Page 128 of Fear of Love
When I moved into my apartment, I shoved my old engagement ring in a random drawer and never looked back. Until then.
Before, the sight of the ring would have made me want to curl into a ball, but that day when I pulled it out, I felt…nothing. There was no anger, hurt, or sadness. It was just a ring. I ended up taking it to a jeweler and got money for it. There was no point in keeping it, and I never wanted to see it again.
“You almost look giddy,” Landon remarked, pulling back to look at my face.
“One of my best friends is about to be engaged. Of course I’m giddy.”
His eyes narrowed a little as if he didn’t believe me. “There’s something else,” he accused.
“Nope.” It was a small white lie. I was excited about Bryton and Mila, but I also had something planned later for Landon and me. He was going to be in for a treat of a lifetime.
Thankfully, before he could question me further, Josie, Tasha, Evelyn, and Mila came out into the backyard. I could see the wheels turning in his head as I sent him an innocent smile and walked over to my girls.
We spent the next fifteen minutes talking about the gorgeous backyard. There was a huge outdoor pool that had a built-in bar next to it. There was a beautiful garden off to the side with a huge tree. Hanging from it was one of those cute wicker chairs. The patio was just as pretty with tons of seating.
When my phone buzzed in my pocket, I knew it was time. Mateo was here. Looking over, I caught Tasha’s eyes and gave her a little nod. One by one, everyone but Mila got the signal. Trying not to draw attention, we all fanned out, pulling our phones out as we did.
Bryton was busy keeping Mila distracted as we all moved to our spots, making sure we could get every angle for what was about to happen.
Right on cue, the sound of the glass door opened, followed by a little jingle. I quickly pressed record on my phone and held it up.
Mila turned to see a black sixteen-week-old puppy trotting through the back doors. The pup came from an animal rescue we’d been featuring in the magazine each month. It was part of a small litter that had been abandoned on the side of the road a few weeks ago. Thankfully, someone found them and brought them to the rescue, where they’ve been cared for until they were ready for their forever homes.
For months, Mila has gone on about getting a dog, and as soon as Josie brought it up to Bryton, he knew it would be perfect. With our help, we were able to keep it a secret. We all bought tons of doggy toys and things he’d need and kept them at our places so Mila wouldn’t find out.
Because it would be suspicious for one of us to be gone today, we made it so Mateo would be the one to go pick up the pup and bring him here.
“A puppy!” Mila’s voice went high as she saw the little guy stumbling toward her. She instantly got down on her knees and started cooing. “Come here little baby.”
While she was so focused on the puppy in front of her, she didn’t notice Bryton slowly getting down on one knee behind her. All of us watched, phones recording as the puppy reached Mila.
It was the cutest sight, seeing the way the dog put his paws on Mila’s legs and started licking her face. From where I was standing, I could see tears filling her eyes as she moved to pick him up.
“Bryton, look.” Mila stood up and turned around with the puppy in her arms but froze as her eyes landed on Bryton kneeling.
“Mila,” Bryton started, his voice a little wobbly. “When I met you three years ago, I knew you were my future wife. It only took a few days for me to fall for you, and every day since, I’ve fallen even more in love.”
Tears streamed down Mila’s face as she clenched the wiggling puppy in her arms, staring down at her boyfriend. Behind them, Mateo slipped out the door and quietly came to stand by us to watch.
“If it weren’t for you, I’d be walking around aimlessly wishing I had you. You’re my rock and my lifeline. I don’t want to live life without you. So,” reaching into his pocket he pulled out a little black box, “would you, Mila Roberts, marry me?”
There was only a split second of silence before Mila sobbed out a, “Yes.” The biggest smile I’ve ever seen appeared on Bryton’s face as he reached for Mila’s hand, sliding the ring on.
Cheers erupted all around with whistles coming from the guys as Bryton stood and pulled Mila into a kiss. The puppy squirmed in her arms, forcing them to break it off with a laugh.
“And a puppy?” she choked out.
“You always said you wanted one,” came his simple answer.
They kissed again before their attention turned to the pup. We all stopped recording and went over to congratulate the couple. Mila couldn’t contain the smile on her face as she stared down at the ring on her finger and then the puppy in her arms.
“You guys had this all planned out, didn’t you?” she choked out as she stared at all three of us girls.
“Of course we did.” Tasha grinned. “Although, it was Josie’s idea to get a puppy.”
“Selfishly, though, because I will gladly babysit this little guy,” Josie all but cooed as she scratched the puppy’s face. “Welcome to the family.”
“Congratulations, Mila.” I pulled her into a side hug. It only lasted for a second before Mateo was shoving his way through, reaching for the pup.
