Songbird (41 page)

“Wow,” Callie says with a grin as we walk out of the courthouse. “Are you sure I’m worth ninety-eight bucks?”

I slip the marriage license into my jacket pocket before pulling her into my arms. “I would have paid a million dollars to marry you.”

She rolls her eyes at my ridiculous sappiness, but she lets me kiss her anyway. Suddenly, a throat clears from behind us. Callie looks over my shoulder, and her eyes widen. When I turn, I find myself face-to-face with the only asshole who could possibly ruin my perfect day.

“Dominic.”

He nods. “Devin. Callie, you’re absolutely glowing.”

“Thank you. If I’m glowing, it’s because I’m happy. Devin and I just applied for our marriage license.”

Have I mentioned lately how much I love this woman?

Dominic smiles politely. “Is that so? Making an honest woman out of her, McAllister?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, congratulations to both of you. I must say I’m still surprised. Never saw you settling down.”

“Life is full of surprises. Like you becoming mayor.”

Dominic smiles tightly before turning to Callie.

“I’d still love to have you as part of my administration. Perhaps after the baby arrives we could sit down and—”

“No, thank you.”

“No? You don’t even want to discuss it?”

She shakes her head. “I won’t be working for you. Not now. Not ever. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a wedding to plan. Have a good day, Mayor.”

Dominic’s eyes narrow, but it’d be political suicide to cause a scene right here on the front steps of the courthouse. Clearing his throat, he nods and congratulates us again before heading inside.

“That was fun,” she says with a grin.

“Indeed. Ready to see your ring?”

“I am.”

Callie loops her arm through mine as I lead her to the car. Once we’re on the road, I decide to complete one more task on my to-do list. I call Greg Franklin and put him on speaker.

“Hey. Mr. Franklin. How are you?”

“Devin? Everything okay with Callie and the baby?”

“Hi, Dad,” Callie says. “We’re in the car and you’re on speaker. Everything’s great.”

He breathes a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. What’s going on?”

“I just thought you should know I’m officially proposing to your daughter today.”

He chuckles. “I guess it’s not a surprise, since she’s right there with you.”

“No surprise at all,” Callie says. There’s a happy giggle to her voice. “We just applied for our marriage license.”

“Well, I guess I could say it’s about time, but it’s been what? A week?”

Callie huffs. “Seven months, thank you very much.”

I grin. “So, do we have your blessing?”

The line grows silent, and Callie and exchange anxious looks.
What if he says no?
He should. I’m nowhere near good enough for his daughter.

“You love her?”

He knows I do, but I understand he has to ask. It’s his job.

“I do, sir. More than anything.”

“You’ll take care of her and my granddaughter? You promise to put them first . . . above anything or anyone else?”

“Always.”

“Good. I know this whole thing hasn’t been traditional. I also know it doesn’t matter whether you have my blessing or not, but I appreciate you pretending that it does. I like you Devin, and I think you’re good for each other. So, yeah, you have my blessing. But hear this. If you ever break that promise, they’ll never find your body.”

I can’t help but smile. Callie reaches across for my hand and gives it a squeeze.

“I understand, sir.”

“And cut the
sir
crap. I’m Greg.”

“Got it.”

He laughs. “Now that the bodily threats are out of the way, when’s the big day?”

“That’s something else we need to talk to you about,” Callie says. “Can you be here next Saturday?”

“Oh . . . really?”

She frowns. “You don’t want to be?”

“Sure I do. You two just seem the impatient type. I figured you were headed to Vegas.”

“We thought about it,” I admit with a laugh.

The car grows quiet again, and I know what he’s thinking. He wouldn’t have wanted to miss this for the world.

“This is better,” Greg says softly.

Callie and I smile at each other.

“We know,” she says.

“O
ut of all the jewelry stores in Nashville, you picked this one?”

Devin sighs and leads me through the doors. “Megan suggested it.”

“I’m sure she did.”

I’ve been trying hard to get over my money issues, and I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job. But now, surrounded with towers of pretty blue boxes in one of the most expensive jewelry stores in the world, I’m suddenly wondering if my concerns weren’t justified.

Note to self: Kill Megan.

A brunette sales associate greets us, calls Devin by name, and then disappears. When she returns, she’s holding two of the pretty blue boxes. I nearly hyperventilate when he hands her his platinum card.

“Oh my God, how much is it?” I whisper.

Devin chuckles and wraps his arm around me. “No way.”

“You won’t tell me?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not.”

We’ll see about that.

She returns with the little bag and his receipt. We thank her and head for the parking lot. Devin knows he’s in for a fight, but that doesn’t keep the smile off his face as he helps me into the car. I snap my seatbelt with a huff as he climbs inside.

“Are we seriously going to argue about this?” Devin asks as we head home.

“I don’t want to argue. I was just . . . caught off guard. They only sell one kind of ring in that store.”

“What kind is that?”

“The expensive kind.”

He laughs. “And this is bad?”

“Not
bad
. But I don’t need an engagement ring from one of the most expensive stores in the world.”

“I thought we were past this money thing.”

“I thought we were, too.”

“What’s changed? You were okay with the house.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“The house is for both of us. And our daughter.”

“I see. So, it’s okay for me to buy expensive things as long as it’s for
us
and not just for you?”

“That’s right.”

“Then problem solved, because there are
three
rings in that bag. Your engagement ring and our wedding bands. It was a collection—all sold as a set. So, see? Something for you
and
me. Something for us. Happy?”

When he puts it that way
 . . .

“Yes, I’m happy.”

I think.

Devin must hear the uncertainty in my voice, because as soon as we reach the house, he takes me by the hand and leads me upstairs. Thankfully, everyone’s gone. It’s the quietest the place has been in days.

We walk into the nursery.

“Stay here,” he says.

He heads down the hallway, and I decide to try out my new rocking chair. While he’s gone, I take a good, long look at the room. The guys did such a great job on the furniture. The mint-green walls are apparently good for blood pressure because I can feel myself calming down as I rock in my new favorite chair.

When Devin returns, he kneels in front of me.

“Do you see this?” he asks, holding up our latest sonogram picture.

I nod.

He then takes my hand and presses it against my stomach.

“Do you feel that?”

Our child kicks right on cue.

Daddy’s girl.

“You’ve given me everything, Callie. No man deserves this much happiness—least of all me—but I’m grateful for it.”

He pulls the little blue box out of his pocket, and my eyes immediately fill with tears.

“When I started looking for this ring, my only intention was to find a ring that reminded me of you. It had to be beautiful. Flawless. Like you. I had to fall in love with it at first sight—just like I did with you. You were wearing some faded hoodie and jeans, and I knew in that moment I’d never seen anyone more beautiful.”

I sniffle quietly. “You actually remember what I was wearing.”

Devin gently brushes his fingers along my tear-stained cheeks. “I remember everything about that night. I found my soulmate that night. I fell in love that night, Songbird.”

He slowly opens the tiny box and lifts the lid. I can’t stop the soft gasp from bubbling from my lips.

“Don’t you understand? You’ve given me so much, just by saying yes. This house? This ring? They’re just
things
, Callie. Beautiful things, definitely, but still. It’s just stuff and can’t compare to everything you’ve given me. But I want to give them to you, anyway.”

Devin takes my hand and slips the ring on my finger. Tears trickle down my face as I gaze at the gorgeous square diamond. Once again, I’d taken a gift given with love and focused on the money instead of the sentiment behind it. When would I ever learn?

“You bring me joy that is priceless. Will you marry me?”

I smile into his adoring eyes. “You know I will.”

“And the ring? Do you like it?”

“I love it.”

“The band’s engraved,” he says, taking the second ring out of its box. “I don’t even know if you’ll get the reference, but . . . it was important to me.”

I peer at the platinum band, and my eyes fill with fresh tears when I read the tiny engraved words I’d sung to him that night in the piano bar. The night that changed my life forever.

To you, I’ll give the world.

My tears are uncontrollable now, but so is my smile.

“I love you.”

“I love you, Songbird.”

Later that night, when we’re snuggled in our bed and wrapped in each other’s arms, he whispers close to my ear.

“You didn’t say yes.”