Page 44 of The Runaway Bride's Vow

A hush fell over the coffeehouse. The only sound she could hear was the pounding of her heart echoing in her ears.

In that moment, the world shrank until it was just the two of them. Silently, she stood there, thankful that her legs were still holding her upright.

Logan held the ring out to her as he stared up at her. “Brooke, I had no idea when you took my coffee and dumped it all over the both of us that you would change my world so completely.”

A smile pulled at her lips as she remembered that very special day. It had changed her life too. All for the best.

“You opened my eyes to how love could be comforting and accepting. It’s touched me the way you’ve become such a good friend to my daughter. She thinks the sun rises and sets around you. And so do I.

“You’ve become my best friend. The person I want to see each morning and the first person I want to turn to when something good or bad happens. I love you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. Will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?”

Tears of joy blurred her vision before spilling onto her cheeks. Her heart was overflowing with love for this most amazing man kneeling before her. She didn’t have a moment of hesitation. She immediately knew her answer.

She nodded. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

A cheer went up in the coffeehouse, followed by applause. For a moment there, she’d forgotten they were in public.

He straightened. His arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her to him. He stared deeply into her eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

His head lowered just as she lifted up on her tiptoes. They met somewhere in the middle, and their lips touched. Her hands slid up over his broad shoulders and wrapped around his neck.

This was the most amazing moment. And quite honestly, she knew things between them were moving quickly, but she’d had absolutely no idea he was going to propose tonight. He’d caught her totally off guard in the most delicious way.

When he pulled back, he placed the ring on her finger. And to her utter surprise, it fit. “How did you know what size ring I wear?”

A lopsided smile pulled at his kissable lips. “Remember that day last week when you were playing dress up with Kaylie?” When she nodded, he said, “You tried on one of her plastic rings and were surprised it fit.”

“I remember that. Wait. You used the toy ring to size my engagement ring?”

He nodded. “It wasn’t exactly conventional, but I took it to the jeweler, and they were able to size it.”

She was duly impressed. “I’ll never underestimate you.”

“Make sure you don’t. You never know when I’ll surprise you.”

“Congratulations, you guys.” Selena rushed out from behind the counter. “This is so exciting. Wait until everyone hears the news.” Selena hugged her, and then she hugged Logan. “So, when’s the big day?”

“Uh… I don’t know.” Brooke’s mind hadn’t even gotten past, Wow, he proposed to me.

“Soon.” Logan had spoken at the same time as her. “I hope.”

He wanted to get married soon? How soon? She of all people knew how much time went into planning a wedding. She didn’t even know what sort of wedding she wanted. The thought of having a beach wedding popped into her mind. Sand beneath her feet, the sun on her face, and the man she loved standing next to her sounded perfect. But she wasn’t ready to vocalize her thoughts. She wanted more time to mull it over.

First, she wanted to tell her family she was engaged. She hoped they would be excited for her, but she didn’t have any idea how they would take the news. Things were still wonky with them. Maybe this was the key to repairing what was broken. She hoped.

She leaned over to Logan and said softly, “I’ll be right back.”

He nodded.

She rushed outside and retrieved her phone from her purse. She pulled up her mother’s number and pressed the phone to her ear. The phone rang once, twice, three times. She was starting to worry that her mother wasn’t going to pick up.

“Hello.” The familiar voice came through the phone. “Brooke, is that you?”

“Yes, Mom. It’s me.”

“Why are you calling at this hour?” Her mother knew her routine was to call early in the day. “Is something wrong?”

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