Page 150 of Wild Love
“So, we have to say Bloody Mary thirteen times. Getting louder each time. On the last one, she’ll show up in the mirror.”
“Ford is gonna think we’re nuts.”
She shrugs. “He already does. Plus, he went to West’s. Okay. Go.”
Wow. She is like… really hell-bent on this.
“Bloody Mary,” she starts with a whisper, and I fumble the first one, trying to catch up.
Then I get the timing right. “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.” We keep getting louder until I worry that someone is going to call the cops. “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.”
We look over at each other before screaming the last one.
“Bloody Mary!”
Then every light in the house cuts out, and I scream, jumping what has to be a few feet off the floor.
Cora though? Cora is giggling. And I piece this together quickly. She and her dad are playing a very adorable joke on me.
But going from bright light to being plunged into darkness has my eyes struggling to adjust.
“Ford fucking Grant!” I shout, hoping, for his sake, he hears me loud and clear from wherever the electrical panelis in this house. “You are an overgrown child and I’m going to kill you for this!”
Cora laughs harder.
“Turn these lights onright now!”
I stomp my foot like a petulant child.
And then I start when I hear the amused rasp of his voice from right in front of me. “Okay.”
I’m confused by how he’s so close, but all that confusion evaporates on the spot when the lights flash on and I take him in.
Down on one knee.
Wearing a lopsided smirk.
And holding up a ring.
A huge cushion-cut pink stone set on a dainty rose gold band. Smaller white diamonds flank the center stone, arranged in a way that looks an awful lot like leaves.
His eyes remind me of leaves.
“We figured you had to have a pink ring,” Cora blurts, practically bouncing on the spot.
From behind Ford, my brother appears. Smirking exactly like I bet he did the last time he played that joke on me.
“Rosalie Belmont—” Ford starts, but I cut him off.
“Don’t Rosalie me. Are you seriously proposing after scaring the shit out of me the way you did as a teenager? You cannot possibly be doing this.”
He grins that grin that makes my stomach flop. Followed by a wink that makes my skin itch. “Loved you then. Love you even more now. If we aren’t driving each other up the wall, what’s even the point?”
My eyes sting, and I blink away to Cora. Her hands are cupping her cheeks, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her appear so… adorably excited.
I cross my arms and lean in to take a closer look at the ring. I’m trying to appear casual, but my cheeks are hot, and my heart is thrashing wildly against my ribs.
I want to throw myself at his knees and beg him topleasemarry me.
