I laughed, and the baby shifted and stretched. My hand flew to the spot. “Whoops. I woke Coco up. Sorry, cupcake.” I patted the spot that I thought might be her butt as I took a full-on bite of my ice cream. My teeth stung, and I couldn’t even care — I moaned like I was in a porno.
Bodie laughed and took a bite of his cone.
“This is all your fault, you know,” I said, motioning to my belly. “You and your super sperm. Only I would be in the zero-point-one percent of the population who gets pregnant on birth control.”
“Psh, that was all you. And the stomach flu. You puked your pill up three days in a row.”
I shook my head. “I’m going with super sperm. Lucky for me, you’re a hottie. Our baby is gonna be so pretty.”
“Rock the Casbah” played over the speakers, and I lit up. “It’s our song!”
He smiled at that, and I saw a little secret behind his eyes.
“Know what today is?”
My brow quirked. “June something?”
“Two years ago today, we sat right over there while you ate your ice cream just like that. And that night, we went to—”
“Circus!” I grinned stupidly as my lovesick heart sprouted daisies and butterflies. “I didn’t even know what day that was.”
He shrugged and ate his ice cream like it was no big deal. “I remember stuff like that.”
“I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast this morning,” I said in utter awe. Why a guy like him wanted anything to do with the likes of me, I’d never understand.
“Bagel with strawberry cream cheese, lightly toasted.”
I shook my head, giggling. “You’re my dream guy, you know that?”
“I’m glad you feel that way.”
He pushed a black velvet box across the table at me, taking another lick of his ice cream like it was a totally normal day and he wasn’t giving me one of those boxes with what I was pretty sure was one of those things in it.
“Bodie,” I breathed, my eyes on the box and ice cream dripping onto my hand.
“Penny,” he said softly, a lightness to his voice that betrayed the heaviness underneath.
When I looked up at him, his face was soft and beautiful and perfect and made my insides turn to goop.
“I love you, and I don’t want to be without you. Not ever. I’ve wanted you to be mine every day for the last two years, and I want you to be mine for every day for the rest of my life. I’ve had this ring since we found out you were pregnant, but I figured it would be best to wait until you were so big and dependent on me for foot rubs that you couldn’t say no.”
I laughed through a sob.
His voice softened. “I’ve been waiting for the perfect day, and I found it. Open the box.”
I shoved my ice cream at him and wiped my hands off before picking up the box with trembling fingers. And when I opened it, the most beautifully simple ring lay inside, shining with diamonds and gold and promises of forever.
“Marry me, Pen.”
I breathed for just one second, one savored moment where the man I loved told me he wanted me always, when the life we’d created stretched inside me, when everything was right and perfect and an absolute dream.
And then, I jumped out of my seat and into his arms as best I could weighing a metric ton, and he caught me as best he could with his hands full of ice cream cones.
“Of course I’ll marry you,” I said with my throat tight and heart singing. “I might be crazy, but I’m not stupid.”
He laughed, and it was only then that I realized I was crying, my cheeks soaked and warm and aching from smiling.
And when I kissed him, he tasted like mint chocolate and love and forever.
Thank You
No book is written without the help of a massive support system, and here are some acknowledgements to some of those who were a part of this story.
Jeff Brillhart — You are a king and a savior, and without your love and support, I just couldn’t even get through it. I don’t think I’d want to. Thank you for always providing inspiration for these books. You’re the reason I believe in love.
Kandi Steiner — How much hand holding could a hand holder hold if a hand holder could hold hands? I think we found the answer. #Freakoutcentral. Hopefully everyone finds Penny as amusing as you and I do. I love you more than tacos, sunshine.
Karla Sorensen — There has never in the history of the world been a better critique partner than you. You know exactly what I need to hear when I need to hear it. You know how to cheer me on and bark at me like a drill sergeant in a way that is always genuine, always just what I need to get motivated. When it’s hard, you’re there, and in a handful of rambling voice messages, we can solve pretty much anything. Maybe we should try our hand at world peace.
BB Easton — Beastie, you’re my hero, my soul sister, my brain twin. I had more fun plotting this book with you than should be legal. Every day you’re here for me to pet my hair and tell me I’m pretty, even when I’m a smelly, bloated sack of garbage. How I ever got so lucky to find you, I’ll never know, but I’ll never stop thanking the universe for you.
To my many, many beta readers — You are all so appreciated. Your feedback shaped this book, shaped these characters, and that influence is as much of a part of the story as my heart is.
Penny Reid and Sara Ney — Here’s to writing characters people hate with our chins up and our hearts behind them. Your pep talks gave me the courage to put my sassy, irreverent character out into the world, and I can’t thank you enough for that.
Marcus Diddle — Thank you for your moniker. I’m sending Janet a T-shirt that says “I got Diddled by Diddle.” She’ll probably use it to clean toilets, and I’m totally cool with that.
To my editors, Ellie McLove and Jovana Shirley — you’ve once again made my story as clean and perfect as humanly possible. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to your work and mine.
Lauren Perry — You are a magical unicorn who finds me magical unicorns and produces magical unicorn photos for my covers. If you ever stop doing cover shoots, I might actually die.
To the bloggers — You make the book world go around. I see you, I appreciate you, I love you, and I thank you for everything you do,
And to you, reader, thank you for your love, your support, and for reading my words. I wouldn’t be where I am without you all, and I love you for picking this up, for following me, just for being.
Also by Staci Hart
HEARTS AND ARROWS
Paper Fools
Shift - August 2017
From Darkness - Fall 2017
* * *
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Hardcore
With a Twist
Chaser
Last Call
Wasted Words
Tonic
A Thousand Letters
* * *
SHORT STORIES
Once
Desperate Measures
Nailed
* * *
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Staci Hart, Bad Penny
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