Page 85 of The Overdue Kiss
Since the first time we met, I knew you were different.
“Eras la indicada para mí.”
You were the one for me.
“Y con quien quiero pasar el resto de mi vida.”
And the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.
“¿Quieres castigarte conmigo?”
Do you want to be punished with me?
I sputter at the mistranslation and slap a hand over my mouth, not wanting to ruin his sweet gesture.
Des frowns, his eyes scanning my face frantically.
“I messed up, didn’t I? No, no, no...” He pulls out index cards from his pocket, his lips moving as he silently reads through them.
“Des, it’s fine. It’s so sweet that you proposed this way.”
“Ah.Of course it’s the last line.” He drops the cards on the floor and snatches my hands again, desperate for perfection. “¿Quierescasarteconmigo?”
Will you marry me?
“Sí—yes, I can’t imagine my life without you. I love you so much.”
He rises to his feet and burrows his fingers in my hair, capturing my lips in a heated kiss. If it were up to Des, it would last longer, but I lean back, knowing all his friends are watching us from the window.
“Here,” he says, pulling a golden ring from his pajama pocket.
I blink up at him. Has he been carrying this all morning?
My hands tremble when he slides the engagement ring over my finger, amazingly a perfect fit.
“This one was my granny’s. I don’t know if it’s in style, but I thought you could wear it until we pick out something you like. I know how picky you are about your books—I can only imagine how much worse it would be with an engagement ring.”
I hold up my hand, admiring the shiny gold twisted in swirls to a small princess-cut diamond. It’s not flashy or expensive, but something so much more. A legacy, passed down through time, representing an endless love across generations... one that I now get to be a part of.
“I love it, Des. I don’t need another.”
The tears in his eyes overflow, and he pulls me to him, showering my face with soft kisses before ending with one on my mouth.
One long kiss full of love, promise, and joy.
Our toe-curling kiss is cut short by a knock at the door. Ten faces smush against the glass, their noses pink from cold. Reese, Tristen, Chris, Roxy, Cai, Tulip, Chantelle, Jude, Holt, and his girlfriend, Nova.
“Did she say yes?” Reese asks, fogging up the glass. “We’re freezing our butts off out here.”
I nod, showing them my ring. They burst into cheers, clapping their mittens together.
“About the proposal...” Des says out of the corner of his mouth. “Can we not tell them about the mistranslation?”
I giggle. “Of course, but it would make a funny story. I was not expecting that turn of phrase.”
“Do I even want to know what I said? I thought it was gibberish.”
“It’s not important. All I care about is the fact that my fiancé took the time to make this moment so special for me.”
He shivers, his eyes dropping to my lips. “Fiancé. I like the sound of that.”
Someone bangs on the glass again.
“It seems we have to continue this conversation later. Chris rented snowmobiles for all of us. Our motorcycles may be locked up for the season, but this is a close second. Don’t worry, you’ll still get to be my backpack.”
I grab his pajama top and yank him down for another quick kiss.
“I’m your backpack for life, Mr. Brooks. And don’t you forget it.”
