Maybe they were starting their life together completely backward—putting the cart before the horse, as some would say. However, as Dominic kissed a line down her neck, whispering words of love and desire, Gwen had to believe that some of the best-laid plans were the ones that were—well, not planned at all.

Epilogue

It had taken Dominic exactly a month to wear her down and convince her to move in with him. Then it took him another couple of months after that to propose to her.

Even though she’d been expecting it, Gwen could still remember how surprised she’d been when he asked her to marry him. They had invited both of their families up to Myrtle Beach for Thanksgiving. She had wanted to wait until she was through her first trimester before telling everyone about the pregnancy. Of course, that had proved to be impossible. Dominic had practically been bursting at the seams to tell his family and there was no way that she could keep the news from Wendy. And most of Dominic’s friends already knew, so in the end, they’d gone ahead and shared the news, trusting that all would be well.

Wendy had been thrilled, and her mom and dad, although more than a little surprised, seemed happy for her as well. Dominic’s family had been over the moon. His sister, Meredith, had been back to visit several times. She was desperately hoping for a girl in the family since she had two boys. She claimed all the testosterone was giving her hives and the women needed to level the playing field in the Brady family.

Their apartment had been beyond full with both families. They had just sat down to Thanksgiving dinner when Dominic stood. Gwen was surprised that he’d decided to give the holiday thanks and prayer, when suddenly he was on his knee and pulling her chair away from the table. Truthfully, she’d heard nothing but white noise for the first few seconds until he popped open a jewelry box and a breathtaking, princess-cut emerald and diamond ring winked at her. Finally, his words started penetrating the shocked bubble that had surrounded her. “Our love has been unique, unexpected, and amazingly beautiful—just as you are. Baby, almost any ring would pale in comparison to you, so I tried to find the one that I thought would be a perfect fit, just as you are for me.” Smiling to herself at the memory, Gwen admitted that he’d been right that night four months ago when he’d confidently told her that she’d scream yes, because she had—and then she had again later . . . when they were alone. A fact he had pointed out to her with much smug glee.

They had also had their first ultrasound the previous day. The doctor had wanted to do it earlier than usual due to the spotting she’d had before her pregnancy had been confirmed. They were relieved to find out that everything was fine and she was measuring exactly where she should be. It had been emotional for them both. And whoever said that tough, military men didn’t cry, was wrong. Tears had trickled down Dominic’s face as they’d seen their little bean’s heartbeat flicking on the screen and his or her little hands and feet kicking and moving. It was still too early to know the sex, but Dominic was sure it was a boy. He swore he saw a penis on the screen although the doctor had assured him it was actually an arm. So, the jury was still out on that. Gwen secretly thought it was a boy, as well. It was just hard to imagine a macho man like her fiancé not having the dominant Y chromosome in his child. She knew that secretly, though, a little girl would own him; he’d never stand a chance.

“Ready, baby?” Dominic pulled her from her musings as he rubbed her stomach tenderly before dropping a kiss on her upturned lips. She was just beginning to get a very tiny baby bump, and he couldn’t keep his hands off it.

She had been resting as he’d insisted. Maddy was in her first school play, and they were meeting Gage, Shannon, and Megan at school to see it. Yawning as she stood from the chair she’d been curled up in, she answered, “I’m ready, babe.” He put a protective arm around her shoulders and led her out of the apartment. He had been pushing her to look at houses, but for now, she wanted to stay where she was comfortable. Frankly, she was just too tired at this point to tackle the big task of moving.

“Thank God they didn’t give Maddy a speaking part in this play, right?” he joked as they found a parking space at the school. “I can only imagine how epic that would be.”

Gwen laughed, agreeing. “I know. Poor Shannon would be terrified. I think the girls are even worse with Gage practically living there. You know, it seems that we were all wrong about him,” she admitted. “He is crazy about Shannon and a natural with the girls. I’ve never seen her happier than she is now.”

“Yeah.” Dominic nodded as they walked through the entrance to the auditorium. “I’m still surprised by that. The guy talks about her nonstop. He’s the last person I would have ever imagined in a serious relationship, much less with kids involved. He’s still a goof, but Shannon has grounded him. I don’t know, despite all his joking around, he always seemed like he was kind of lost. I thought it was because he never had much of a relationship with his family.”

“Maybe he was just waiting for her,” Gwen suggested softly as she curled her arm around Dominic’s waist.

“Maybe he was, baby,” Dominic agreed, looking at her with so much love in his eyes that she knew they were no longer talking about Gage.

Before she could reply, Shannon came rushing up. “Hey guys! We saved you a couple of seats beside us. Oh, my God, you aren’t going to believe it, but my brother Mason brought his boyfriend, Cash! I thought my father was going to swallow his tongue! My mother gave him a few digs in the side, and he actually stood up and shook Cash’s hand and was passably friendly. I left Megan to keep them distracted.”