Page 94 of The Agent
Tully had asked her not to tell anyone about their engagement until he’d gotten her a ring to make it official. Which meant it was still their secret.
Natalie smiled inwardly as she hugged the knowledge to herself.
Regina rejoined the group. “Here, I’ll take Kirk again,” she said.
“I’m in no rush to let go of him,” Natalie said, loving the feel of the small body in her arms. She and Tully had decided not to adopt an infant because there were so many older foster children who needed permanent homes, but Natalie still enjoyed holding a baby.
“Oh, I think you might want to have your hands free.” Regina grinned as Natalie passed the baby carefully back to her.
“Why would I need my—?” Natalie started to ask when Tully took her hand and turned her toward him. He looked nervous, which was not an expression she was accustomed to on his face.
Then he dropped down onto one knee, moving with his usual panther-like smoothness.
Someone gasped before silence fell, the atmosphere charged with anticipation.
Natalie stared down at Tully, her startled brain focusing on odd details like the little lines at the corners of his eyes, the blond glints in his hair, and the bold slash of his jaw.
“Nat, I want to do this right,” he said, wrapping his big hands around hers. “Because I never thought I’d do it at all.”
She forgot to breathe as she waited.
He scanned around their audience and nodded. “In front of these people, who are our best and closest friends, I want to declare that I love you with everything in me and that I cannot imagine living without you.”
Natalie opened her mouth, but he shook his head to stop her.
“I’ve got more to say because you deserve more. That first part was all about howIfeel and whatIwant. The next part is about you because that’s more important.” Tully’s face was solemn. “I promise that I will put you first and always consider your needs before my own. I swear that I will never knowingly hurt you. If I hurt you without meaning to, I will do everything in my power to fix it. Because love is about putting yourself in someone else’s boots and making sure they are comfortable for that person to walk in.”
His grip on her hands tightened and he gazed at her with such love and hope in his eyes that tears clogged her throat. “Nat, will you marry me? Right here and right now in this church?”
She nodded several times, even as she absorbed the surprise of the second part of his proposal. Tully was always a man of action. “Yes! Yes, I will! Right here and right now.”
Applause and cheers broke out, but Natalie couldn’t take her eyes off Tully’s radiant face. An answering joy sparkled through her.
He grinned and released her hands to reach into his jacket pocket, pulling out a black velvet box. He flipped it open with one thumb and pulled out a ring that glittered in the afternoon sunlight. Taking her left hand in his, he slid the ring on so that she could see it was set with a deep blue sapphire flanked by two diamonds.
“To match your eyes,” he said before he patted his other pocket. “And I have wedding bands.”
“You thought of everything,” she said, smiling down at him through her tears. “But that doesn’t surprise me.”
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“It’s perfect, but I would have been happy with a plastic ring from a bubblegum machine if it was from you.”
“I know, but I wouldn’t be.” Surging to his feet, he cradled her face tenderly between his hands and brought his lips down to hers in a kiss that held love and passion and excitement. She wrapped her arms around his neck and poured all her joy into her response. She was aware that people around her were talking, but all she could hear was the way her heart beat in perfect synchronization with Tully’s.
Then Tully lifted his head and brushed away the tears that had run down her cheeks with gentle strokes of his thumb. “Our friends are going to think you’re unhappy about marrying me,” he teased.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this right now.” The thrill of it fizzed through her veins like champagne.
Uncertainty flickered across his face. “Is it too soon?”
“No! It’s exactly the right time!” She stood on her toes to press another kiss on his mouth. “I can’t wait to be your wife.”
Dawn was the first one to hug Natalie. “Thank goodness you two came to your senses! I knew you were meant to be married.”
Alice joined the hug. “I’m so happy for you and Tully. You both deserve this.”
Regina gave Natalie a peck on the cheek since she was holding Kirk. “That was so romantic.”
