Page 131 of Hate To Love You

“I’d rather step on Legos.”

“Aw, come on, babe. Don’t be like that,” his hand flies to his chest in mock offense.

Lainey grimaces. “Don’t call me babe.”

“Would you rather me call you a bitch?” he muses, his eyes flickering with mischief. Lainey growls.

“Watch it, Monroe. I’m not afraid to knee you in the balls,” she threatens, and Holland laughs. I’m pretty positive they’re totally in love with each other and they don’t want to admit it to themselves by the way they bicker.

“You know, I’ve never been into masochism, but if you wanna try it,” Holland taunts, making Lainey shake with anger.

“Okayyy. As riveting as this little pissing contest is, we have more important things to talk about,” Mason says as he steps in between them. “We’re meeting back at the mansion, right?”

“Yeah. Teddy and Austin just got back with the kegs,” Pat tells him. Mason shoots us a shit eating grin before throwing his hands in the air.

“Let’s fucking party!” he shouts so everyone around us can hear him. Shaking my head, I lean down to kiss the top of Gwen’s head before we follow Mason to the cars.

I hop in the driver’s seat of my Escalade as Gwen climbs into the passenger side. She looks at me, her blue eyes sparkling with glee. I’ve never seen her so content.

“What?” I ask, reaching up to place my hand on the side of her hair. Her eyes search mine before replying.

“I didn’t think it was possible to be this happy,” she smiles.

I swipe my thumb over her cheek softly, thinking about how I got here and what I did to deserve this. Shifting in my seat, I face her, grabbing her hands in mine. She watches my face as I search hers.

“Gwen,” I begin, my voice shaky. “I couldn’t have imagined finding someone that I cared so deeply for, let alone finding someone that I want to spend the rest of my life with,” my heart is racing and I’ve never felt this nervous in my life.

Taking a deep breath, I reach into my pocket to pull out a small, velvet box. Gwen’s breath hitches when she sees what’s in my hand and realizes what’s happening. Her eyes well with tears as her hand covers her mouth.

I open the tiny box, revealing a stunning diamond. After we got back together, I knew I was never going to let her go again. I was positive she was it for me. So I had a family friend who owns a jewelry shop in the city make me a custom ring.

“Guinevere Lane Sharpe, my Rebel. From the moment I met you, my life changed in ways I never imagined possible. You brought this light into my world, you made me believe in love, and showed me what it truly means to care for someone,” her tears flow a bit more now, and I wipe them away with my thumb before continuing.

“Before you, I never thought I would find someone who could understand me so completely, who could challenge me, and who could piss me off so much and make me hard at the same time,” Gwen giggles. “You are the first person I've ever truly cared about, the first person who made me believe in a future filled with love and happiness. I can't imagine taking the next steps in my life without you by my side. It’s not going to be easy, we’ll have our challenges, but we’ll be stronger for them. And I promise to love you, to cherish the ground you walk on. I love you so fucking much, and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much,” I take a deep breath as Gwen chews on the tips of her fingers nervously. I pull out the ring and hold it over her shaking hand. “Gwen, will you marry me?”

“Yes, yes. Oh my god, are you sure?” she giggles through her tears, and she’s the prettiest goddamn girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I chuckle, placing the ring on her finger. She holds it in front of her, her face full of excitement, nervousness, and love.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my entire life. I love you, Rebel.” Her grin grows wider as she throws her arms over my shoulders.

“I love you, Hotshot,” she tells me before kissing me.

I am officially the luckiest man in the world, and I’m not going to let anything mess it up. Guinevere Sharpe, I’m never letting you go.

The End

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