Page 21 of The Noisemaker

He let out a little amused sound before clearing his throat. “Speaking of adventure…” He rubbed my arms and then my hands. “You warm?”

I nodded. “I’m getting there,” I answered as he fiddled with his jacket and then took a step back.

“Earlier we toasted to new adventures. And do you remember what you said?”

I thought for a moment. “As long as I’m with you, I’m ready?”

With his fist clenched, he checked his watch and nodded. “Did you mean that?”

“Of course I did.” I gestured to where we were. “Exhibit A, I snuck out to catch pneumonia and have a private moment with you. That’s adventure.”

He chuckled under his breath but didn’t acknowledge what I’d said. “You said as long as I’m with you, I’m ready. And that’s how I feel about you, too.” He paused. “I want to do life with you. I want to spend the rest of my days taking care of you. I want to make sure you’re the happiest you’ve ever been. Because you make me the happiest I’ve ever been. And I want that for us for the rest of our lives.”

Realizing what was happening, a soft whimper escaped me. “Baby…”

“I know we haven’t been having much adventure lately. I know I’ve been working a lot. Working for us. Grinding for us. But it’s worth it because you’re worth it. We’re worth it. And no matter what, I always make time for you. Because I’ll always make time for you.” Dropping to one knee, he unfurled his fingers and a ring sat in his palm. “And I want to spend the rest of my life making time for you.” He picked up the diamond and held it up to me. “Will you marry me?”

CHAPTER5

My mouth opened and closed a few times as the words lodged in my throat. Tears pricked my eyes, and a soft puff of air left my lungs. “Yes,” I breathed. Nodding as he slid the ring on my finger, I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest. “Yes!”

Standing, he stood and grabbed my face. “You’ll marry me?”

“Yes!” I cried out. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

“You’re going to be my wife?”

Before I had a chance to respond, he crashed his mouth into mine. He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine just as the fireworks started.

“Happy New Year,” he whispered.

“Happy New Year, baby.” I pressed my lips against his again. “Oh!” I opened my clutch and took out the bags of grapes. I handed him his. “We have to eat twelve in the next ten seconds.”

He looked at his watch. “Let’s go.”

Each of us grabbed a handful and stuffed them into our mouths.

With our cheeks puffed out as we chewed, we cracked up. Bumping into each other, we were able to swallow the twelve grapes of luck through our laughter. He put his arms around my waist, beneath his jacket, so we could physically feel the amusement pass through each other’s bodies. His hand eased up my back and as soon as his fingertips swept across my bare skin, I inhaled sharply. Our eyes met and the humor evaporated from the moment.

“I love you,” I murmured.

“I love you, too.” His mouth brushed against mine before capturing my bottom lip and sucking softly. “And I love that you said yes.”

“I love that you asked.”

Another round of fireworks exploded in the sky.

Desmond checked his watch. “Let me get you inside and get you warm.”

I’d forgotten all about being cold from the moment he proposed. But I let him guide me inside.

He put his finger to his mouth to indicate we were supposed to be quiet as we approached the edge of the display wall. He took his jacket from around my shoulders and slipped it back on. “Do I look okay?” he whispered.

I nodded. Looking down at my outfit, I gestured to myself. “Do I?”

He licked his lips and nodded. “Beautiful,” he mouthed.

I grinned.

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