Page 104 of Follow Your Bliss

Rose’s head popped up to look at me with a confused frown.

“Absolutely!” Faduma said. “As soon as we get off the phone, I’ll send you the contract and some of our concept art for the ad campaign.”

“Thank you so much,” I said. “That sounds great. I look forward to your email.”

“Wonderful! Have a lovely evening.”

“Thanks, Faduma. You too.” I hung up and grabbed the ends of the blanket, wrapping Rose in my arms. “You’re not gonna believe who that was.”

She laughed. “I’m guessing Faduma?”

I nodded. “StudFinders wants me again, for the same thing, but this time without the appearing single clause.”

She pulled back to look at me with wide eyes. “What? Seriously?”

“Yeah.” I laughed. “I guess we’ll get to turn that community room into our home after all.”

She let out a happy little squeal and wrapped her arms around my neck, kissing me. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you.”

“Be happy forus,” I said.

“No no, that’s all your money and hard work.”

“All my money and hard work is forus.” I kissed her, then remembered something that happened before the party tonight. “Hey. You said you wanted to talk about something later. We’re alone now. Tell me what it is, because I can’t wait.”

She smiled, settling her arms around my neck. “I’ve been mulling something over for a while, and I’m finally ready to talk about it.”

I cocked my head, worried by her words, but reassured by her smile. “Okay. Talk to me.”

Her eyes shone in the darkness, and her smile turned shy as she looked down. “So, I’ve decided…that if you’re ever interested…” She huffed a laugh. “God, my heart is pounding.” Her eyes met mine. “Jason, I want to marry you.”

Her words hit me as if a rainbow had kicked me in the chest with awesomeness. “Really? You do?” I felt my smile take over my entire face.

She nodded, her smile widening. “I do. We belong together in a way I never thought was possible. And in the past few months, you’ve shown me, over and over, how happy you are to choose us every day. And I’m not afraid of getting married anymore. Not when it’s you. When it’s you, it just feels…right.”

“I want to marry you, too.” I kissed her, and her head tipped back to give me deeper access. My heart was full to overflowing with love for this woman, with excitement about our future. I poured everything in my soul into that kiss, and it was a long time before we came up for air.

“I’m gonna need to know what kind of ring you want,” I said breathlessly. “And what size. Like, tonight. And then I’m going to propose to you in the most amazing way I can think of, at the very first opportunity.”

She laughed and kissed me again. “I’ll send you my Pinterest board. And spoiler alert: I’ll say yes.”

“Are y’all gonna stand out there and make out all night?” Alex shouted from the door. “It’s time to cut the cake!”

“Coming!” I shouted back. Then I turned to the love of my life and murmured, “I can’t wait to marry you.”

Epilogue: Eight Months Later

Rose

Even though PJ and Sam had delayed their wedding until the following year, her announcement of intent to have me make her gowns spurred several heavy hitters in the bridal fashion industry to offer me my own lines. I went with Adèle Allais because Adèle herself offered to mentor me to start my own company.

But despite having less time on my hands than ever before, it’d taken me shockingly little time to design my own wedding dress, a corseted blush-champagne gown with draped, off-the-shoulder French silk tulle sleeves and vertical ruffles of tulle over an A-line lace skirt.

And even though these days I had a staff of talented seamstresses to sew everything for me—for which I was still pinching myself—my hands alone were on this dress from start to finish.

At the moment, Jason’s hands alone were on this dress, but neither of us would get to finish until we said goodbye to our wedding guests and took the limo home where we had only a few hours to fill with bliss before we had to catch our plane to Paris. We’d already second-lined and cut the cake and done all the things, but we had one more reception responsibility for the night: the bouquet toss.

“Can I have everyone’s attention?” the singer of our wedding band asked on the microphone from his place at the head of the Peristyle in New Orleans’s City Park.

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