Page 139 of The Vet's Unconditional Love
She held it close to her chest."What is it?"
"It's…" He blew out a sigh."This all seemed like such a good idea, but now I don't know…"
He relaxed when she smiled and said, "I'd love to help you out, but I won't know either until you tell me."
He chuckled."It's a Mama Bear."
"Oh."She looked down at it."Emmett..."
"It means… something.It means a lot.It means everything."He met her gaze."Put it this way, I think you know the tradition the guys have, of all going together to buy a ring."
"Yeah, I've heard about that."
He looked down at the bear before meeting her gaze again."Well, they all came to Bozeman with me to buy that bear."
She hugged it closer to her, and her eyes filled with tears as she said, "Oh, Emmett."
"A ring didn't seem right.And besides, I don't know yet if you might even consider marrying me someday.But this—" he pointed to the bear "—it feels right.It's what the girls have called you.And it's what you've become in our lives."
She stepped closer and curled one arm around his neck."It's the most wonderful gift anyone's ever given me, Emmett," she said before she kissed him.
When they finally came up for air, he rested his forehead against hers."It's not just a gift of a bear, you know."
"I know.The bear's lovely, but the gift that it represents is what means the world to me."
He looked up at the truck."Want to try this again, then?Do you want to get in, and I'll take you home with me?"
"I'd love that."
"And I love you," he said before he kissed her one more time.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
When they arrived back at the house, Harper clung to the bear while Emmett led her inside.Once they were in the kitchen, he took it from her hands and set it down on the counter.
"I love the bear, Emmett.That was such a lovely thing to do—to come and surprise me like that."
"I shouldn't have told the others to pretend they'd left, though—I was thinking about having you to myself, not about how you'd feel if you thought you'd been abandoned."
"I know.And don't apologize.It did hit me hard for a moment, but then you were there."She rested her hands on his shoulders and pressed a kiss to his lips."In the past, whenever I thought I was all alone in the world, I was right.This time, with you, I wasn't."
"And not just this time.From now on, Harper.You're not on your own anymore.You have me, and you have the girls."He turned to look at the bear and smiled."We want to be a family with you—we want you to be our Mama Bear."
"Proposal accepted."She bit down on her lip when she realized what she'd said."I mean, I know it wasn't a proposal…"
Emmett took hold of her hands."It kind of was, though, in a roundabout way.But what I'm proposing is more than just marriage—it's family.I'm asking if you want to become part of ours—the heart of it."
"Oh, Emmett, yes.There's nothing I want more."
"Then welcome home, Mama Bear."
He closed his arms around her, and she melted against him, running her fingers up the back of his neck and through his hair.He shuddered, and she leaned back to look into his eyes.
"Are you all right?"
He grinned."As a matter of fact, no.I have a problem, and you're both the cause of it and the only one who can help me with it."
She raised her eyebrows, and he caught her hand and placed it over the front of his jeans.He was hard, and she could feel the heat even through the denim.
