Don't Lie to Me (38 page)
Authors: Stacey Lynn
“Daddy Jack has a present for you and he wanted me to give it to you.” A tear escaped my eyes, like it usually did at Logan’s new name for Jack. Marcus was dad, and Jack was daddy Jack. It was perfect.
Shock filled my eyes and I turned back to Jack slowly. He moved me, sitting me up against the headboard on our bed, making sure I stayed covered. My arms wrapped around the sheet on my chest as Jack moved and straddled my hips. His eyes turned serious as he reached over to the pillow, extracting the gift and holding it up to me. My eyes followed his every movement and my heart stopped.
This couldn’t be happening. Already? Did Macy know this was going to happen? Is that why she made that statement yesterday? Did my parents know? I couldn’t imagine Jack asking my dad for permission to marry his daughter, but at the same time, I wouldn’t put it past him to show my dad that respect either.
I breathed out slowly, my eyes flickering between Logan and Jack. My two men. Oh my god, this was really happening.
“Tap it down, babe,” Jack whispered softly, with a grin on his face.
I laughed, beside myself. I couldn’t believe this.
He held up the sparkling ring in between us and his smile fell, his expression turning serious and pensive. My jaw dropped. The only thing I could see were his brown eyes, boring into mine, and a massive amount of sparkling diamonds. An emerald cut diamond sat high and proud in the middle, larger than any diamond I had ever seen, all around the band were more emerald shaped diamonds, set down into the band, and the sides were filled with round cut diamonds. Diamonds. Everywhere.
All the blood drained from my head. If I had been standing, I might have passed out.
Jack cleared his throat. My eyes flew back to him and away from the offensive amount of sparkling ice he held in between his thumb and forefinger. He smirked, seeing the shock written all over my face.
“I’ve loved you for years, Emma, I just didn’t know it. You are my strength, and you and Logan fill my heart with an amount of joy and love I never knew possible before you walked into my life almost six years ago. You have given me a second chance at showing you how much I love you, and I want to make sure you know every day, for the rest of our lives, how much you mean to me. Marry me.”
I choked down a laugh at his command. He wasn’t even asking, just demanding.
Tears fell down my face and a smile erupted. My entire body flooded with goose bumps in the happiest kind of way. I turned to Logan who smiled.
“Say yes, mom!” He dropped his pillow and clapped his hands together, cheering me on, with pure exaltation.
I ruffled his hair and turned back to Jack. His eyes held a tiny amount of humor and nervousness.
“Of course I’ll marry you,” I whispered, barely able to get the words out as the tears fell down my cheeks. He brushed them away before sliding the ring on my finger. I thought he was going to lean in to kiss me, but at the last second, his arms reached over and he pulled Logan onto our bed, placing him in the middle of us and wrapped both of his arms around us.
Loving us, protecting us. If it was possible for a heart to burst with love and admiration for someone else, mine would have exploded on the spot.
He leaned forward, pressed a kiss on Logan’s forehead before moving to me and pressing his lips against mine. It was a chaste kiss, given our company, but when he pulled back and leaned his forehead against mine, I saw Jack’s own eyes glistening with tears.
“I will love you, always, and I will never hurt you or push you away again.”
I swallowed slowly. It was a promise he had made to me every day for the last four months since we got back together, and it meant just as much hearing it for the hundredth time as it did the first.
“I know,” I whispered and leaned up so I could give him a kiss. “I love you too.”
“Always?”
I nodded and glanced down at the ring on my finger before turning my eyes back to his. “Always.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stacey Lynn lives in Minnesota with her husband and four young children. She spends her day taking care of the kids and loving her family. At night she's curled up with a book and a blanket, or her laptop, writing down all the stories she hears in her head.
For more information about Stacey Lynn and her upcoming books visit:
THANK YOU
I had an absolute blast writing this book, and it wouldn’t have been able to be accomplished with the help of so many people, cheering me on, and a few gin and tonics along the way.
To my husband. Your male insight was invaluable. Thank you for taking the time to read yet another one of my books and to offer your helpful advice along the way. For my kids, who will NEVER EVER be allowed to read this….there is nothing you could ever say or do that would ever make me stop loving you. All four of you own my heart.
To my parents. Your support of all of my crazy endeavors has always been encouraging. Thank you for supporting my dreams and helping me reach them. Please…do NOT read this book. Especially you, dad.
To Brooke McHose, Natalie Gerber, and Amanda Halverson. Thank you all for beta reading Don’t Lie to Me and for giving me your support, for helping me with the plot and for cheering me on! I owe you all huge hugs, and more.
To Autumn with The Autumn Review. Thank you doesn’t seem big enough for all the help you’ve given me and this book. I truly appreciate all the time and effort you put into helping this book better.
Kim Person with Shh Mom’s Reading. You’ve said a hundred times that you need to learn to say ‘no,’ but personally, I’m so glad you said ‘yes’ to me. Thank you for organizing my cover reveal and my blog tour! You are an amazing woman and this book wouldn’t be in the hands of so many readers without your help.
To all the blogs who participated in the cover reveal and blog tour, I can’t thank you enough for taking a chance on this new author. You are all amazing!
To you – the reader. Every note, review, message, or Facebook post I receive makes me smile and cry happy tears. So many of you supported me with my first book and I have been overwhelmed, daily, by the amount of messages I have received. Your words and excitement for reading and enjoying the characters in my head that won’t stop talking make all the sleepless nights and hair pulling days absolutely worth it! Thank you for reading and reviewing this indie author’s books!
To my Father in Heaven. I’m so thankful that you love a wreck like me and that your mercy and grace is new every morning.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents