Fourteen months later…
"Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask Eve as we drop the boys off at her house.
"Oh, please. We got this. It's not like it's the first time we're watching them."
"I know but they are way more active now. You can't take your eyes off of them." As soon as the words leave my lips, I hear a high-pitched scream and turn to see Jude trying to chase Cy and Eve's Samoyed puppy around the living room. The white ball of fluff runs with lightning speed, but his little feet slide on the hardwood floor. Holland pops out from behind the couch and startles the poor thing. It takes off in the opposite direction. Cy comes running from the kitchen to chase all three of them as Parker laughs by my side.
"Best of luck, Eve. You're going to need it," he says chuckling.
She swats his arm. "Get out of here, you two. Go on your date. Have some kid-free fun."
We walk to the Rover and get inside. There are Cheerios on the floor in the back and sippy cups in the cup holders on their car seats. Parker's Range Rover is no longer as spotless as it used to be. In every corner of the front and back seats are reminders of the two boys who rule our lives.
Taking my hand, Parker drives us down the winding driveway. At the bottom, he stops and hands me a blindfold.
"What's this for?" I ask.
"I want it to be a surprise." He refuses to tell me where we’re going. All he would say is that I didn't need to dress up.
I slip the blindfold over my eyes. "If you're going to fuck me, you better make it good. You know I like to look into your eyes."
He laughs. "I'm not. Yet anyway. I think I'll bring the blindfold inside with us when we get home, however. All kinds of things are going through my head with how I can drive you wild not being able to see me." I sigh loudly, and he laughs. "We'll be there soon," he says. "You won't have to wear it for long."
Every twist and turn in the road has me tracking it in my mind, but I can’t keep up. I have no idea where we’re going. It's not long before Parker comes to a stop and shuts off the engine. He walks to my side and helps me out, while I leave the blindfold on. With his hand holding mine, I follow him, hoping not to trip as he leads me forward, stopping when he opens what sounds like a chain-link door. The kind you'd find on the outside of a tennis court.
After taking a few more steps, he stops us. "Take off the blindfold."
I lift it from my eyes and gasp in surprise. I turn to take it all in, reveling in the beauty of it all. We're on the basketball court where we first met, only it doesn't resemble what it once was. The chain-link high walls that surround it hold a thousand tiny white lights. In the center of the court is a big, white spray painted heart with AL + PM 4 Ever written in it. Rose petals are scattered around the heart and throughout the court. Then my eyes land on Parker as he kneels before me with a closed, black box in his hand.
"Tora, from the first moment I saw you, I knew you were special. You captivated me with your smile, and every day after I fell more in love with you. Our journey hasn't been easy, but every step we took brought us to where we are now. You’re more than the mother of my sons. You’re my best friend. My one true love. The person I want to grow old with. Astoria Livingston, will you marry me?"
He opens the box and reveals a large, square diamond, surrounded by smaller diamonds that continue part way around the band of the ring. It's stunning.
A tear slips down my cheek. "Yes."
He stands and shakily slips the ring onto my finger then smiles down at me for a moment before kissing me sweetly. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I take a moment to let the proposal settle over me. Parker’s words, what he did to the basketball court, the ring which now adorns my finger. I press a kiss to his lips, which quickly turns passionate. His arms slip around my back. He palms my ass, pressing me against his hardening length.
I moan, kissing him rougher for a moment before leaning back to stare into his eyes. "Should we take this back home? Celebrate in a very quiet, empty house?”
He kisses me again and murmurs against my lips. "I don't know if I can make it that long."
A thought dawns on us at the same time. "Rover,” we say in unison.
No matter how many times we're together, or what happens in our lives, one thing remains the same—the flame that burns between us doesn’t die down, and I hope it never will.