I turned my head and met Jagger’s heated gaze over my shoulder. He was just walking through the door with his sister and brother-in-law, while behind him, his dad was carrying Emerson in her adorable flower girl dress. Jagger’s eyes drilled into me before his scowl turned to Max.
“That would be him,” I confirmed as I turned back to Max, and I gave a tiny shrug. “Supposedly.” I hadn’t seen Jagger since I’d left Miami for the job in Vancouver. We had texted a few times, but I’d been adamant that we not see or even speak on the phone until we were both sure of what we wanted.
I’d spent the three weeks away from him doing nothing but thinking. I knew what I wanted and what I was—and wasn’t—prepared to give up to get it. Whether he was willing to agree with that determined if I remained spoken for or not.
“Well, if it’s only supposedly, maybe you should drop his ass and move to Creswell Springs, beautiful.”
I snorted, not sure if I should take Max seriously or not. He didn’t seem all that invested in winning me over. As hot as he was, I doubted he couldn’t find all the companionship he could possibly want, and I figured this was just a game to him, like it was for most guys who tried to talk to me.
A heavy arm landed on my shoulders, and I instantly leaned back into Luca, knowing I was safe there even though I wanted to nut-punch him for all the shit he’d put Violet through. “Shaw, is this fucker bothering you?”
“Of course not,” I assured him. “Max and I are just getting to know each other. Right, Max?”
“Exactly. Shaw and I are friends now.” Someone called his name, and he rolled his eyes before excusing himself with a wink at me. “Gotta do some heavy lifting.”
I watched him walk away, the thick crowd trying to swallow him up, but as tall and wide as he was, I could easily pick him out anywhere in the room without really having to try. Once he was gone, I turned to face Luca. “She left.”
His face tightened with misery, and I watched as he swallowed hard a few times before finally nodding. “Yeah, I figured she would. Does he…treat her right?”
I wanted to hate the guy, but at the same time, I felt so bad for him. It wasn’t that he was a bad dude. Far from it. At one time, I’d considered him the model boyfriend and life partner, and I had wanted someone who would love me the way he’d loved Violet. His fuckup was what had sent me hiding from love in the first place because I was so scared of being hurt. If someone could love a person as much as Luca loved Vi, and he could hurt her so effortlessly, it would be nothing for any guy to do the same thing to me.
But not just any guy loved me.
Jagger loved me.
And I wasn’t scared of being hurt any longer.
If we could just work out this whole thing about my career.
“Yes,” I assured Luca softly. “Remington treats her like a princess. He would give her the moon if she asked for it. And as rich as he is, I’m sure he could afford to make that happen.”
“Violet doesn’t care about material things,” he muttered. “But as long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters.”
I couldn’t help it. I hugged him, and after a small hesitation, he hugged me back. But it only lasted a few seconds before I pulled back and pointed my finger in his face as I glared up at him. “This means nothing. I’m still mad at you for everything.”
His mouth tilted up on one side in a sad excuse for a smile. “That’s okay. I’m still pissed at myself for everything, too.” He grabbed my shoulders, turned me, and I came face-to-face with Jagger. “See ya later, Shaw,” Luca said with a hard laugh as he left me there to face down a pissed-off rocker.
Dressed in black slacks, a blue button-up, and his hair styled back from his face, Jagger looked edible as his angry yet hungry eyes ate up the sight of me.
He caught my hips in his hands and pulled me into his heat, forcing me to bite back a whimper at how damn good it felt to be back in his arms. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
I lifted one brow as I lost the battle to keep my hands to myself and flattened them against his chest. “That was kind of the point. I needed time to think, and so did you.”
“Thinking is overrated,” he breathed as he lowered his head and trailed his lips down my neck. The overcrowded bar disappeared around us, and I dropped my hands, clutching at his arms to steady myself. “I know what I want. You.”
Reality set back in, and I turned my head so he couldn’t distract me with his lips. “All of me?”
“Every last inch,” he said, with such conviction, I began to melt against him. “I hate your job, but I won’t let it come between us, Dimples.”
“I don’t want it to come between us either.” I tilted my head back and smiled. “So, I was thinking.”
His eyes narrowed. “That could be dangerous.”
I playfully tapped him on the cheek—hard—but snickered. “I talked to Gina and told her to put in all of my future contracts with any and all clients that I refuse to do any commercials or ads of any kind where I have to kiss or be in a sexually compromising situation with anyone. The skimpy bikini and outfit issue isn’t something I can change because most of my contracts are with clothing lines that require I model their products, and they are typically small for a reason.”
Releasing my hips, he cupped both sides of my face as wonder filled his eyes. “You did that for me?”
“I love my job, but I love you more,” I told him honestly. “And while I’m not willing to give up my career, I will make compromises so I don’t lose you.”
“Baby, you’ll never lose me,” he vowed as he lowered his head. “No matter what. You’re stuck with me for the rest of your life.”
“You make that sound like a bad thing,” I murmured, lifting up to meet his lips halfway. “But it’s really the only thing I’ve ever wanted.”
Chapter 36
Jagger
As soon as we got home, I wasted no time in talking Shaw into moving in with me. Although she didn’t want to label it as us living together.
Mia snorted her drink out her nose when I told her that we were calling Shaw’s things scattered around the apartment, her simply being on an extended sleepover.
“That sounds so familiar,” my sister had snickered when she was able to catch her breath after laughing herself silly. We were going to have dinner together with our parents that night, and Mia had stopped to pick us up so we could ride together with the excuse that she missed me and wanted to spend a little extra time with Shaw and me. But I knew it was because she’d been so nosy about our relationship since the wedding. “Where have I heard that before?”
“It wasn’t an ‘extended sleepover,’” Barrick corrected her as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, making her sigh happily. “It was an ‘indefinite sleepover,’ firecracker.”
“Whatever,” she said with a roll of her green eyes. “It’s the same thing. You watch, little brother. You’ll have a ring on her finger before you know it.”
I didn’t argue with her on it. For one, because Shaw had come into the kitchen at that moment, announcing she was ready to go. For another, because I’d already been looking at rings. Maybe it was moving fast, but I knew what I wanted, and that was Shaw as my wife.
The need to put my ring on her finger only grew when Remington proposed to Violet on his yacht a few weeks after Lyric’s wedding. I’d seen the dreamy look on Shaw’s face as she’d watched her best friend throw her arms around Remington as she shouted “Yes!” even before he’d finished asking her to marry him.
Which was why I needed to move things along. But even though I was in a hurry to get my ring on Shaw’s finger, I wanted to do everything right.
The Wednesday following the yacht proposal, I asked Dad, Uncle Axton, and Cannon to have lunch with me. Shaw was doing a commercial for the skincare line she was one of the primary spokespersons for. Her mom was with her, acting as her assistant, or I would have gone with her myself and postponed this sit-down with the dads.
Nervously,
I waited until we’d placed our food orders before telling them why I wanted to talk to them all.
“Dude,” Cannon laughed when he looked at my face. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck, frustrated—and yeah, a little nauseated because I was scared this wasn’t going to go the way I hoped.
Dad put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it, pulling my gaze to him. He gave me a reassuring smile. “Just tell us what’s on your mind, son.”
Inhaling sharply, I nodded and turned to look at Uncle Ax. “Sir…” Cannon snickered, but the dads actually sat up a little straighter at how serious my tone was with that single word. “I would like to ask…” I stopped, knowing that it wasn’t the right word, and I swallowed hard. “No. I’m begging you. Please give me your blessing to marry Shaw.”
The hand that was on my shoulder tightened, as if telling me everything was going to be okay at the same time Uncle Axton’s face relaxed into a huge smile. “Were you scared I wouldn’t want you as a son-in-law, Jags?”
“I was—and still am—terrified that you won’t let me marry the most beautiful, amazing, sweet, and sassy girl who owns my fucking soul,” I told him honestly.
He slapped his hand on the tabletop and threw his head back as he laughed out loud. “I like that you have the impression I hold any power when it comes to Shaw. She does what she wants, and if she wants to marry you, nothing I say or do will stand in her way.”
“I-I know that, sir. But you were the first man to ever love her. I plan on being the last.” I leaned forward, my eyes beseeching him. “So, I’m going to ask you again. Will you please give me your blessing to marry your daughter?”
“Of course, he fucking does,” Cannon exploded with a grin. “Why wouldn’t he? Pretty sure it would be a relief to have you take her off his hands.”
“Jagger,” Uncle Axton said with a shake of his head, and for a moment, my heart stopped. “There is no one I would ever trust more with that girl’s heart and happiness than you. You have my blessing, son. I just hope you know what you’re signing on for.” He grinned. “Because that girl is just like her mother, and I still don’t fully understand that woman. But fuck, it’s fun trying to figure her out.”
I was finally able to breathe deeply again, and I relaxed as our food arrived.
“How are you going to ask her?” Cannon asked as he cut into his steak.
I glanced at Dad. “I was thinking of asking her at the Christmas Eve party. It was how Barrick asked Mia, and I know it would make Ma happy.”
“Son, you should do what feels right for you and Shaw. Don’t do anything just because you think it’s what your mom or I want or expect from you.” He pointed his fork at me. “If the party is where you want to ask her, we will all help make it as special as possible. But make sure it’s what you want, not us.”
“Honestly, I don’t think it would matter to Shaw where you ask her,” her dad commented. “She will probably be happy with you dropping to one knee anywhere. If I were you, I’d be more worried about finding the perfect ring for her. As crazy possessive of her as you are, you need something to make a statement. Something that as soon as a guy sets eyes on her, he can’t help but notice that ring proclaiming she’s taken. But at the same time, nothing gaudy.”
I mulled that over as I chewed my steak. He was right, I needed the perfect ring for just that reason.
For all of ten seconds, I thought about asking Violet to help me pick something out for her best friend, but I knew she wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut about it if I did ask for help. She and Shaw didn’t have secrets from each other, and I didn’t want to put Violet in a position where she would have to keep something from Shaw.
Mia was my second choice, but Cannon told me I needed to get the moms to help as well.
I had to admit that I’d been more than a little nervous about the way he would react to me wanting to marry his sister, but from the moment I’d asked his dad for his blessing, he’d jumped on board. His suggestion of getting the moms involved was the perfect idea to make them feel like a part of one of the biggest moments of Shaw’s and my life together.
But getting Mia, Ma, and Aunt Dallas together all at the same time was a hell of a lot harder to do than getting the dads together. Those three were so busy, I didn’t think I could survive even a day in their shoes.
It wasn’t until after we got back from Vegas for Violet’s quickie wedding to Remington a few weeks later that I was finally able to talk to them about it.
Apparently the dads hadn’t told them about what was discussed at our luncheon. While Mia squealed and whispered, “I told you so,” the moms just sat there in gaped-mouth silence. As the silence continued from them, I realized what I needed to do, and my nervousness at asking Uncle Axton for his blessing was nothing to how anxious I was right then.
I scooted back my chair and grasped both of Aunt Dallas’s hands. “I’m sorry. I should have done this before now. Aunt D, I love your daughter more than anything. She makes my life worth living, and all I want to do is make her happy for eternity. Will you please give me your blessing?”
She smiled, causing her dimple to flash at me, and she turned her hands over to grasp mine in return. “Jagger, of course you have my blessing. I never pictured Shaw spending her life with anyone else.”
Tears stung my eyes, and I quickly blinked them back before I turned to Ma. But when I opened my mouth, she held up her hand, trapping anything I might have said in my throat. “All I want is your happiness, baby boy. No matter what or who that is with, you don’t need my blessing because you already have it.” Her chin trembled, but she clenched it for a moment and then cleared her throat. “Now, what do you need me to do?”
“I need the perfect ring,” I rasped out. “Can you help me find it, Ma?”
She smiled. “I think between the four of us, we can come up with something.”
The three of them pulled out their phones and flipped through some of the most beautiful engagement rings I’d ever seen—and some not so beautiful. Money was no object. I didn’t care how much it cost, and I thought that would make it easier, but it didn’t.
Long after our plates had been cleared, we were still sitting there, and I was feeling beyond frustrated.
“I think you should have a ring custom made,” Mia suggested.
“I agree,” Aunt Dallas confirmed. “And if we get in with a designer in the next few weeks, it should be done in time for the Christmas Eve party if you’re sure that’s where you want to propose.”
Ma was already typing away on her phone. “Jagger, what works better for you? Monday afternoon or Thursday morning?”
I wasn’t surprised Ma already had options for appointments. I told her whatever was best for them was fine with me. I would make anything work.
If only the actual proposal went as smoothly as creating that three-million-dollar piece of perfection.
Chapter 37
Jagger
I pulled the car up in front of my parents’ house. My palms were sweating, and I quickly wiped them on my slacks before reaching for Shaw’s hand. Leaning over the console, she brushed her lips over mine. “Love you.”
When she started to pull back, I wrapped her hair around my wrist and kept her trapped. Thrusting my tongue deep into her mouth, I devoured her. She was going to say yes, I reminded myself. She loved me, and after the way she’d been dropping hints lately, I knew she wanted me to ask her to marry me. It had been so hard not to just pull out the box and beg her to say yes the moment the ring was done, but I’d held back to make sure I got this right.
Shaw deserved the best of everything, and that included the perfect proposal.
After tonight, I’d have my ring on her finger, and then the moms could start helping her plan our wedding.
Moaning, she pressed her hands against my chest. “As much as I want to continue this, we need to get inside.” She licked her kiss-swollen lips and grinned wickedly u
p at me. “But let’s not stay long. I want to head home and celebrate our first Christmas in bed.”
I dropped one more kiss on her mouth then released her. “Whatever you want, Dimples.”
Stepping out of the car, I walked around and helped her out, before grabbing the wrapped gifts out of the trunk for Emerson. Shaw had gone shopping with Violet over the last few weeks, and each time they went into a shop, Shaw would pick out something for my niece.
Soon, she would be Shaw’s niece too.
That put a smile on my face as we entered my parents’ house.
Shaw said she was going to go say hello to Violet, and I took the gifts upstairs for my sister to deal with later. When I finally joined the party, it was to find all eyes trained on the small group in the middle of the room.
Violet, pregnant and glowing. Remington. Shaw. Lyric and his heavily pregnant wife, Mila. And then there was Luca.
I was surprised as hell that Violet’s ex was keeping his shit together while talking to her husband, and I wondered if Christmas miracles really did come true.
Spotting me, Mia frantically waved me over to where she was standing. “Hey,” I greeted, bending to kiss her cheek. “What’s up?”
She bit her lip and glanced over at the group before turning her gaze back to me. “This tension is killing me,” she whispered. “I’ve been so nervous for you all day, and now this? I nearly passed out when Violet hugged Luca earlier.”
“They hugged?” I whispered back.
“Cannon, run!” Shaw cried, and I glanced around just as Cannon mouthed “Fuck” and took off running for the door. But before I could react, Mia swayed, and I caught her elbow, guiding her over to a chair.
“Don’t let Barrick see,” she whispered frantically. “I’m okay. Just been a little…”
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