Page 61 of The Cupcake Cottage

“I think this symbolizes who you really are,” he said, lifting her hand to his lips and giving her a gentle kiss. He wanted her to feel cherished, and when his eyes met hers, the tears started again. “My queen,” he whispered.

She tried to hide her smile. She was happy. He quirked his head toward the crowds and she gave a shy laugh. There was no hiding how much they were crushing on each other right now. They were the stars in a show in front of thousands of people.

But it wasn’t a show. It was real.

So very, very real.

They were really going to do this. All in. Full speed ahead.

Daisy-Mae, cradled in his arms, proudly held out her ring to the buzzing cameramen.

Once they’d snapped their photos, Maverick, ignoring the thousands of fans cheering them on, kissed her.

When he finally released his bride-to-be, she rocked forward in her cowboy boots, satisfyingly unseated. She had a dreamy look in her blue eyes and a drowsy half smile on her lips.

If she thought that was a kiss…just wait until they were home.

“We should get off the ice,” he murmured, unable to resist planting another kiss on her lips.

She took his hand, the two of them smiling and waving, leaving the ice together. They continued down the alley to the locker rooms. As they went, he received slaps on the back, handshakes, and high fives. His teammates looked so happy for him that he felt a flicker of guilt for deceiving them about why he and Daisy-Mae had gotten together in the first place. But that was in their past now, behind them. Just a cute story about how they’d started dating. Because for him, this had always been the goal—love, then marriage.

He reached the locker room door and realized this was where his plan ended. Now he had to turn back into a teammate, ditch his fiancée, try to focus on the post-game meeting, and then shower.

That was a crappy way to propose.

“I have to help Violet out of her costume.” Daisy-Mae cozied closer, her body pressed to his, as reluctant to part as he was. He resented the padding that kept him safe out on the ice for the way it currently prevented him from truly feeling her curves pressed up against him.

She rose on her tiptoes, planting a chaste, quick kiss on his lips before spinning and racing off down the corridor. Dezzie the Dragon appeared around a corner at a dead run, arms out as a loud squeal pierced the hallway and Violet tackled Daisy-Mae.

Maverick laughed. Violet’s enthusiasm told him everything he needed to know about Daisy-Mae’s feelings and how her friends felt about their quick proposal.

This was going to work.

** *

“Where will you be getting married?” a reporter called out, jostling forward through the crowd. “Will it be a big wedding?”

Daisy-Mae pressed herself to Maverick’s side, not because she was afraid of being trampled, but because this was their personal life and she wasn’t sure how much Maverick wanted to reveal.

“It’ll be…” Maverick looked to Daisy-Mae. His gaze was unfocused as though a vision for their wedding was forming in his mind, a small smile playing at his lips.

There was going to be a wedding.

Dresses. Invitations. Venue. Food.

Honeymoon.

She could picture it all. An intimate event. No press. Maybe even held in secret with only immediate family and friends since they no longer had to worry about Leo or Landon needing the positive effect from their actions.

“It’ll be a private affair,” he said, as though they were sharing a mental picture with each other. “As for location, maybe…” His voice trailed off.

“Somewhere special to us.”

His arm tightened around her, his smile softening. “A sanctuary?” he whispered in her ear.

“Probably in Sweetheart Creek,” Daisy-Mae said slowly, still watching Maverick, her voice slow. He was serious? He obviously didn’t realize how intrusive a big event like that could be with tents, caterers, cleaning crews, and the works. Plus, his place wasn’t even halfway renovated. How could they hold a wedding there?

Then again, she didn’t really care if the house was perfect, because their love was. And that’s what their wedding day would be about. The two of them.

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