Page 108 of The Grump

“Well, now the cat’s out of the bag, literally,” he said as he held it up between his fingers.

Instead of standing up, he simply moved onto one knee, holding up the ring.

“Xander!” I put a hand on my chest. “Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry, I didn’t... Oh, you were going to propose tonight. That’s why you were on edge.”

He flashed me a wholehearted smile.

“I’m so sorry!”

“Babe, stop apologizing. If I can make you my fiancée a few hours earlier, that’s a win for me.”

I narrowed my eyes, deciding to tease him. “Make me, huh? Not ask me to be?” My heartbeat was erratic.

“You know what? This is even better. I wanted to do this properly tonight. I was actually taking you to D’s. I asked them to reserve the whole restaurant for us.”

I gasped. “And he agreed?”

“He likes us. But this is even better. This is the place where we first met, where I felt this unexplainable pull to you that wouldn’t let go. This is where our story began.”

I just nodded, my throat filling up with emotion. It was true. It all started with his visit to the confectionery.

“Since I met you, my life has become a million times better.”

I laughed nervously. “That can’t possibly be true.”

“It is. You’ve filled it with so much joy and made it fuller in every possible way. And I know that life with you will be a continuous adventure, no matter if we explore new things or if we just do mundane things like wrapping pralines. I look forward to every minute of this life with you. I simply want to enjoy you everywhere there is.”

He cleared his throat. It sounded as if he’d thought long and hard about this but was still coming up with things on the spot. “Before you, I never truly considered the future, but now I do. I can see us being happy for the rest of our lives, surrounded by kids.”

“Yes,” I said vehemently. “I can’t wait to teach them how to bake too.”

He chuckled. “I like how that’s the first thing that came to your mind. You’ll be a great mom.”

I teared up a bit. “And make them fans of Christmas carols.”

“Do you want to be my wife?” he asked abruptly, as if he’d suddenly just remembered that he hadn’t actually asked the question.

I smiled brightly. “I will only say yes to that if you agree that I can teach our kids to properly enjoy Christmas from the get-go.”

He grinned. “Babe, you’ve got me wrapped around your finger. Look how happy that thought makes you. Of course it’s a yes.”

“Then I’d love to be your wife.”

He put the ring on my finger the very next second. It was gorgeous and unusual in an old-fashioned Victorian setting that I quite loved. It seemed vaguely familiar.

Xander cleared his throat. “I asked Isabeau for her ring.”

I gasped. “Xander!”

“She loves you. She more than agreed to it. I knew you would be much happier with it than something I bought from the store.”

I nodded and immediately bent down. I wanted to hug him, the need to be closer to him overwhelming me. But he stood up at the same time and raised me in his arms, lifting me off the floor.

I gave him a loud smooch. “I love it. I love you. I’m sorry this caught me so off guard. I want to tell you so many things, but the words won’t come.”

“That’s okay. If you look at me like this for the rest of our lives, that’s more than fine by me. You know me. I don’t need words.”

“I love you. I love you. I love you,” I whispered between kisses. My goodness, I wanted this moment to last forever.

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