False Start (Red Zone Rivals, #5)

by Kandi Steiner

“You’re my nutcase,”

“Holy shit. I’m going to be a dad.”

“You already are.”

“Say that again, and I’m going to put two babies in you.”

The life that was stolen from us would never be ours to hold again. But we did hold the power to build a new one.

“I mean, let’s be honest… it is all a bit crazy.”

“All the best love stories are.”

I would have given up my entire career if I could switch places with her, if I could take the nausea and headaches and exhaustion that had taken over her entire life.

“How much do you love me?”

“What do you want?”

“Macaroni and ...

“Baby, I’m about to make you the best fucking mac and che...

“Getting wet for me as a dad already?”

“Don’t act like I haven’t always been wet for you.”

I came with her name on my lips and a desperate, primal wish in my heart. That she would be safe and healthy. That Sebastian and our baby girl would be, too.

“But one thing I do know is that you are the most incredible woman I have ever met in my life, Madelyn.” His blue eyes held mine steady. “What you did today, what you do for this family every day…” He shook his head. “You’re amazing. And I love you. And I’m so thankful for you, I want to write a fucking poem or something.”

“Everything happened so fast for us. We never really even got one real, traditional date. Granted, nothing has ever been traditional with us — and you know what, I love that. I fucking love that our story is ours and ours alone.

“I will be the best man I can be for you,” I whispered to my sleeping fiancée. “And for you and your brother, too,”

Raven Isabel Robbins

Watching you give birth…” Kyle shook his head. “I’ll never forget that experience, Mads. I didn’t think it was possible to love you more, but fuck, I was wrong.”

“You’re a mess,”

“You make me this way.”

“Madelyn, finding the right words to tell you how much you mean to me, to promise everything I want to promise you… well, it has proved impossible. We

all know you’re the writer. I had no doubts you would put my vows to shame,” he said as the crowd chuckled. “But I happen to know you better than anyone else in the world. And because of that, I know that for you, it’s the simple things that matter most.

“I know you love Earl Grey tea when you’re tired or feeling down. I know the exact amount of ice to put in your water before placing it on your nightstand each night. I know when I make chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese for the kids, that I have to make a separate batch of mac just for you — and load it up with extra cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chives.”

Bro I’m crying omg

“You light me up with the fire to live the life I was always too afraid to live before. You make me feel brave. You make me feel limitless. And truthfully, I know there’s nothing in this world that you and I could ever face that would hold us down. I know we can survive and thrive through any test.

“From this moment and until my last breath, I vow to love you, Madelyn James soon-to-be-Robbins.” He smiled at that, squeezing my hand as the crowd sniffed and chuckled. “I vow to be the husband you deserve, the father I never had, and the friend you’ve always been to me. Because though our love is powerful and unending, it’s our friendship that has always been our lifeline, the roots that hold our foundation strong.”

“I love you. And I will keep loving you until I am taken from this Earth, and long after I am gone, too. Always. That’s how long you have me. Forever. That’s how long I want you. Infinite, Madelyn — that’s what we are.”

SOBBINGGGGG