Page 91 of Her Filthy Grump

“Yes, I did.” Every doubt I’ve ever had has completely vanquished. She doesn’t unravel me. I’ve been unraveled by life, and she’s stitched me back together. “Layla, will you be my wife? I need you to be mine as I’m yours.”

Her eyes are soft with emotion as she opens the box. Nestled inside are my grandmother’s wedding band and a solitaire diamond that’s surrounded by tiny yellow diamonds that I bought yesterday afternoon.

Tears fill her eyes, and she blinks them away. “Yes, I would love to marry you. To be your wife. To bring light to your dark and for you to fill my heart with contentment.”

She hops down, and I place the ring on her trembling finger. “We can change them if you want. The band is a family ring, and I picked the solitaire for you. It symbolizes the sunshine that radiates out of you.”

“Ah…. And to think when I first met you, I thought you were grumpalicious.”

“Grumpalicious?”

“Yes.” She laughs. “They’re perfect, and so are you.” I’ll never grow tired of her joy. It’s infectious. I can only hope our daughter looks like her and shares her personality. Bliss fills my soul.

The two things I’ve wanted in my life but were too afraid would never happen are even better than I dreamed. Without Layla, they would be impossible.

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Layla

“Maybe we should go inside.” The feel of his hands caressing my back through the thin fabric of my shirt is starting to send my nerves into overdrive. And traffic’s picking up. “I’m afraid there’s going to be a two-car pileup.”

“We can’t have that. When I met you, you were stopping traffic. If we’re not careful, the fire department will have to come to intervene.”

I rub my pelvis over his erection. “Will they bring a big hose?”

He squints and gives me a shitty look. “No hose, but mine is getting close to you.”

“Deal.” I lace my fingers through his. “Give me the grand tour.”

“Sure.” He opens the door, and I stop in the middle of the living room. A black leather sofa with two recliners. A coffee table. Two end tables. When did he have time to get all this stuff? There are even ten or twelve throw pillows.

“You were in Kansas City last night. How did you get all this done? Surely, Jenny didn’t leave everything behind. All this looks new.” There aren’t even butt indentions in the cushions. My sofa’s newer, and it already sags a little from where I sit every night.

“I bought everything online and had it delivered. The real estate agent let the movers in yesterday while I had everything taken out of my storage lockers. My siblings took most of my old stuff, and what they didn’t want, my dad’s going to sell.”

My heart soars as I take everything in. He came back for me. There’s no doubt that he was all in without knowing whether I would forgive him.

Forgive him for what? For making sure he was in love with me before giving up his entire past to be with me. For wanting to pick out a house for us to live in. For selling everything and buying new furniture for our future. All my emotions collide into a ball of happiness, disbelief, excitement, and with a dash of sadness. I almost screwed everything up.

“Hey.” He places his thumb and index finger under my chin. “What’s wrong?”

“I was a bitch.” I shake my head. “I don’t deserve for you to forgive me.”

“Doll, there is nothing to forgive. We’re still figuring this out, and we’ll get better at it. I promise.”

Doll. God, I love it when he calls me that.Yep, right there, I melt into a little puddle. “I love you.”

He grins. “You’d better.”

As his lips claim mine, I slowly close my eyes and clutch his waist to keep from tumbling to the ground. Not that the ground wouldn’t be a bad thing. What’s wrong with a little rug burn now and then?

His lips leave mine, and he scatters kisses along my jaw until he reaches my ear. “I missed sleeping next to you.”

“Yeah?” I shudder as his words vibrate straight to my core. “Is that all you missed?”

“You know I missed a few other things.” He grabs my thighs and pulls me up his hard body again. “I missed your smile. Your laughter.”

I grind my sex against his cock. “What about my lady bits? They’ve missed you a lot.”