Page 154 of Falling Overboard

Hunter’s sister Hadley held up one of my cupcakes and then gave me a thumbs-up. I waved back. I was the official dessert caterer for the ribbon-cutting. The bakery had been open for six months and was doing extremely well. I had let Maria and the Mascarellis know that with the Italian flour, the sfogliatelle turned out perfectly almost every time. Giovanna insisted on sending me every recipe they had from their bakery, and their excellence set me apart from other bakeries in the city.

And I couldn’t keep my chocolate chip cookies in stock.

The ceremony ended, Hunter posed for pictures, shook hands with important government-type people, and then opened the center for guests to go in and tour. He rushed over to me, picking me up in a big bear hug and twirling me around.

“You did it!” I exclaimed. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

He probably could have, but I loved that he thought it anyway.

“Hey, two of the horses arrived. Do you want to come see them?” he asked.

“Yes!”

He had spent a lot of time picking out the perfect animals to interact with the teenagers who would be living here. Gentle and kind, and very loving.

We walked hand in hand toward the stables. The land here was so serene and gorgeous. Green as far as the eye could see, surrounded by tall trees and lush underbrush.

“We got a boy and a girl. A gelding and a mare,” he said. “I think we should name them Harry Trotter and Hermioneigh.”

“What about Sylvester Stallion and Kolt Kardashian?”

“Al Capony and Britney Spurs?”

We threw a bunch of names at each other that had me laughing, like he always did. It seemed to be his specialty. He had brought so much light and laughter into my life.

He was the best boyfriend. Devoted, caring, and so, so sweet.

Not to mention incredibly passionate. My skin flushed at the memory of last night.

We walked through the garden area that I adored. Hunter had envisioned it as a place where the clients would be able to congregate and hang out. A previous owner had made it like a wild English garden, so there were all types of wildflowers blooming along paths that led to a patio, where Hunter had placed comfortable outdoor chairs and couches. A large white gazebo encased the center, with climbing roses growing up the sides.

As we were about to reach the center, he let go of my hand. “Hang on, gotta fix my shoelace.” He knelt down to do so.

“Have I ever told you how much I love this spot?” I said, taking it all in.

“Many, many times. I know you sometimes think I don’t listen, but I always do.”

I turned back to look at him, and it took me a second to realize that he had on shoes without laces. He hadn’t been fixing anything.

He was kneeling with a ring.

My heart slammed into my chest. We had talked about marriage but we had wanted to get our businesses going first.

And now they’re going,that internal voice of mine reminded me.

“Lucky Salerno, I am so thankful every single day that my dad is obsessed with boats. Grateful that I got set on a path that led me to you because you are the most wonderful, amazing, spectacular thing that has ever happened to me. None of this,” he said, waving his arms wide, “would mean anything to me without you. You not only make my life better, you make it complete. I love you so, so much. Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” I shrieked, throwing my arms around his neck, knocking him to the ground and going down with him. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”

He laughed and hugged me tightly. “Good thing I have catlike reflexes and I didn’t drop the ring box.”

“That would have been unforgivable,” I agreed. He slid the ring onto my finger, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. After a moment I realized that it was just like my nonna’s wedding ring, but bigger and flashier. Which meant that the twins had been involved in this.

“Did she say yes?” It sounded like Harlow, his youngest sister. I lifted my head above the wildflowers and saw all of the Cartwrights and my sisters watching us and waving.

They had all known and kept it from me. I grinned at them.

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