He snickered. “Not a mind reader, just know you. Saw your eyes glaze over about two seconds after they lit up in excitement at the prospect of my family comin’.” He reached from where his hand was on my thigh to lace his fingers through mine. “And fuck, do I love to see you excited to spend time with them.”

“It’s pretty easy,” I shrugged. “I love your family.”

“And they love you,” he replied immediately. “Bet my life savings that there’s already a million and one texts on my phone singin’ your praises.”

“It’s only because I brought baked goods,” I joked.

Rowan didn’t smile. In fact, his face turned very serious, his grip tightening around my hand.

“Stop, Nora. It’s because you’re fuckin’ you.”

I bit my lip. “Are you sure about me?”

Rowan’s head turned to briefly squint at me. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Worry is not a state of mind for me, it’s a personality trait,” I sighed, hoping the darkness inside the truck hid the shame settling over me like sweat. “I’m not like your family, so easy, happy, sure of themselves. I worry that you need—”

I didn’t get to finish what I was saying since Rowan slammed on his brakes and pulled the truck over to the shoulder. Luckily, there was no one behind us.

His long, masculine fingers found my chin, tilting it so I was forced to meet those cerulean eyes.

His jaw was stiff, lips a thin line to communicate he was obviously pissed about something, but he was looking at me with a softness that counteracted that sharp jaw.

“You had to grow up fast,” he said. “Too fuckin’ fast. You had to shoulder shit that wasn’t yours to carry, turn into an adult and think about things that you shouldn’t have known existed.” He shook his head, as if in awe.

“I’ve watched you bear shit that most people would buckle under,” he continued. “And you handled it with such strength, I cannot believe you’re real. So, I’m gonna need you to stop sayin’ shit like that. Need you to stop questioning whether you’re worthy of me when it’s me who’s gonna spend the rest of my life earning the right to be worthy of you.”

Tears burned my eyes.

“Was gonna wait till we got home, but…” He leaned into the back seat, retrieving a small, velvet box from some hiding place.

My heart was hammering.

“It’s not a ring,” Rowan said when he saw the look on my face. “I’m planning on gettin’ you one of those, don’t get me wrong, but I have sisters. So, I know that presenting a woman with an engagement ring on Christmas Day and calling it her present is an act of war.”

His eyes twinkled as I pursed my lips to hide my smile.

Although his sisters might have been right in regard to other women, or maybe about me with another man, I wouldn’t have been mad at all if Rowan had given me the gift of forever with him on Christmas.