"Yes! Of course," she cries.
I reach down and grab Max, lifting him into my arms so we're all three hugging. Kylie is crying and Max looks concerned as he watches her, until we both start laughing and then his little mouth breaks into a wide smile.
When I slip the ring over her knuckle, my throat gets tight. I've never been this damn emotional, but these two bring out a totally different man in me. The man I've always wanted to be. Standing here, the three of us, in our new family home, I finally feel complete.
***
"Please, help yourself." Kylie sets the serving dish of pasta down in the center of the dining table, and I can't help but notice the way her eyes linger on her ring, turning it this way and that way to catch the light.
Colton and Sophie are sitting across the table, and Collins is by my side. He's alone and he seems distracted and somewhat somber, given the celebratory mood. When I ask him about Tatianna, his bombshell girlfriend who is rarely at his side, he gives a brief answer about her working tonight.
"So this is the famous pasta sauce Pace has bragged so much about," Colton says, serving Sophie a dish first, and then himself.
I couldn’t resist inviting the whole family over after Kylie said yes, and of course they all came. Sophie hugging and crying with Kylie as the gushed over how beautiful her ring was. I felt proud in that moment.
"So, when's the big day?" Collins asks, gazing at me approvingly.
My eyes find Kylie's. We haven't discussed that yet, but I could already envision Max serving as my best man. "She's in charge." I nod toward Kylie.
She smiles at me adoringly. "I'm not sure. We're still getting settled into our new house, but I don't want to wait long."
I agree completely. In my view, there's no point in waiting. I want this woman to be my wife. And I want to adopt Max as my own, and give them both my last name. I approached Elan with this idea during his last visit, and while he didn't seem thrilled with the idea, he was open to it. He knows they are my family and doesn’t want to stand in the way of that.
After dinner, Max entertains us all by dancing in the living room, then streaking naked through the house when Kylie tries to change him into pajamas. There is never a dull moment here, not like at my old bachelor pad. When I reflect on my life before, I really can't fathom why I wasted so many years pursing meaningless flings. I guess because I was waiting for the right woman to come along. My eyes connect with Kylie's as she hoists Max up onto her hip. She is my everything.
"Goodnight, guys, I'm going to get Max to bed," she says.
I jog over to where they're standing in the hallway. I wrap them both in my arms, appreciating the soft feel of Max's cheek against my neck, and the scent of Kylie's delicate skin warming me. After he's asleep, there will be drinks and music and celebration for our engagement, but in this moment, there is just me and the two who own my heart in a darkened hallway. I press my lips to Max's forehead. "Goodnight, Moon," I whisper. He yawns and rests his head against Kylie's shoulder. I kiss Kylie's lips and stroke her cheek. "I love you," I say, my voice getting tight.
"I love you, Pace," she whispers back.
I find her hand in the darkness and give it a squeeze, loving the solid feel of the ring decorating her finger. Sometimes I'm overcome with emotion for no reason at all. Imagining Max as a grown man, myself and Kylie with silver in our hair, still just as in love as we are today. There is so much ahead of us in this beautiful life, so much to look forward to.
"I'm going to put our son to bed," she whispers against my lips, giving me another kiss. "Be right back."
Our son.
A wife and a son…who would have thought? A lazy smile tugs at my mouth as I watch her carry him down the hall toward his bedroom. I am one lucky son of a bitch.