Three months later

Jitters were alive and well in his chest as Garrett and Milo put the finishing touches on dinner. Cora and Milo had finally moved in with him two weeks ago. It had taken some major convincing on his part but eventually she had caved.

She still taught a few classes at Matt’s place but had finally taken the position at the resort. Garrett had stopped working eighty hours a week and had brought in a manager to help with the workload. So far it was working. Now that Cora no longer worked at the club in the evenings, they spent that time together and with Milo.

He had folded them into his life and he didn’t regret a minute of it. They put the finishing touches on the table with the steak and noodles; Milo’s idea. But they had prettied it up with napkins and silverware. The meal was on the table and everything was set. They were just waiting for Cora to get back home from a yoga class.

Then Garrett withdrew a small circle of platinum from his trousers and asked, “So, squirt, you think your mom will like it?”

“Oh, yep, she’ll like the sparkly.” Milo nodded, his eyes wide with excitement. Then he asked, “What’s proposing?”

Garrett knelt down until his gaze was level with Milo’s, studying the boy’s face. He rested his elbows on his knees and said, “Well, what it means is that I’m going to ask your mom to marry me. So she’ll be my wife, and that will make you my son.”

“You’ll be my daddy?” Milo asked, his eyes wide.

“Yeah. How do you feel about that, squirt?” He held his breath.

“Yay!” Milo launched himself into his arms and almost knocked him down.

Milo’s enthusiasm made Garrett’s heart light. Cora’s deceased husband may have helped give Milo life, but Garrett would hopefully one day be the one Milo considered his father. Garrett didn’t want to take anything away from Jeff and would ensure Milo remembered him, just like Cora did. He let Milo hold the ring and study it, watching him carefully to make sure he didn’t put it up his nose.

“What in the world is going on in here? I thought we were having dinner and not going to the circus,” Cora said from the doorway. She was in a pair of black yoga pants and a form-fitting yellow tank top with her hair in a braid. She had never looked lovelier.

“Mama, Garrett’s going to marry you and be my daddy,” Milo said, holding out the ring toward her. Leave it to a three-year-old to deliver an epic proposal.

Garrett studied her reaction, the warmth in her gaze, and the love he spied there was more than enough to tempt any man to take a bite from the forbidden apple.

She gave him a secretive smile and then looked at Milo with a raised brow. “Oh he is, huh?”

Garrett stood, holding Milo with one arm and sliding his other around her waist, drawing her close. Looking down into her eyes, he said, “Yep. What do you say, want to marry me, Cora? Let me love you forever?”

Tears lined the dark rims of Cora’s lashes, but it was the smile on her face and the love he found in her eyes that made his heart light.

“Mama, say yes,” Milo urged, waving the ring in front of her face.

“Oh, all right, yes. Want to put the ring on me, Milo?” she said, holding her hand up to Milo and showing him which finger to put it on.

“Yeah?” Garrett said when she looked up at him with his ring on her finger.

“Yeah, most definitely,” she replied, her gaze full of love for him.

And then he kissed her, with Milo cheering until they were all laughing together. This one woman had changed everything for him, had tempted him, so that his entire world revolved around her and around Milo—his family.

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