Page 90 of Savannah Sweethearts

“Perfect. Make sure he signs that contract, though.” She blew me a kiss right as her phone rang. She winked as she answered and I turned from her doorway.

I made up a fake email address and emailed the ‘details’ to myself, which I then forwarded on to Amaya’s email. Within minutes, she had emailed my fake account with a slew of questions, again with the reminder to sign the contract. Her mind for business was incredibly sexy.

By the end of the day I had hopefully told her everything she needed to know to set up for her own proposal in the garden of The Promenade – complete with candles, a petal-lined walkway, and even a rented horse that would look like a unicorn. Because she deserved the most magical evening I could give her.

Amaya

The unicorn was a bit much, but the handler assured me it would be fine and he would clean up after the animal if it created a mess in the garden. While it was a little outlandish, the horse had been covered with sparkles and the horn mounted on his head was beautiful. It did look magical. This young lady should be quite impressed with everything her guy had arranged.

I checked the petals on the walkway and set the hired photographer up behind a large topiary to be out of the way when he captured the magical moment. The guy, someone Orlando seemed to know named Oliver, had asked a lot of questions and gone with most of my suggestions. The unicorn, though, that was all him. And a nice touch, if I did say so myself.

Orlando met me in the hall. “If you will wait at the front for the guests of honor, I’ll light the candles.” He pulled a lighter from his pocket.

He was so cute, and I loved how involved he was becoming with the events. “Actually, you don’t need to. They’re all battery operated candles. That way they’re not a fire hazard and they won’t burn out.”

The lighter was returned to his pocket. “Smart thinking.” He licked his lips and shifted his eyes to the side. “Um, oh, I forgot something Oliver had wanted. I’ll meet you out front.” Quick as a fox, he took off down the hall and turned into his office.

I went to the front door to wait for the couple. He had said they would arrive together, with her thinking they were having a private dinner. If I had been told that, I would have been suspicious of a proposal. And then disappointed that there wasn’t food. I had offered a private meal to him, but he had declined, saying their family would be waiting at a local bistro.

After nearly ten minutes, I checked my phone. It was after six and no sign of a car. I texted Orlando to see if he had heard anything.

Orlando: I haven’t. They probably hit traffic.

Amaya: Right. Okay.

My senses were tingling. The air felt charged and I could tell something was about to happen. My heart sped up and I could feel little droplets of perspiration spring up on my neck. What was going on?

Footsteps behind me caused me to startle. Orlando came out from the shadow of the columns. “Nothing yet?”

“No,” I said, craning my neck to see the road better.

“Why don’t we wait inside? I think they can find the way.”

There were so many rose petals scattered about, the path to the garden was clear. I took his hand and we moved inside. The air conditioning was a welcome relief to my thudding heart. I didn’t know why I felt so wired.

Orlando kept hold of my hand and led me down the hall. Pink and red rose petals were crushed beneath our feet, releasing a heady, floral aroma. I heard the horse snort and I hoped it wouldn’t do that during the proposal.

As I was led toward the garden, I stopped short. “We can’t go out there and watch. That’s inappropriate.” I furrowed my brow as Orlando opened the door that led back outside.

“I promise it’s not,” he said, gently guiding me out.

He led me to the middle of the garden, surrounded by the candles and petals, the unicorn off to the side. It was then I realized there was no Oliver Dashing, but there was an Orlando Daniels. My eyes grew large and my mouth dropped open. He had done this for me!

My voice was barely a whisper as I questioned him. “Orlando?”

A finger was pressed to my lips. I kissed it gently. “Amaya, you swept into my life when I least expected it. I didn’t understand what love looked like until you came into my world and opened me up to a whole new perspective. You are smart, kind, funny, and you put up with me. I can think of nothing I want more than to make you my wife.”

Then he got down on one knee and opened a dark blue box, revealing a beautiful ruby red ring. “Marry me, Amaya. Please say you’ll marry me.”

I flung myself into his arms, almost knocking him over. “Yes! Of course, the answer is yes.” I peppered him with kisses as he slipped the ring onto my finger.

Once we were back to standing, I studied the ring. It was stunning and exactly what I would have chosen for myself. “I love this ring, it’s so unique.”

“Just like you. I showed your picture to the jeweler and he brought this out to me. It’s nearly two hundred years old.” Orlando beamed with pride. “Now, I want you on the unicorn so we can take some pictures.”

My eyes widened. “On the unicorn?”

Dark eyes sparkled back at me. “Absolutely. Because now is when the fairy tale begins.”

---