Tracey grabbed her heels and flew out the front door, holding on to the porch railing as she put them on. Diesel whistled, stalking toward her on the slate path between the gardens her mother and sisters had helped her plant last weekend.

He reached for her hand as she came off the last step. “Baby girl, you are too gorgeous for words. But something is missing.”

She looked down at her blue dress, which she’d bought to match his tie, and the high heels that brought her a little closer to his lips. “What did I—”

Diesel slid a gorgeous ring on her left ring finger. “There. Now we can go.”

It was all she could do to stare at the blue diamond surrounded by a flower-petal design of white diamonds and two gold twisted vines around a slim diamond band. She blinked up at him with damp eyes, dumbfounded. “Diesel…?”

“What? You don’t like it?”

Tears slid down her cheeks. “I love it. I love you, and our home, and our yard. I love our life. But is this…? Are you…?”

“Shit. I forgot you like to be asked.” He cleared his throat, his love wrapping around her like an embrace as he got down on one knee, holding her hand in his. “Baby girl, everything about you, about us, was unexpected, and not a minute goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars that out of all the men in the world, you chose me. You are the peace I never knew I was missing. We’ve got roots, sparky, but I want more. I want you to have a fancy white wedding with all the trimmings, and one day I want to have tough little boys who growl and adorable little girls who give them hell for it. I want to listen to you playing our song on the guitar until we’re old and gray and to think back on the memories we’ve made and the incredible life we’ve had.”

He must have been saving up all his words for this very moment. More tears spilled down her cheeks.

He rose to his feet, his loving eyes holding hers. “Tracey, my love, my life, my everything, will you be mine forever? Marry me, take my name, and fill our house with more happiness than we could ever hope for.”

“Yes!” bubbled out with more tears, and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He spun her around as they laughed and kissed. “We’re getting married!”

“Damn right we are.”

He set her on her feet, gazing deeply into her eyes. “I love you, sweet thing. Now get your fine ass in that truck before I carry you back inside and tear that pretty dress off.”

She giggled and couldn’t help teasing him. “You know a girl likes to be asked to get into a truck, not told.”