Because yes, he was still a dick sometimes. Although to be fair, I loved him during those times too. In fact, one of those times was how I had ended up with this ring on my finger smack bang in the middle of what was supposed to have been just another workday.
Joseph told me after that he’d had this whole plan to propose in some fancy way, but he screwed it up when he proposed right there in our office. A few weeks ago, we’d been arguing over an account. I hadn’t known that he’d already had my ring made and had picked it up from the jeweler that very morning.
I called him a dick, which he definitely had been, and he broke out laughing. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the little blue velvet box, turning it over in his hand before flipping up the lid and walking over to me.
“I love that you don’t back down from me,” he had said. “I love that you challenge me and support me at the same time. I love that we can argue all day at work and still go home happy to be going together. I love having Lincoln’s toys all over my condo and seeing your toothbrush in the holder next to mine. I love you, Lilac. I was going to take you up in a helicopter and propose as the sunset, but I can’t wait. Besides, this is us. Right here. And I want us, this, to be forever. Will you marry me?”
My glare had turned into an incredulous stare about halfway through his speech, around about the same time that my brain had put together what he was doing. For a few long seconds after he asked, my stupid words had refused to come. I couldn’t find a single one until it danced into my mind as a flashing neon sign. “Yes!”
Ollie had turned around at his desk at some point, had seen what was happening and managed to take some pictures of the moment of our engagement. I’d had them framed and hung them in our office.
He’d not only given me the pictures for an engagement present, but he’d also finally told me why he’d laughed so much on my first day at the company. Apparently, he’d found it amusing that the receptionist had acted so snippily towards me because the woman had a thing for Joseph, and he claimed to have known in that moment that Joseph would end up falling for me.
All the smiling had been because he was happy he was going to have a front-row seat to his big, badass boss proverbially being brought to his knees by a girl. I couldn’t argue with him about that, because he’d been absolutely right. If I’d known on that first day that I was about to meet the love of my life, I wouldn’t have been able to stop smiling either.
We were in the process of planning our wedding right now, but we were arguing over that as well. Neither of us had any family, so it would be small. He wanted to do a destination thing, but I thought we should just go down to the courthouse.
We knew we’d finally settle on something, even if we were both stubborn. Our love was a big, all-encompassing thing and despite our differences of opinion, we’d always settle with each other. I just didn’t know yet how we were going to do it.
“Give me a tour,” Joseph said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I frowned at him, letting him go and taking a step back. “You bought the place. Pretty sure you’ve had a tour or two.”
“Yeah, but not since you worked with the designer to make it perfect.” He winked. “And you managed to do it without adding in a single unicorn. I’m so proud of you.”
I rolled my eyes. “How do you know there’s not a unicorn somewhere? There might be one on your pillow.”
He snorted, taking a step forward to claim one of my hands. “Maybe I should reconsider the whole living with my future wife thing.”
“Over a unicorn on your pillow?” I feigned hurt, wrapping my fingers around his. “I thought you just said I’d made the house perfect, now you want to leave because of one measly unicorn?”
We were walking slowly enough that he could lean down to kiss the top of my head without breaking our stride. He’d gotten a new prosthetic, a much nicer one than the old one, but we were walking slowly because there was no need to rush.
I, for one, wanted to take all of this in. Our first home together.
Joseph’s lips curled into a wide smile. “I thought we’d established that I’d never leave you, so no. Not even if there was a unicorn on my pillow.”
“But you just said—”
“I know what I said. I’m taking it back, because from what I’m seeing you really have made the place perfect for us.”
“You think?” It meant a lot to me to hear that he liked what the designer and I had come up with. He’d chosen the house, but we had worked hard to make it into a place that was a perfect mix of our styles. At the same time, we’d also had to make sure that it was child-friendly and pet-friendly.
Lincoln had been begging us for a dog for months, and we’d finally given in a month or so ago. He didn’t know it yet, but we going to take him to pick out a puppy next weekend.
“I love it, Lilac. Really.” He squeezed my hand as we came to a stop next to the bank of windows in the living room.
The first time he’d brought me here, I had been unable to believe that it was the house I was actually going to get to live in one day. All on one level, it was an open plan from the front door to the backyard. The kitchen, living and dining areas formed one big room when you walked in.
The back wall was made up entirely of windows, providing a view of a stunning green lawn, outside entertainment area and pool—which we’d had netted for safety before moving in. Joseph had even ordered a jungle gym for Lincoln to play on. The colorful piece sat in the opposite corner of the yard from the pool.
The floors inside were concrete, but we’d given the industrial look a homey feel by adding area rugs. Art hung on the walls; Lincoln’s pictures mixed in with Joseph’s more tasteful collection. In between, there were pictures of us together.
The bedrooms were off to one side of the house down a long hallway. Lincoln’s was the one next to ours, then there was a home office, a room he could use as a gym, a guest bedroom, and another room. I’d asked Joseph what he wanted to put in it, and he’d looked me right in the eye when he said, “Eventually? A crib.”
My heart had stuttered and skipped several beats, but the more I thought about the idea, the more I loved it. One of Lincoln’s friends was getting a baby sister in a few months’ time, and he’d become obsessed with the idea of being a big brother.
If both of my guys wanted it, who was I to refuse them?
I was living a life I would never even have dreamed of, and I loved every second of it. Joseph looked into my eyes, so much love shining in his hazel eyes that I knew he’d been standing there having thoughts similar to the ones I’d been having.
“I know we said we were going to sit down and make a decision about the wedding once we moved in,” he said. “But can we sit down with that after Lincoln goes to bed? Right now, I have a fiancée that I really want to kiss, and after that, I have a kid to show the treehouse to.”
The End
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About the Author
Hey there. I'm Weston.
I'm a former firefighter/EMS guy who's picked up the proverbial pen and started writing bad boy romance stories. I co-write with my sister, Ali Parker as we travel the United States for the next two years.
You're going to find Billionaires, Bad Boys, Mafia and loads of sexiness. Something for everyone, hopefully. I'd love to connect with you. Check out the links below and come find me.
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The Parker’s Wicked Playground
Come Work For Me
Copyright © 2019 by Weston Parker
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotation
s in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
First Edition.
Editor: Eric Martinez
Cover Designer: Ryn Katryn Digital Art
Come Work For Me Page 25