Page 69 of Taking What Was His

She followed Roman in her car.

“Mom.”

She reached over and grabbed his hand. “What?”

“Do you love Roman?”

Beth exhaled. “Yes, I do—more and more every day. How do you feel about that?”

“I want him to be a part of the family. I want him to be my stepdad.”

She glanced at him in pure shock. “Really?”

“Yeah. You two are perfect for each other, and I love how he treats us both. He’s not going to try to be my father, but he’ll be a great male influence in my life.”

“Rick will always be your dad, baby. We talked about marriage, but I thought it was too soon. I wanted you to get used to the idea.”

“It seems to me, you’re the one dragging your feet. Roman and I are ready to make it happen.”

She glanced at him. “He talked to you?”

Jayden shook his head. “No, all I have to do is look at him. His eyes follow you everywhere, and even I can see how much he loves you.”

She grinned at her son. “You want to know his idea?”

“Yeah.”

“He wants the three of us to fly to Vegas. He wants you to be his best man.”

“Really?”

Beth could tell that it made her son emotional when he blinked several times.

“What do you think about that?”

Jayden hooted. “I say, yes. When do we go?”

She chuckled. “We’ll have to talk about it together.”

“Cool. Will his family get mad about you eloping?”

“I’m not sure. It will be a good question to ask him. I don’t want a wedding, though.”

“We’ll make it work,” Jayden said confidently.

“Have I told you lately how proud I am of you?”

He rolled his eyes and grinned. “You say it all the time.”

“Well, I am. You are, and will always be, my first priority.”

“Do you know what I want for Christmas?”

She snorted. “That’s a few months away ... you might change your mind.”

“Not about this, I won’t. I want siblings.”

She sputtered and laughed. “Seriously?”