Reckless Abandon (Phantom Protector Book 1) (22 page)

Max pulled the phone away from his ear as Claire
squealed on the other end of the phone. “You’re going to let me throw you a
party, right? And let me help with the wedding?”

“She has to say yes first.”

The door behind him opened. Sarah’s eyes
widened. She took a step back.

“I have to go.” He hung up the phone. “Sarah, I
need to ask you a question.”

She visibly gulped as she walked into the living
room and sat down on the couch.

He sat down beside her and took both of her
small hands in his. His eyebrows creased. “You know I love your sister, right?”

She nodded.

“And you know I love you, just like you were my
own daughter?”

She nodded.

“I want to ask Jamie to marry me so all of us can
be a family.” He smiled. “But I want to make sure that you’re okay with that.
That you want us to be a family too.” He let go of her hands. “I would never
put her in the position to choose between us. We all need to be in this
together or not at all. Can I count on you?”

A tear slid down her pink cheek. She shot up and
hugged his neck tight. “I can’t think of anything else in the world I want
more. I love you, Max.”

Max rubbed Sarah’s back. His own tear escaped.
“I love you too, Sarah.” He leaned back. “But we have to keep this a secret for
now.”

Sarah frowned. “Why?”

“I want everything to be perfect first.”

Sarah’s frown deepened. “Everything
is
perfect. I don’t understand.”

He pushed from the couch and held out his hand.
“Not yet. I don’t even have a ring to give her.” They walked toward the door.
“And we’re going to need a house with a big backyard.”

Sarah’s lips tilted up in a grin. “You’re right.
That would be sooooo much better.”

After getting in the SUV, he texted Jamie to let
her know that he had Sarah and he was taking her into town. He reassured her
that she would be fine and that they had a few errands to run.

They went to the only jewelry store in town, and
he and Sarah picked out a ring that Jamie would love. The three-carat was just
the right size, not too big or too small. It would shine on her finger while
she kicked ass and took names. Sarah skipped around the jewelry store, and Max
pointed to another ring, a tiny ring made for a small child. “I’ll take that
one too.”

The manager glanced at Sarah and then back at
him and grinned. “With pleasure, Mr. Briggs.” He took Max’s credit card and
returned moments later with a bag that held both rings. Max pulled the two
velvet boxes from the bag and stuffed them inside his pocket. “No need for a
bag. We’ll be back later to have them sized.”

The manager nodded. “Anytime.”

Max and Sarah left and drove around looking at
the properties Claire had emailed him that fit the description he wanted. When
they reached the last site, they both got out of the SUV. Sarah took his hand,
and they stared in awe. Neither one of them said a word as they turned in place
and admired the view.

Sarah whispered, “This is it. It’s beautiful.”

Max nodded. “As beautiful as both of my girls. I
think you’re right.”

Max pulled his phone and walked with Sarah back
to the SUV. He called Claire. “Arrange for the purchase of the last property. I
want it done today.”

He smiled at Claire’s confidence that she could
pull it off.

Max turned in his seat. “It’s as good as ours.
Are you ready to go get your sister?”

She nodded emphatically. “Hurry.”

Max chuckled, loving the lighthearted sound of
her voice. As he drove, he felt as though he were on a cloud. It was a feeling
he hadn’t felt in a long time.
 

Chapter
21

Agreeing to a drive with Max and Sarah had been
an easy choice for Jamie. It had been when Max wanted to blindfold her, that
she’d gotten concerned.

Sarah touched her shoulder and sent a calming
nerve through her. “Everything is going to be fine,” Sarah said from the
backseat.

Jamie smirked. “Are you using your gift on me?
I’m the master of emotional manipulation.”

Sarah chuckled.

Jamie leaned back into the comfort of the
leather seats. The kiss of the sun’s rays warmed her face.

The SUV rolled to a stop. Max’s voice rang out.
“Wait right there. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Jamie’s fingers fumbled as she tried to undo her
seatbelt without the use of her eyes. Someone opened her door. The cool breeze
bit her cheeks. “Where are we?”

Max laid his palm on hers and helped to guide
her from the SUV. “A few more seconds and you’ll see for yourself.”

With Max guiding her, she took a couple cautious
steps, and then he stopped her. Sarah took her other hand and squeezed.

“Now you can see,” Max whispered in her ear as
he removed her blindfold.

The rolling fields around her were stunning. It
was nature at its best, and it was beautiful. The sun was starting to set
behind the Searing mountains in the distance. They were one of the best
features about Henderson that she’d
come to love. She laid her head down on Max’s shoulder. “It’s beautiful. I
can’t remember the last time I got to enjoy a sunset behind the mountains.”

Max and Sarah shared a look with each other and
chuckled.

Max straightened. “That’s not why I bought you
here.”

Jamie lifted her brow. She turned to him. “Then
why did you bring me here?” She glanced around once more, looking for something
she might be missing. She knew this town like the back of her hand, nothing
seemed out of place.

Max took her hand and drew her attention. He
leaned down on bended knee and pulled a box from his pocket.

Jamie’s heart almost beat out of her chest. She
lifted her free hand to cover her gaping mouth.

“Jamie Shawn Bloom.”

Jamie felt her eyes widen. “How do you know my
middle name?”

Max chuckled. “I know your bra and shoe size
too.”

Jamie felt her cheeks redden under the sight of his
grin.

“Now quit distracting me.” He cleared his
throat. “Jamie, from the moment you walked into my life, you’ve turned my world
upside down.”

Jamie pulled her hand from his. “You’re not
doing this here.” She glanced at Sarah and back to him.

Max narrowed his eyes and snatched her hand
back. “I am. Now let me finish.”

Jamie watched as his features softened. “As I
was saying… You blew me away. I didn’t think I would ever find what you so
willingly give. You give your heart and soul in such a way I couldn’t help but
fall in love with you.”

A tear left Jamie’s eye and slid down her cheek.

“You are my world and my life, and I couldn’t
imagine ever spending another day, let alone a lifetime, without you.”

Another tear fell.

“Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?

Jamie glanced at her sister, and her heart
skidded to a stop. What if they ended up like her parents. Wasn’t there a
saying about the apple not falling far from the tree? What type of example
would she be setting for her sister? Did her sister even like Max…enough to
live with him?

Max squeezed her fingers and held out the box.
“Hold that thought and hold this.” He handed her the velvet box with the huge
diamond nestled inside.

Max pulled another box from his jacket and
maneuvered to face Sarah.

He opened the box. “Sarah, I promise to love you
like you’re my own. I promise to always be there for you and Jamie whenever you
need me. I promise to take care of you and always keep you safe and treat you
as if you are my own daughter. You are as much of my world as your sister is,
and I can’t imagine a world without your laughter and love in it. Will you be a
part of our family?”

Sarah jumped up and down and clapped her hands.
“Of course, silly. I already told you that earlier.”

Max pulled the intricate little band with three
interwoven circles etched through it. He slid it on her right hand. “This is a
promise ring holding me to my words.”

She grinned and admired her finger. She glanced
up to her sister. “It’s your turn to say yes.”

Jamie dropped down to her knees and threw her
arms around Max. Uncontrollable tears poured down her face. “How did you know?”

He kissed the tears away. “I’ve always known;
that’s one of the things I love about you.”

She pressed her lips to his in a dance they’d
done before. Her heart exploded with feelings she couldn’t describe. She loved
this man, and he loved her and her sister. It was the best day of her life.

“If you’re done, there’s more he needs to tell
you.”

Jamie broke the kiss. “I don’t need anything
else.”

Max gave her a sexy grin and rose. He pulled her
to her feet. He put an arm around Jamie’s shoulder and reached for Sarah’s hand.
“As far as the eye can see, this property is ours. I’ll let you help in the
design of the house so it can be everything you ever wanted it to be. I just
have three stipulations.”

Jamie laid her head down on his shoulder and
sighed her contentment. “Name them.”

“My guys will put in the security.”

“Uh huh.”

“Two, Sarah gets her own room.”

“That’s a given.”

“Three, it needs to be big enough that we can accommodate
a huge family. A little birdy told me that one day we are going to have a
baby.” He grinned.

She leaned back and stepped out of his embrace.
Her hand went to her stomach. “A baby? Did I hear you right?”

He grinned. “It’s in the cards.” He pulled her back
into his arms. “Just accept it and say yes.”

She gave him her own grin. “Yes.” And pressed a
tender kiss to his lips. “Yes.” She kissed him again. “Yes.”

****

Max knew he was grinning like a fool. He stood on
the hill and watched as his soon-to-be-wife ordered the workers around as
though they were her little soldiers. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t
afraid to grab it with both hands.

Sarah hopped out of the SUV and strolled up
beside him, linking her hand with his. “Is she always like that?”

Max glanced down to Sarah. “Yep. Isn’t she great?”
He heard the pride in his voice. He tugged on Sarah’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go
give the guys a break and whisk her away.”

Sarah giggled. “I’m sure they’ll appreciate that.”

Two months had gone by since he’d brought Jamie
to this location and promised to love her with his entire heart, and he’d had
to prove it every day. He’d watched her hesitate before giving him an answer,
and since then, he’d made every attempt to lesson her fears. They still had a
threat to contend with but one they would handle together. Max had been
welcomed into the unit and was still playing bodyguard for Lydia, a job he
would see to the end. His day was complete when he tucked Sarah into bed before
climbing into Jamie’s bed. He would fall asleep with her tucked in his arms.
Life couldn’t possibly get any better.

Max walked up behind Jamie and put his arms
around her waist. He laid a kiss on her cheek. “I think you’re overworking
them. Would it ease your mind if I brought in two crews to help?”

Jamie turned in his arms and laced her fingers
around his neck. “Would you like to know why I’m working them to the bone?”

Max grinned. “So we can have a bit more privacy
in our nice big house?”

She chuckled and pressed her lips to hers. “I’m
afraid those days are gone.”

She glanced to where Sarah was swinging on the
tire swing that Max had put up on his last visit to the property.

“I’m not worried about Sarah.” She pressed her
lips to his.

Max frowned. “You know we’re going to catch all
of the bosses, right? Are you worried about that?”

Jamie shook her head. “Nope, not worried about
that either.”

Max leaned out of her embrace. “Then what?”

“I’m worried they won’t be done by the time the
baby gets here.”

Max’s eyes widened. “Ms. Bloom, is there
something you’re keeping from me?”

Jamie gave him a sly look and grinned as she nodded.
“We’re pregnant.”

His mouth dropped open, and he picked her up by
the waist, swinging her around. “We’re going to have a baby.”

Jamie giggled. “Yep.”

When Max sat her down, his hand went to her
still-flat belly. “How are you feeling? Did I hurt you? You shouldn’t have let
me swing you around like that!”