“I can't believe you're making me walk this far,” I playfully complain. The walk isn't really that far, and Parker carried me up the actual part of it that had an incline. “I'm six months pregnant with your baby. We should've gotten a wagon or something.”

“You're a woman of the woods,” Parker reminds me, teasing. “Gotta get used to hiking, baby.” He looks back and smiles at me.

We've almost reached the top of the hill, so he takes my hand and guides me up the last few yards to the peak. Standing there at the summit is satisfying, and I can see the house from the top. Parker sets down the basket he brought and looks out over the crest with me.

“It's beautiful,” I tell him. The sun hasn't started coming up yet, so the sky is still a combination of purple-and-orange hues, clear skies waiting to be brightened, stars waiting to blink out until night falls again.

The lake below us reflects the gorgeous colors of the sky, and I glance at the cabin again where Evie and Jackson are still sleeping. Penelope slept over last night in the guestroom, which is how we were able to escape this early in the morning.

We haven't come up here before, but he's been promising for months now. I'm excited we're finally able to, even if my feet are swollen.

“Baby, come here,” Parker says, as he pulls a blanket out of the basket and fans it on the ground. He helps me sit down on it before he unpacks the other things he brought—breakfast sandwiches, muffins, and coffee, which he assures is decaf.

“It's such a nice mountaintop,” I say, and he laughs.

“This is barely a mound,” he replies, but he sits next to me and lets me lean against him.

As the sun finally starts to rise, peeking up over the horizon, it takes my breath away. He shifts his body so he's behind me and I can sit between his legs. He wraps his arms around me and holds me close, working his fingers gently through my hair and rubbing at my shoulder now and then. I lean back against his chest quietly, watching the sunrise, just happy to be together in this moment.

“Sorry it took me so long to bring you up here,” he says, once the sun has fully jumped over the horizon. I look over my shoulder up at him and smile. “It's okay. It's really gorgeous. You definitely don't get a view like this in the city.”

“Hell no.” Parker laughs. His hand drifts down to brush the swell of my stomach. His fingertips glide over my body, and I feel so damn safe in his arms. I wasn't sure we'd ever get to this point, but am so glad we did. I'm the happiest I've ever been, and I see it on his face every day that he's ecstatic about our growing family.

I tip my face up to look at him again, and he takes the opportunity to kiss me on the cheek. He trails his fingers over my stomach again and rubs it like a magic crystal ball. “I guess we really do everything backward, don't we?”

“Hmm?” I ask, distracted by his touch, too focused on his hands to process his words. “Oh! I suppose we do.” I shrug, not minding the journey. It wasn't always easy, but I'm so in love with him and this life, that it was all worth it.

“You got the job and moved in before I was even looking to hire anyone. We had sex before we even started dating. What else is there?”

“Don't tell anyone that,” I jokingly scold him. He kisses the top of my head.

“Wouldn't dream of it, babe. But we did. You became a new mother to my kids before I even thought to look for one.” He hesitates. I glance up at him, and his lips brush against my mine, seemingly still thinking. “Now, we're having a baby. Before getting married.”

“We talked about this,” I tell him, brow creasing. “We decided that was okay.” He kisses the tip of my nose, and I settle back down against his chest, but I feel him fidgeting with his pocket. I lift my body from him, trying to see what he's doing and when I turn he's holding open a black velvet box. The ring sparkles in the sunlight and all I can do is cover my mouth, shocked and speechless.

“Kacee, sweetheart. You're the love of my life, and I couldn't imagine it any other way. You're my best friend, confidant, and mother to our children. There aren't enough words in the world to tell you how much I love you and need you, but if you let me, I'll spend the rest of my life showing you every single day. I know we do everything backward, and I love that about us. Will you please marry me?”

I nod, tears streaming down my face. “Yes, absolutely,” I force out, wanting to yell it to the world that Parker is going to be my husband. He slips the ring on my finger, and it's a perfect fit. I lean in and kiss him, wanting to devour him.

My heart swells with the unanticipated moment, and I can't stop looking at the ring and his gorgeous face. It's perfect, and I look up at him, and he's perfect. “I'm so happy.”

“You make me happy, Kacee. You've just made me the happiest man in the world.” I pull him in for another kiss. It quickly deepens, his tongue making its way into my mouth.

“God, I don't think I'll ever get used to that,” I say when our kiss breaks.

He laughs and pulls me in close, embracing me tightly. He reaches down between us to lay a hand on my belly, the other hand wrapping up in my fingers. His eyes meet mine. Those brilliant, warm, blue eyes I fell in love with, and I can't help but think how lucky I am.

Parker is loving, gentle, and tender, and when he wants to be—wild and passionate. He's everything I could've ever wanted and never thought to ask for, and his family have become mine. I love his children like they're my own because they are now. His sister is my best friend, and soon she'll officially be my sister. Everything is better than I ever thought it could be, even if it sometimes seemed like we'd never get here.

He's bathed in orange, a hot yellow, and the new morning sun washing over us both. “I'm happy for all of us.”

He smiles and kisses me again. I settle back in between his legs against as he feeds me our breakfast. Once we're finished, we decide to make our way down the hill to share the news. It's slow going, but I try to enjoy every second of it. Before we make it to the house, Evie and Jackson come sprinting out the front door toward us.

They fly to my sides and snuggle in, Jackson already whispering to the baby. He's so excited to be a big brother and takes every opportunity he can to talk to his new little sibling.

“Where have you been?” Evie asks. I tug her closer and kiss the crown of her head.

“Your dad had a question to ask me,” I tell her, winking, and she looks excitedly up at Parker.

“You did it?” she demands, clearly thrilled. I look at Parker and raise an eyebrow.

“I had to ask for their blessing before I asked you,” he explains sweetly, and it just makes so much sense for a man whose children are his life that I laugh.

“Well, I’m glad I got your approval,” I tell Evie.

She snorts. “Of course you did,” she said. “I never want you to leave ever again. You’re my best friend.”

“Hey!” Jackson exclaims. Evie rolls her eyes at him.

“I can have two best friends,” Evie tells him. Jackson stops being mad and smiles, looking up at me.

“You can be my best friend, too,” Jackson says. “And my mommy.”

His words go straight to the depths of my heart. I kneel and pull him into my arms.

Evie wraps her arms around me too. “And my mommy too.”

Before long Parker is joining us, and we’re all hugging and laughing, and I have to try not to cry.

“I'll always be here for you two,” I tell them, and they squeeze me even tighter. The pregnancy hormones mixed with my happiness almost causes me to cry, but I somehow hold it back.

“I love you,” Parker says to me, looking back at the kids and then to me.

“I love you too,” I tell him, and as the early morning sun washes over us, I know this is the life I was always meant to have.