asshole, yeah, we heard you. Sue us for having jobs and lives and shit.” Matt reached his fork across the diner table and stabbed a hash brown off of Jake’s plate. Dani stifled a giggle by burying her face in Jake’s shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and from the way his muscles bunched and flexed against her cheek, she imagined he was glowering at his brother. Or as Fosters referred to it, bonding.
From the next booth over, Rafe made a big production of needing more coffee and Dean pretended to get a work call, and Dani thought her heart might just explode from the joy of it all. In their own weird manly ways, all of their brothers were showing their…well, support might be too strong of a word. Acceptance of Jake and Dani’s relationship.
She’d take it.
Even her parents were being pretty cool about her moving out. Now that she was finally vacating her room, they were talking about turning the front of the house into a Bed & Breakfast—like they needed more work.
The diner door swung open and in rushed Olivia. “I’m here!”
“And you’re not going to lift a single thing,” her husband said just as quickly.
“Wait, what?” Dani’s head jerked up. “Olivia Minelli, have you been keeping secrets from me?”
“Rafe!” Olivia stamped her foot. “Do you not remember me telling you that we shouldn’t tell anyone until after twelve weeks?”
“Do you not remember me telling you that moving wasn’t a job for a pregnant woman?”
“Nope. I was too busy thinking about how weird it was that my husband had been transported back to the 1960s.” She smiled brightly. “Yeah, I’m knocked up. Not an invalid. Just pregnant.”
Dani launched herself out of the booth, almost tripping over Matt’s feet as she threw her arms around her sister-in-law. “Oh my God, I’m so excited for you guys. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. A little nauseous in the morning, but it’s still early days. We’ve known for two weeks—since Rafe went back to work.”
“My mom’s going to be thrilled.”
“Ooh, good. You can tell her.” Olivia reached for Rafe’s coffee cup, which he moved to his far hand. “I can have coffee!”
“And I made you a cup before you left for work this morning.” He tugged her into his lap and she pressed her hands to his face, giving him a soft look.
“When are you going to stop being such a Neanderthal, hmm?”
“When our kid goes off to college?”
“Damnit, that’s not the right answer.” She kissed him, then pointed to the cup. “Now give me your coffee.”
He gave her his coffee.
Dani laughed, because she knew that these men of theirs were lovely in many ways, but they definitely had caveman tendencies. She’d thought the same thing about Jake more than once. They weren’t in any hurry to start their own family, but when they did, she was sure he’d be insufferable. In the best way, and they’d always give in when they weren’t actually in the right.
Once Olivia was re-caffeinated and had regaled everyone with stories of the first so-called celebrities getting settled in for the movie that was going to be filmed in Pine Harbour over the spring—so-called, because the only arrivals so far were the assistant director and the supporting actor, someone none of them had heard of—they loaded into their various trucks and headed for the Minelli house.
Dani had slept there the night before—the last night she’d sleep apart from Jake unless one of them had to work, she promised him—and before he’d picked her up for breakfast, she’d stacked the last of her boxes on the main floor. It was silly, doing this when they could have moved them a few at a time and already be done, but this group effort was also normal. And she got that Jake wanted a piece of that for them, a symbolic act. The opposite of hiding.
Her mother had baked muffins while they were out, and pressed them into Olivia’s arms with a surprisingly kind smile. Maybe she’d guessed their news, or at least hoped.
The boys made quick work of the boxes, which fit into two truck beds, and Dani’s few pieces of furniture from her room and the garage all fit into Matt’s truck. Tom grumbled about his SUV being unnecessary, but Jake told him he needed to come along to drink their beer. “We’ve already placed the pizza order, might as well.” With a casual wave at her parents, standing on the porch, he lifted his voice. “You guys coming, too?”
“That was nice,” Dani said as Jake started his truck. “Inviting my parents over. They’ll appreciate it.”
He grinned at her, the rugged lines of his face a handsome contrast to his happy smile. “I have a vested interest in keeping them happy. I invited my dad, too.”
“Did you order enough pizza?”
“Oh yeah, don’t worry.” He squeezed her hand. “I planned for everything.”
She believed him. Jake was nothing if not a planner. Living with him was going better than she’d imagined, in part because he took care of so much. He planned a weekly food menu, did most of the shopping, and even folded laundry. The type of stuff that his brothers would tease him for, but somehow Jake made flipping through grocery flyers dead sexy. Maybe because when he glanced up and found her watching him, he’d flick them to the side and crook his finger as if to say, Woman, in my lap, now. And then they’d make out for a bit.
Yeah, living with Jake was good. It still gave her a thrill to pull into his drive and think I’m home. They hadn’t talked about weddings or anything like that again in the three weeks since Valentine’s Day, but there was no hurry. They’d get there, she had no doubt.
The boxes of clothes were directed upstairs, and they’d bought new bookcases to flank the fireplace in the living room for her collection of thrillers and romantic suspense novels. Her parents arrived in time to unpack the framed photos, and Dani and her mother got into a fight about the best way to arrange them on the mantle. She let it go, because it didn’t matter, and then her heart skipped a beat when she noticed Jake drift through the living room and fix it back to how she wanted it once they’d moved into the kitchen.
She didn’t have a lot of kitchen stuff, which was good because Jake had more than enough for both of them. But over the years her mother had given her a number of cookbooks, and she added them to Jake’s collection. “Where’s the box marked linens?” she hollered, and when no one answered right away, she jogged into the front hall, almost running into Jake’s father. “Mr. Foster, welcome!”
“I think you can call me William,” he said with a smile that look just like Jake’s. “Or if you want, I’m happy to respond to Colonel.”
“Stop flirting with my girl, sir,” Jake said, joining them in the hall. He held out a hand for his dad to shake. “Thank you for coming.”
“Well, you know how we retirees are, living on fixed incomes.” He winked. “Anything for a free lunch.”
“Who said it would be free? This is a working party. You can help me find the linen box and unpack it.” Dani gave him a quick hug.
Jake growled, so after she took his father’s coat and the Colonel headed to the kitchen, Dani wrapped her arms around the man she loved and gave him a longer, tighter squeeze.
He pressed his lips against her forehead. “Love you, gorgeous.”
She gazed up at him, thinking it wasn’t possible to be any happier. “Love you too.”
The moment was broken with the sound of shattering glass, and Jake went to deal with that while Dani found the box she wanted in the pile at the door, but before she could get back to the kitchen, her phone rang. “Can someone answer that for me?”
Tom snagged it off the counter and waved it in the air. “It’s Zander on FaceTime.” He tapped the screen. “Hey bro, what’s up?”
“Jake emailed me and told me to call. Something about a pizza party.”
Dani slid a sideways glance at her boyfriend, who was calmly sweeping glass into an empty box. He finished up and tucked the broom away before nodding toward the phone. “Yep. Hey, man.”
Zander laughed. “What’s up? I usually get in shit for not being around to work. And all I’m doing over here is protecting the country.”
That got him the expected round of boos and hisses from his fellow soldiers. The rivalry between the regular force and the reserves was alive and well, and bouncing noisily around Dani’s kitchen.
Her kitchen. That she shared with Jake, the bestest boyfriend in the world because he’d organized a secret housewarming party for her.
“Well,” Jake drawled as he turned toward her, dragging the attention of the room with him. His words were still for Zander but his gaze was locked on her face. “I’m going to ask your sister to marry me, and I wanted to do it front of absolutely everyone in our family.”
Dani heard Jake say those words like they were any other words, not crazy words, and all the blood in her head rushed to her heart. That made sense—it was beating faster than she’d have thought possible. But man, she needed some blood left in her head to think. And remember every moment.
“You’re going to do what?” she asked stupidly, because she’d heard him, but she wanted him to repeat it before she passed out.
“You okay?” His eyes crinkled in delight as he crossed the kitchen and dropped to one knee right in front of her.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely.” He took her hand, kissing her knuckles before looking back up at her. “Dani Minelli, I have loved you for a very long time. And for too long, I let stupid shit get in the way of that. I hid my desire for you, and I’m so glad you saw through me.”
“In hindsight, you weren’t very good at keeping that a secret,” she whispered.
“I had no clue, and I’m still annoyed about that,” Rafe piped up from the corner.
Jake didn’t toss him a shut up or wag a middle finger in his direction. He just stared up at Dani like she was his whole world, and she got that, because he was hers.
“I know it’s quick, and we can have the world’s longest engagement if you want, but I’m done hiding how I feel, Dani. I want you to be my wife. I want to fill this house with babies and memories, and I want the whole world to know it.”
“Okay.”
He laughed and squeezed her hand. “Wait, I haven’t officially asked you yet.”
“I know, but I’ve waited a long time, too. I’m a little over-eager.”
“That’s good.” He was rubbing her knuckles, and she was staring at their hands so hard, she didn’t even notice him pull a ring from his pocket. “I understand that it’s Italian tradition for a ring to be offered at an engagement party. I’ve wanted to give you this ring for weeks now. Thought about it on Valentine’s Day. Almost pulled it out a few times over breakfast. Once when you washed all my work socks. All equally good moments. But then I thought…no, it’s gotta be in front of people.”
“So they can all see me cry?” she sniffed, then laughed. It didn’t matter.
“So they can all see how proud I am to be yours. So there’s no doubt this is something to be proud of, this love between us.” He held up the simple gold band with a diamond solitaire sitting on top of it. “And maybe so there’d be witnesses when you say yes, because I’m going to hold you to it. Dani, will you marry me?”
She nodded, and opened her mouth to say yes, but he was already on his feet and kissing her, holding her face so gently it made her heart ache. She was used to Jake’s bruising passion, his possessive holds and lusty expression. This side of him—the side that knew how to kiss in front of siblings and parents and still be utterly adoring—was a surprising treat.
Easing back from his tender kiss, Jake stared into her eyes. “Yes?”
“Yes.” Another nod, and with shaking fingers she took the ring from him, sliding it onto her left hand as he stroked her arms and around to her back. “It’s perfect, Jake. I love it.”
“You’re perfect.” His voice was low and for her ears only, his gaze still glued on her face even as she stared at the ring on her finger. Every time she looked up at him, he was there. Waiting for her.
“Are you guys going to let us in on the happy celebration moment, too?” Dani peeked past Jake to see Olivia bouncing up and down, waiting for a hug. With a squeal, she pulled her sister-in-law in, and Jake stepped back, accepting handshakes and backslapping hugs from all the men. Then the parents crowded in, looking pleased, and Dani let out a sigh of relief she hadn’t realized she’d been holding back.
“I thought he’d have asked you sooner,” her mother murmured after they hugged. Dani shrugged. “He came to see us on Valentine’s Day.”
“What?”
“I tried to talk him into waiting, but I didn’t think he’d do it. He’s quite set on you, that boy.”
“You what?” Shaking her head, Dani dragged her mother back a sentence. “Why did you try to talk him out of—”
“Daniella, it’s rude to not listen. I didn’t say talk him out of anything, just…we suggested he not be hasty.” Dani followed her mother’s gaze to where Jake held court with the men. “But I suppose it isn’t that hasty for him.”
“Or for me. Keep your fingers out of my business, Ma.”
“Can’t. You’ll understand…” Anne sighed. “Well, you know.”
“I do. No comments allowed from the peanut gallery on when/if we have kids, either.”
“If?”
Dani laughed at the horrified look on her mother’s face. No way was she relieving her fear, even if it was definitely when and not if. Having Jake Foster’s baby…that was a definite plan. At some point.
The pizza arrived soon thereafter, and people settled around the kitchen and open dining room area with food and drink and a million questions.
Zander’s FaceTime call kept dropping, so Jake opened up his laptop and called him on Skype instead. Ten minutes later, her brother disappeared, returning on screen with his own slice of pizza.
“Where’d you get that?” Rafe asked.
Zander smirked. “Duty corporal.”
“Fu—“ Their mother cleared her throat and Rafe ground his insult into the ground. “Fun, I mean.”
“It is fun,” Dani insisted, nudging her brothers out of the way to get some valuable screen time. “Hey, Zander. I took the toy box.”
“That’s mine, you brat.”
He wasn’t wrong. It had technically been his first. But then everyone else had grown up and moved out of the house, and as the last kid to leave, she’d taken it with her.
“You’re never going to need it,” Rafe piped up. “I think I should have it.” And then with a smug-as-all-get-out grin, he relayed the good news about Olivia’s pregnancy.
Fingers drifted across the nape of her neck and Dani twisted her head to smile at Jake. Her fiancé. A secret smile played across her lips and she let it be just for him while everyone else talked at the computer. She slipped her hand into his, and he pulled her away from the crowd. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For making my entire family a part of today.”
“You liked that?” He kissed her temple, then brought his lips to her ears. “Good.”
The way he said it, a sexy combination of confidence and anticipation, made her wonder what else he had planned for the day. “So all these people…they’re going to leave soon, right?”
“Eventually. There’s a storm coming, you know.” He kissed her, softly like before, but his tongue teased the seam of her lips this time. She parted for him and he tasted her for just a second. Just long enough to get her motor going.
Ha. Who was she kidding? He just needed to look at her to do that, and he’d been looking a lot today. “A storm, eh?”
“Big one. Might need to stay inside all weekend long.”
“I can’t wait.”
“You don’t need to wait any longer, gorgeous.”