19. Zack

ZACK

I sitout on the deck of our vacation rental, looking out on the water as the sun rises. It"s early, and everyone else is still asleep. I couldn"t sleep, so I slipped out here as quietly as I could, not wanting to wake anyone.

I sip a cup of coffee as I watch the sky change color, getting brighter and brighter as the sun rises over the horizon. Life"s been crazy the past year. I fully recovered from my injury but missed getting to play again when we were eliminated from the playoffs. Had we made it to the next series, I"d have been cleared, but that just made me even more determined to come back the next season. We played our asses off but fell short once again, this time in the conference finals. We were one step away from making the finals, but it just wasn"t in the cards for us this season.

"Mornin"," Ryan says as he comes out on the deck and joins me. He blows on the cup of coffee in his hand.

"Mornin"." I give him a head lift in greeting. "What has you up so early?"

"The good ole internal alarm clock." He chuckles. "It"s a bitch when on vacation. What"s the plan for today?"

I look behind us to make sure no one else is awake and coming out to join us. "Lazy morning, then Allison will be taking Courtney to the spa for their pampering day. She did a great job convincing her they should go this afternoon before we go out to dinner," I tell him. It was all part of my plan to spoil her before tonight. "I have things all planned out. A photographer is booked to capture the entire thing on camera. The company I booked to set up the proposal on the beach will be here once the girls are gone, so she won"t see anything until she gets back. Then, as the sun sets, I"ll drop to one knee." I go over the plans with him.

"Sounds like the perfect plan. Happy for you, brother. Thanks for making my sister so happy."

"I"m the lucky one," I tell him and truly feel that way.

"Morning," Courtney greets us as she joins us. "You two are up early." I pat my lap for her to come sit on. She comes over and curls up with me on the lounge chair. I push her hair out of the way and press a kiss to her temple.

"Morning, baby. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, until I woke up and you were gone."

Ryan groans from his seat. "My eyes," he complains, but we all know he"s just giving us shit and doesn"t really mean it.

"Zip it," Courtney tells him. "You are the same way with Allison, so you"ve got no room to talk."

"But she isn"t Zack"s sister." He chuckles.

"Potato, potahto," she says, and I just know she"s rolling her eyes at him.

"Now, now, children. Do I need to send you both to your rooms?"

"Only if you come with me," Courtney whispers into my ear. My cock swells at the thought of taking her back to bed, but not with everyone waking up. That will have to wait until tonight when I can make love to her for the first time as my fiancée.

"Mom, can we have breakfast?" Jax sticks his head out the door and asks.

"Yep," she tells him and hops off my lap. Ryan and I stay outside for a little while longer, only heading inside when the smells from breakfast start to waft out to us.

"Damn, sweetheart," I say to Courtney when I find her in the kitchen. She"s flipping pancakes and has a plate filled with sausage, bacon, and hash browns. It"s a full feast this morning. "I didn"t realize you were going all out today."

"Just felt like something more than bagels or cereal." She gives me a quick kiss before turning back to the stove and flipping the pancakes. I grab a plate and fill it with the potatoes, sausage, and a couple of strips of bacon. I wait until the kids have each gotten a few pancakes before I take a few and head back outside to eat. Once she"s done cooking, Courtney joins me out on the deck. The sun is fully up now, as is everyone in the house.

"What"s the plan for today?" I ask.

"I think just hang out on the beach until Allison and I head out. The bigger question is, what are you boys going to do while the women are gone?" she asks.

"I"m sure we can find some kind of trouble to get into," Ryan says.

"Why doesn"t that surprise me?" she asks.

"I was thinking of maybe renting some Jet Skis and going out in the water for a few hours," I tell her. That"s what we"re doing tomorrow. She just doesn"t know it.

"That sounds like fun. I"m sure the boys will be ecstatic."

We hang out for the next few hours. The boys take a football down to the beach, and we all toss it around, which ends in a game of tag on the sand. Today is turning out to be the best day, and I can"t wait for the rest of it to unfold.

"Okay,girls are gone, let"s get to work!" I say to everyone.

"When will the rental company be here?" Ryan asks just as the doorbell rings. "Guess that answers that."

I head for the front door and greet the company here to set up everything for my romantic proposal on the beach tonight.

While they are setting up the arch that is draped with flowers with a neon sign that hangs in the center that reads Will You Marry Me?, the boys help me by putting out the solar lights to make a walkway from the back deck to the archway. I want it perfect, and they do a great job placing them every foot or so, creating a walkway between the two areas. "Looks great!" I tell them.

In front of the arch, they place a blanket and spread out a bunch of battery-operated candles to help light the area after the sun sets. The plan is for me to text Ryan when we finish with dinner, and they will make sure everything is turned on and ready for when we get back.

Once I"m satisfied that everything is perfect, I head inside to get dressed for the night out. I grab Courtney"s outfit and take it with me to the salon that her and Allison are at. She"s a little confused when I show up, but I convince her to come with me. I take her to another salon that does her hair and makeup, then allows her to get changed in one of their private treatment rooms.

When she walks out of the room, dressed, with her hair and makeup perfect, she steals my breath away. "Come here, beautiful," I say as I hold my hand out for her to take. She links her fingers with mine as I pull her into me.

"I feel like a princess," she says before I kiss her. I don"t want to mess up her makeup, so I don"t deepen it like my body screams at me to do.

"I hope you feel like a queen by the end of the night. My queen," I tell her before whisking her away to the fancy steakhouse I got us reservations at.

"This has all been so much today," Courtney says once we"re seated at the restaurant.

"I wanted it to be special and for you to feel pampered," I tell her.

"Well, you"ve accomplished your goal. It"s been one of the best days ever."

If she only knew what was to come.

Dinner was amazing,even if I didn"t really taste much of the food. I just wanted to get us back to the beach house and Courtney down to the water so I could pop the question.

We pull into the driveway, and I shut off the engine. "Will you take a walk with me down by the water? We can watch the sunset."

"Of course," Courtney agrees. I lean over the center console and press a kiss to her lips.

"Stay there. I"ll come get your door."

I hop out of the rental and go around to the passenger side, opening the door, then assisting Courtney out of her seat. I had the fleeting thought to blindfold her, but I decided against it due to the steps down to the beach.

We walk side by side, fingers linked together as I lead us around the side of the house and down the steps. Courtney leans her head against my shoulder as we walk. "This is probably the most romantic date we"ve had," she muses. She"ll soon find out just how romantic it will end.

We round the back of the house, and the gasp that leaves her tells me she sees what we"ve set up.

"Don"t cry, beautiful," I tell her as I take her cheeks in my hands. I press a chaste kiss to her lips, then pull back. "Come with me?" I ask.

"I"d go with you anywhere." She smiles up at me, tears brimming along her lashes. I lead her to the pathway that is all lit up with the lights. The battery-operated candles have all been turned on, as has the lit sign in the archway. "I can"t believe you did all this," she says and looks around.

We make it to the archway, and I turn us so we"re facing one another. I take her hands in mine, giving them a little squeeze as I suck in a deep breath and center myself so I don"t fuck this up.

"Courtney." I say her name, then have to pause so I can clear my throat before continuing. "We"ve known each other for the majority of our lives. Little did I realize all those years ago you"d be the one I couldn"t wait to come home to. The one I was meant to spoil and make my queen. You"ve brought so much love to my life. The way you stepped in when I needed you the most, the way you let me be the support you needed in your times of need showed me the man I need to be for you. You are the last thought in my mind before I fall asleep at night and the first thought when I wake up each morning. You are the one I want to go to first with the good and bad. You are my person, my love," I tell her as tears stream down her face.

I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring box I slipped into it when I got out of the car before coming down to the beach. I drop to one knee and open the ring box.

"Courtney Nicole Stevens, will you marry me?" I ask, and tears threaten to fall from my own eyes as I wait for her answer.

"Yes!" she cries out as her arms wrap around my neck. I wrap her up in my arms, standing and taking her with me. "I love you so much," she tells me before crashing her lips to mine.

"I love you, too, my queen." I set her back on her feet so I can take the ring out of the box and slip it on her finger. "Perfect fit," I say before kissing her fingers.

We hear cheering coming from the balcony of the house and turn to find Ryan, Allison, Jax, and Sawyer all up there cheering for us. "Look over there, baby," I whisper into her ear, pointing out the photographer.

"You got it all on camera?" she asks, astonished.

"Not only pictures, but video, as well."

"You really did think of everything," she says before kissing me again.

"You can thank Allison for the video and professional photographer. I was just going to ask her to take pictures, but she said a pro should do it. She did the research and found people for me."

"Thank you. This was more than I could have ever dreamed of in a proposal. You"ve set the bar high, fiancé."

"When can I make you my wife?" I quirk a brow.

Courtney laughs. "Can we enjoy being engaged for a little bit? I need to get used to it for at least a day or two before I even start thinking about setting a date. But I promise I won"t make you wait long. I can"t wait to be your wife."

"Before the end of the year?" I ask, hopeful.

"No promises, but we can look at the calendar once we"re back home."

The photographer comes over, out of where she"s been hidden from view. "How about a few posed pictures?" she asks. "I"m Caitlin, by the way. It"s so nice to meet you."

"Yes, please. And nice to meet you. Thank you for being here today," Courtney tells her.

"My pleasure. Now, can I get the two of you facing one another, put your foreheads together and look into one another"s eyes, then bring your hands out to show off that amazing ring."

We do as Caitlin says, moving from pose to pose as she gets all the shots.

"Alright, you two, I think I"ve gotten all the poses I can think of with just the two of you. Did you want any with the boys?"

"I"d love that!" Courtney tells her.

"I didn"t even think to have them get dressed nicely," I tell her.

"That doesn"t matter to me. I just want a nice family photo to put on the mantel."

"Hey, boys," I call up to the house, "you"re wanted down here."

When they come down, they are dressed in coordinating short-sleeve button-up shirts and shorts.

"I figured you guys would want some family pictures, so I made sure the boys coordinated," Allison says.

"You really thought of everything. Thank you so much!" Courtney says, pulling Allison into a hug.

We get more pictures with the boys, some of just Courtney with Jax, and me with Sawyer. Once done, it is finally time to pop open the champagne and celebrate our forever.