Page 92 of The Trouble with Runaway Brides

He blinks a few times, eyes wide. “You do?”

“Yep. Guess I’m not as smart as I thought because it took me way too long to figure it out.”

He grins.

“But what have you guys been doing lately? Why are you texting her late at night? The two of you at the diner?”

He laughs and clasps my shoulder. “I guess it’s time you find out.”

Then Easton stands and opens the office door for me. I walk through it, and he leads me down the event spaces, stops at the room Great-Grandma Dori had her ninetieth birthday party in, and opens the doors. There stands Kenzie in a white silk wedding gown—a different one than her first—holding a bouquet of flowers and standing at the end of the aisle under an archway decorated in lilies.

“What’s this?” I glance around the room.

My huge family has filled one side and is spilling over to the other side where her parents and friends are. Everyone turns to look at me, and I feel my cheeks heat. I walk down the aisle, nodding hello to my family and raising my eyebrows at my parents in the first row.

“What are you doing?” I whisper to Kenzie when I get to the front.

A man steps out and stands between us.

“Marry me,” she says, just like that.

I stand there for a second, making sense of it all, looking around the room that isn’t anything like the wedding she’s dreamed of having.

“Lance?” she softly says, holding my chin and directing my attention back to her.

This is it. This is the moment.

I push my hand into my pocket and fall to my knee, holding the ring out to her. Everyone gasps.

“Kenzie Gavino, you are my one true love. I am nothing without you by my side, and I am not letting you get away again. Will you please make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”

Brinley rises from her chair and snags Kenzie’s bouquet.

Kenzie smiles a teary smile down at me. “Of course, but I want it on record that I asked first.” She holds out her left hand. I slide the ring onto it and rise to my feet. “I love it. Did you know?”

I laugh. “Not at all.” I turn around toward our guests with my hand on hers. “Hate to break it to you all, but there will be no wedding today.”

Kenzie gasps. “Why not?”

“Because.” I turn back to her. “My bride deserves the wedding she really wants, with the flowers she loves and lemon cake, but most of all, in nice weather outside by the lake. No one deserves to have their dream wedding more than you, and I’m going to make those dreams come true.”

She shakes her head and places her hand on my cheek. “I don’t care about any of that. I just want to be married to you.”

“We can wait a few more months.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.”

She kisses me and I pull her into me.

After we’re done, I announce, “Welcome to our engagement party!”

Everyone cheers and rushes up to give us their congratulations.

By the time we get home, I’m so filled with joy and hope for the future that I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.

Kenzie changes out of the wedding dress and into her pajamas before lying on the bed. “Just so you know, planning a wedding with Easton isn’t nearly as fun as with you. He told Amy at the Twisted Stem lilies when I told him calla lilies. And he didn’t fight with me on the cake and tried to bring a cake topper that had two white people on it.” She shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

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