She wasn’t wrong. And her confidence in him made Chad feel good. Really good. “Good night, Mom,” he told her.

“Night,” she returned. Then headed down the hall toward her bedroom.

She turned at the last minute and said, “It’s days like today that remind me how important family is.

Thank you for being there for me today, Britt.

And Chad, thank you for coming to our rescue.

Raising kids is a crapshoot. You can do everything right and they might still turn out to be self-centered, nasty men or women.

But you and your brothers are incredible men.

I love you, and I’m extremely proud of you. ”

And with that, she stepped into her room and closed the door.

Chad swallowed hard. He knew his mom loved him and his brothers. Knew she was proud of them. But hearing the words felt amazing.

Britt looped her arm through his and tugged him toward the stairs.

After they’d settled into bed together, she propped her chin on her hand, which rested on his chest, and stared at him. “Talk to me,” she said quietly.

“About what?”

“About what’s going through your head. Today was hard for you. How are you doing?”

“I’m pissed. And proud. And relieved.”

She nodded. “Me too.”

“How do you feel about Mom’s offer? About the cabin, I mean.”

Britt’s gaze dropped. But this was too important a conversation for him not to be able to see her eyes as they talked. He put a finger under her chin and gently lifted her head so she was looking at him once more.

“For the record? I want to take her up on it. There’s nothing I’d like better than to move into that cabin with you.

To be able to make love to you whenever and wherever I want without worrying about my mother walking in on us.

I want our own space. Our own kitchen. I love my mom, though I wouldn’t mind some evenings with just us.

“But I’m willing to wait as long as it takes for you to be ready. I can move out there, and you can stay here. We can go on dates, continue to get to know each other. My feelings for you aren’t going to change, and the last thing I want is for you to do something you aren’t ready for.”

“Your mom really wants grandbabies.”

Chad blinked. That wasn’t what he’d expected her to say. “Yeah. She’s kind’ve obnoxious about it.”

“I love Lobster Cove. I love your mom. And your brothers. And Maine. It’s so darn beautiful here. Even with the ticks.”

Chad grimaced. When they’d gotten home, he’d come upstairs with Britt so she could shower, and he’d picked off her body at least a dozen of the bloodsuckers that she’d picked up from crawling out of the cabin and her flight through the woods.

“You know what I thought of when I was in the bed of that pickup, holding on for dear life so I wouldn’t get thrown out and smashed like a bug on the road?”

Okay, that wasn’t a pleasant thought. Chad pushed it down. “What?”

“The future. With you. Here. How we’d watch our kids running around Lobster Cove like heathens. Swinging on the lobster swing. Playing in Fort Bad Assery. You teaching them everything you know about cars. I kept those images in my head, and it helped me hold on a little longer.

“I want a future with you, Chad. I love you. There’s nothing I can think of that would be more perfect than living in the cabin with you, right here at Lobster Cove.

We can see your mom every day, make sure she’s okay.

And if she needs any kind of medical attention in the future, we can be here for her.

But I don’t want to rush you into anything either. ”

Chad rolled until Britt was under him. The love he felt for her was almost overwhelming. “Rush me,” he said firmly, echoing words she’d once said to him.

She smiled. “I think if your mom wants grandkids ... maybe we should do what we can to oblige her.”

He stared down at her, at a complete loss for words.

Her smile faded. “You told me to rush you,” she whispered almost accusatorily.

“How do you feel?”

“What?”

“How do you feel?” Chad repeated. “I know you’re probably sore. Do you hurt anywhere?”

“I don’t hurt anywhere. Yes, I’m sore. And tired, but I also feel wired, as if I could stay up another two days before finally needing to crash.”

“It’s the aftereffects of adrenaline.” Chad shifted so he was lying more next to her than on top of her, and he ran his hand from her collarbone down the middle of her chest, then slipped under the T-shirt she was wearing and back up to cup one of her breasts.

She inhaled and arched into his touch. “Yes,” she hissed. She reached up and wrapped her hand around the back of his head and pulled his mouth to hers.

The next ten minutes were both loving and frantic. Their clothes went flying, and Britt was more aggressive than she’d ever been, even as Chad attempted to be gentle. She wasn’t having it.

By the time Chad buried himself in her soaking-wet folds, she was whimpering with need. Their lovemaking was fast and hard, but he was still careful not to hurt her as he took her.

It didn’t take long for either of them to orgasm. She squeezed his cock harder than ever before as she exploded, which triggered his own release.

Coming deep inside her body was satisfying on a level Chad had never known. He hadn’t been able to consciously enjoy it last time, but he did now ... and the thought that they might have made a baby was exhilarating.

“So ... should I tell Mom we’re going to move into the cabin in the fall after this rental season is over?” Chad asked, pushing himself up to his elbows. He was still buried deep inside her body and didn’t want to move for fear his cock would slip out.

“Yes.”

“Then I have just one more question for you.”

“Yeah?”

“Are we going to get married before we give my mom a grandbaby, or do you want to wait?”

Tears immediately filled her eyes, but Chad could tell they were happy tears by the huge smile on her face.

“Was that a proposal?”

“Hell no. I’m going to get you a big-ass ring, take you down to the beach while my brothers and Mom are all watching from the deck of the main house, go down on one knee, and beg you to marry me.

It’s going to be a huge production. There might be boats in the cove all blowing their horns, a lobster dinner afterward, and a huge celebration with our family. ”

“I don’t need any of that. I just need you.”

“You have me,” Chad told her, feeling the words down to his soul. “I think you had me from that first day in the parking lot of that lumber store.”

“There’s a chance it could take a while for me to get pregnant.”

“Nope. I knocked you up tonight.”

Britt rolled her eyes. “You have no idea if the timing’s right or not.”

He shrugged. “My sperm’s determined. Yesterday and just now are the only two times it’s ever had a chance to do what it was made for ... to fertilize an egg. And I’ve always been an overachiever.”

Britt giggled, and his soft cock slid from between her folds.

“Damn,” he complained.

Britt took his face in her hands and licked her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Thank you for looking after my mom today. Thank you for being strong. Thank you for not giving up. For rescuing yourself. For doing what needed to be done to keep yourself and my mother safe.”

“You’re welcome,” she whispered.

“But never again. My heart can’t take anything like that happening to you a second time.”

“Deal.”

Chad moved to her side and pulled Britt into him.

Her head lay on his chest, and their legs were intertwined.

Nothing felt better than holding this woman in his arms. His life had changed so much in such a short period of time.

If someone had told him when he moved back to Maine that he’d find the woman he wanted to marry—and he’d be trying to impregnate her—all within a couple of months, he would’ve rolled his eyes and told them they were delusional.

And yet ... here he was. Happier than he’d ever been and looking forward to their future.

He turned his head to ask if Britt needed to get up to use the bathroom, or if she wanted him to get a washcloth so she could clean up, but her eyes were closed and she was already fast asleep.

Deciding not to disturb her—she needed to rest after the long, hard day—Chad tightened his arms around her and closed his own eyes.

He was sure the future wouldn’t be all sunshine and roses, but together—at least if today proved anything—they could face whatever obstacles life put in their path and come out stronger on the other side.