Andi had agreed to marry me a while back, but we never talked about a formal date. I want to do this right because she’s the woman I’ve always wanted, the woman of my dreams. It’s a warm late summer’s night, and Violet is sleeping. We’re sitting on the porch that overlooks the view, the one that Fletcher and Cassie love so much. The ring I’ve been carrying around for months now is practically burning a hole in my pocket. I wanted to do this a long time ago, but with the way Violet’s condition was so precarious at the time, I figured it would be best to wait it out. Tonight is the night, I’ve decided.

Abruptly, I push to my feet and she stares at me, right before I drop to one knee.

“Andrea James, you are my path to happiness, my path to joy in this world. Without you and Violet, I am nothing. Even though we’re together and you’ve promised yourself to me, I’d like to make this official. Will you do me the honor of making me the happiest man alive and becoming my wife? Oh, and just so you know, I’ve asked your father for his permission.”

“You did?”

“Of course I did. Even though we’re sort of doing this backward, I wanted him to be on Team Wilde too. So what do you say?”

Her eyes flick between my hands, which hold hers, and my eyes. She doesn’t say anything for a second or two, which seems like a million years to me.

“Andi, do you not want to marry me?”

“Chase, I’m pregnant.” And suddenly she’s beaming. Her radiant smile pretty much lights up the entire porch.

“Oh, God.” I grab her, pulling her to her feet and then lifting her into my arms. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, positive. You know how I thought I had a virus? It’s a pregnancy virus.”

“Seriously?” I gently set her down. “Do you need to sit, or maybe lie down?”

“Chase, I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”

“Yeah, right. Okay then.”

“And I’ll gladly marry you.”

“Marry me?”

“Yes. Didn’t you just ask me to be your wife?”

I scratch my head where the thick hair is growing back already. “Uh, yeah. Oh! Marry me. Yes!” I dig into my pocket and drop back down to my knee so I can slide the ring onto her finger. I’m numb with the news of her pregnancy. It’s overshadowed anything I was planning to say to her. “Andi, you’ve surprised me more than I can say. I was going to sweep you off your feet with my proposal, but you’ve managed to do that to me with your news. I’m a bit speechless here.”

Her hands frame my face as she leans in close to mine. “Chase, it’s the best of surprises for the both of us. How can we possibly be any happier? We have the two of us, and Violet is getting stronger every day. Her energy is bounding back faster than I ever imagined it would. And now this. Another baby on the way. Our Team Wilde is getting larger, isn’t it?”

A breath huffs out of me. “Yeah, it is. But now are you sure you want to go back to Europe?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You’d be farther away from your mom.”

“Um, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Like what?”

“I had Violet and I was completely alone. I could’ve been on Antarctica for all intents and purposes. I did everything on my own. So, being in Europe with you will be a breeze.”

“When you put it that way, I guess so.”

Her sweet lips press to mine, but I stop her before things get a chance to heat up. There are a few things that need to be discussed first.

“Can we talk wedding plans?” I ask.

“Small and intimate,” she says.

“I know, but I was thinking timing.”

“Next week?”

I bark out a laugh. “You’re joking?”

“Nope. Let’s do it. I only want the family, so what does it matter?”

When she puts it like that, it doesn’t matter at all.

She grabs my arm and says, “We can do it right over there.” She points to where there’s a gorgeous view during the day. “And afterward, we can have drinks and appetizers. That’s all I want.”

“Well, we would need to ask the owners of the place if that’s okay.”

She grimaces. “Oh, yeah. I sort of forgot about that.”

“I’m sure it’ll be cool.”

“I hope. But would that be okay with you?”

“I’d love it. We need to check about the marriage license.”

“It takes twenty-four hours, I believe. I remember when Ryder and Gina got married. Someone mentioned it.”

“Then let’s call our parents and get the show moving. Oh, there is something else. Max called. He said Germany is still interested in talking with me at the end of the season in July. We can discuss this later, though.”

“Chase, this is your career. You— I mean, we—would be foolish not to listen to what they have to offer.”

I can’t stop the smile from extending across my face. This woman is everything to me. I pull her into my arms and kiss her, slowly and passionately. Then we go and make the calls. Our parents couldn’t be more excited for us. It makes us both so happy to know we have their love and support. When we tell them about our wedding plans, they agree with us in thinking it’s a great plan. And then Andi lets them know that baby number two is on the way. You would think by the way they cheer and celebrate they were standing in the room with us. My ears are ringing by the time we end the call.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard my mom that excited. And that includes when Fletcher and I both ended up with professional contracts. Now I know where her priorities are,” I say.

“Where they should be. A mom always looks out for her child’s best interest, and in sports there is always that chance a kid could get injured. That’s why she’s like that.”

“You think she worries about us?”

“No, I know she does. I would be frightened to death. So just know if our kids decide to play professional sports, I will be walking on pins and needles the entire time.”

Another thought occurs to me. “Do you worry about me like that?”

“Of course I do. But you’re doing what you love and I know you’re careful.”

I’m not careful. I’m aggressive as hell out there. That gives me pause because I have two kids to worry about now.

“So what if we bought a house here, so when we come back we’d have our own place to plop down in?” I ask.

“Really? You’d do that?”

“Not at all. We’d do that. What’s mine is ours now. We’re Team Wilde, remember?”

“I guess. It seems weird though.”

“You’ll have to get over that and get used to it. One other thing. If we stay in Italy, would you like to go back to our villa? Maybe buy it? Or would you rather build something?”

“I liked that villa. It was awesome.”

“Yes, but we could get something closer to the stadium.”

“If it makes it easier for you, then yes.”

“Okay, I’ll check into it.”

A week and a half later, Andi and I say our “I dos” on a gorgeous summer’s evening. She wears a plain white lacy dress. It isn’t fancy, but it is sexy, with one bared shoulder showing off the glowing tan she’s gotten since we’ve been here. Her hair is twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck with flowers tucked into it. Violet wears a matching dress, only hers isn’t off the shoulder. Her hair is growing back and the soft downy fuzz tops her head and crowning it is a halo of summer flowers. She looks like the little princess that she is. She leads the way down the aisle for her mama, tossing petals to pave the way. When she gets to me, she says, “Pick up, Dada.” How can I possibly resist?

So it’s the three of us together as the minister says the vows and we all promise our love to each other, Violet piping in now and again. At the end, he finally says, “I now pronounce you husband, wife, and Violet.” Our families break into a huge round of applause, but it’s Violet who gets the biggest charge out of it. “You may kiss the bride,” the minister says.

“Kiss Mama,” Violet says. I don’t waste any time with that order. But soon, she yells, “Now me.”

Now that she’s well, I have a strong feeling this kid’s gonna be a handful. A very loving handful. And I’ll gladly take it.