Laughter filled the living room and I couldn't help my smile. I took in each person in the room. Each one so special to me. My gaze finally landed on Corina.
Corina.
The last few months had been the most amazing time of my life. Corina and I spent every spare second with each other. Of course, Lane was still trying to go out with her and that pissed me off, but I quickly learned to let that jealousy go. Corina had zero interest in him, and I knew that deep within my heart.
“So, Mitchell, are you excited to be heading up north?” Steed asked.
My head lifted to face him. “I’m excited because Corina is.”
He grinned and sat down across from me. “Good answer.”
I let out a huff. Heading to Chicago wasn’t something I really wanted to do. I hated big cities, and truth be told, I was scared shitless of meeting Corina’s mom. But I was looking forward to what I had planned after the wedding.
“Does she have any idea about your side plans?” Cord asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs that flanked the two sets of couches.
I smiled big. “Not a damn clue. She thinks we’re only going to be gone a week. Paxton made the arrangements with the principal for the additional week off.”
“Canada? You’re really going, huh?” Cord asked.
“Better believe it. Banff is a place Corina has always wanted to go. I want to make that happen. To be the one who makes one of her dreams come true.”
Both Steed and Cord studied me for a few seconds.
“Fuckin Smurfs,” Cord said with a laugh.
“What?” Steed asked, turning to Cord. “What do the Smurfs have anything to do with this?”
Cord pointed to me. “Look at his face. He’s wearing a stupid ass Smurf smile. He’s been Smurfed. Like you’ve been Smurfed. All happy and in love.”
Steed’s brows pinched together in confusion.
“Don’t be too jealous, Grumpy Smurf. Your Smurfette will be along soon,” I said with a chuckle.
Cord rolled his eyes. “Listen, I don’t have anything against love. I honestly don’t. I’m only saying that I’m having fun living the single life. Like Tripp and Trevor. Will I want to settle down some day? Yeah, I’m sure when I’ve gotten it all out of my system. But for right now I like pussy too much to only stick with one.”
I stared at my younger brother. To think I used to feel the same way, until I saw Corina’s smile and those beautiful blue eyes. Corina Miller turned my world upside down.
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be single and having some fun,” Steed said.
Nodding, I added, “But I sure as shit cannot wait until the day you meet a woman who knocks you flat on your ass.”
Steed laugh and so did Cord before he shook his head. “Well, I don’t see that happening for a long time. I can honestly say I’m not looking and don’t plan on looking for another five years, at the soonest. Plus, I know for a fact it won’t be a local girl.”
Steed let out a chuckle. “Why? ’Cause you’ve fucked all of them?”
Cord shot Steed a dirty look. “Go to hell. I haven’t slept with all of them.” He lifted a beer to his lips and smiled. “Almost all of them, but not all of them.”
“What are you boys talkin’ about?” Waylynn asked, flopping down next to me on the couch.
“Guy talk,” Cord said, tipping the bottle back and finishing it off.
Waylynn laced her arm with mine as she tucked her feet up under her. “Hmm, guy talk translates into y’all were talking about how many women Cord has slept with.”
“Hey, you’re a smart cookie,” Cord said with a chuckle.
Waylynn shot him a smug look. “I know my brothers.”
Glancing across the room, my breath stalled as I watched Corina holding Gage. The way she was looking at him made my chest ache in a good way. A wanting way.
“I’m going to ask her to marry me.”
I wasn’t sure why I said it out loud, but I did.
“What?” Waylynn asked.
“Dude, did you hit your head or something? We went from me screwing half of Oak Springs to you mindlessly saying you’re asking Corina to marry you? Where did that come from?”
I continued to stare toward Corina. She was rocking Gage. Every now and then she would look down at him and say something with the most breathtaking smile I’d ever seen. My heart felt like it was about to combust inside my chest.
There was no denying how much I loved her and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. The need to see her belly growing bigger with a child was so overpowering, it nearly brought tears to my eyes. The thought alone had me making one of the biggest decisions I’d ever made in my life. I knew what I needed to do. What I wanted to do.
Swallowing hard, I shook my head. “For the first time in my life, I actually know what I want.”
“Hell, this just got good,” Steed said.
Cord leaned forward. “Holy shit, is it just me or is he for real turning blue?”
I shot Cord a dirty look, then followed it up with my middle finger.
Waylynn took my hand. “Mitchell, are you being serious? You’re going to ask Corina to marry you?”
Smiling, I looked at my older sister. “I’ve never been more serious in my entire life.”
Waylynn’s eyes searched mine. It was almost like she was looking deep into my soul. “That’s not the only thing you’ve decided.”
With a wink, I replied, “No, it’s not.”
“Are you sure you’ve got everything?” I asked. Again.
Corina stood in line at the ticket counter and stared at me. “What is going on with you? Yes! I’ve got everything.” She let out a sweet chuckle.
Leaning down, I kissed the tip of her nose. “It’s our first time traveling together and all. I want everything to be perfect.”
“It’s going to be amazing. You know, Cord would say you’re acting like the girl in the relationship.”
I let out a light-hearted laugh. “Yeah, and he’d mention something about the Smurfs.”
She stared at me with a blank expression. “The who?”
Stepping back, I asked in horror, “You don’t know who the Smurfs are?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Oh wait, there was a kids’ movie about them! The little blue people.”
My mouth dropped open. “I have so many things to teach you, young grasshopper.”
Corina rolled her eyes. We looked up when the ticket agent called out, “Next.” As we stepped up to the counter, we handed over our driver’s licenses.
“Heading to Chicago?” the ticket agent asked.
“Yes! My brother is getting married.”
It was clear the agent couldn’t have cared less. She forced a tight smile and kept typing. “How many bags?”
“Two each,” Corina answered. I would have only had one, but Corina needed extra space for her bridesmaid dress and all of that.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. When I pulled it out, I saw that it was my boss. Shit. I quickly sent him a text.
Me: About to get on my flight. Call you after I land.
Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I didn’t bother to look at his response. I knew what it was going to say. Probably something along the lines of call me now or I’ll have the plane delayed.
“You’re both set. You can head over to security and proceed through to gate sixteen. Enjoy your trip.”
We both said, “Thank you,” and made our way through the airport to the security checkpoint. I was TSA pre-approved so I made it through first, giving me enough time to call the boss man.
“Michael, it’s Mitch.”
“Do you want to explain to me what in the fuck I’m looking at on my desk right now?”
I winced when he yelled.
“I believe it’s pretty clear, sir.”
“Mitch, have you thought about this? Have you talked to your father about it?”
Anger raced through my body. How dare he even ask that—like I was a kid who couldn’t make a damn decision on his own. It wasn’t like it was in the beginning, when I was young and not sure what I wanted to do. It killed me to give him my answer.
“Yes, I did speak to him about it. Last night. In great detail.”
I wasn’t going to let Michael know my father was over the moon about my news.
“We need to talk this over when you come back.”
Pushing my hand through my hair, I watched as Corina stood with her hands over her head while they scanned her.
“Sir, I need you to know I won’t change my mind. This is something that has been weighing heavy on me for a number of months.”
He huffed. “I go through this more than you think. It’s a phase. You’ll get over it. Enjoy your trip, have fun, relax. Just know that when you come back, shit is going to get real.”
The line went dead, and I pulled the phone away from my face. Security was taking Corina off to the side for an additional check. Sitting on the bench, I thought back to last night and my conversation with my father.
His glass froze at his lips. Moving around in my seat, I glanced at Trevor and Steed. They both wore huge smiles.
Turning back to my father, I said, “Dad? Are you okay?”
Trevor let out a hearty laugh. “Hell, yes, he’s okay. He’s in shock, like I am. Happy, but in shock.”
“Can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” Steed added.
After taking a long drink, my father set his scotch down onto the table and focused back on me.
“Do you know how long I’ve waited to hear those words from your lips? I have to ask though, why now?”
I swallowed. I’d become a cop for so many reasons. The main one was proving to my father that I wasn’t going to take Steed’s place at the ranch. Once Steed left for Colorado, my father assumed I would fall in line. Hell, at the time I wanted to work on the ranch. At least, I thought I did. I had big ideas, things I wanted to try, ways to branch out—until my father mentioned I was going to have to take Steed’s place. I didn’t want to work on the ranch to take someone’s place. I wanted to work on it because my father saw something in me. A place for me.
“So, you went off to college and became a cop because you thought I expected you to take Steed’s place?”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
My father stared at me for the longest time. “Mitchell Parker, this ranch has a place for each of you kids. From the day you boys first climbed up onto a horse and rode out into those pastures, it was in your blood. Waylynn and Amelia have it in them, too. Do I want all of y’all here working? Call me selfish, but yes. I do. Will I force you? No, I won’t. But if you for one second think I don’t believe you belong on this ranch…”
His voice trailed off. He closed his eyes and then looked back at me. “Boy, I’d like to slap you upside your damn head.”
Trevor and Steed laughed as I jerked back. “Excuse me?”
My father leaned forward, his arms resting on the tops of his legs, his blue eyes blazing as he stared into mine. “Mitchell, I can’t run this ranch without you boys. Whether you’re here full time or part. Steed, Trevor, and Wade do a hell of a good job, but son, I need all of you boys. I’ll take whatever your heart wants to give.”
I felt the tears stinging my eyes. “I love being a Texas Ranger, Dad. I’ve put everything into it. A hundred and ten percent.”
“Good. That’s how your mother and I raised you.”
Smiling, I took a look over to Trevor. He sat quietly off to the side, yet every now and then, he’d bob his head and give me the encouragement he knew I needed to do this.
Focusing on my father, I continued. “But things have changed. Corina made me see what I really want in life. I want to marry her, start a family, and—”
My voice broke. “I want to work on the ranch full time. And it’s not because I’m worried that something’s gonna happen to me. I know the risks of my job and so does Corina. I won’t lie and say that’s not one of the reasons, though.”
With a lift of his brows, my father asked, “What’s the main reason?”
My hand went over my chest, where for the last few years I’d felt empty. “I’m missing something. There’s a hole in me, and it took me a little bit to figure out why it was there. Corina has filled most of it…but it’s still a hole.”
The corners of my father’s mouth rose into a smile. His eyes brightened, and I swore they cast a light into the room. He reached for his drink, finished it off and stood. I followed his lead, as did Trevor and Steed.
“Well, son, dust off your old work boots and get you some good gloves. There’s a shit ton of work to be done on this ranch. If my memory is correct, I believe you wanted to talk to me about horses.”
“Mitchell? Hello? Mitch?”
Lifting my head, I found Corina standing in front of me.
“Wow! You were in deep thought. What was that all about?”
I grinned. “Nothing. I was thinking about my conversation with Dad last night.”
“He sure seemed happy after you guys came out of his office. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so gleeful.”
Standing, I pulled her to me and kissed her on the lips. “Me neither.”
I took her hand, and we started toward our gate. One of the things I loved about Corina was that she didn’t push. She could have asked what we had talked about, why Dad had been so happy, but she didn’t. She respected the fact that we’d talked in private. I loved how she always let me come to her with things and didn't pressure me. It reminded me of my mother. When I was little and our father would be upset about something, my mother would always say, “When he’s ready to talk about it, he will. Until then, wait patiently until he feels like he’s ready to let the burden go.”
Corina and I were lucky to learn that lesson quickly in our relationship. We would never hold anything back from one another, but we would also never pressure each other.
We took a seat at our gate and Corina wrapped her arm under mine. When she looked up at me with those big blue eyes, I couldn’t help but smile.
“What?” I asked.
“Let’s people watch!”
Letting out a half-laugh, I took her hand in mine. I couldn’t wait to slip the ring I was carrying in my backpack onto her finger. I couldn’t wait to make Corina my wife.
My gaze took in her beautiful face as she looked around. I’d never in my life felt so complete. Everything was falling into place.