Page 92 of Saving Her Heart
I silece my phone, not ready to share this moment with anyone else yet. There will be time for squealing with the Bad News Babes later. Right now, I just want to stand here with Jax, imagining our future in this house, finally believing we get to have one.
Epilogue
Jax
Only a few months after the trial, I'm sitting at Hooplas with the guys, trying to act casual while my mind races through proposal plans. The ring has been burning a hole in my sock drawer for two weeks, and we close on the house tomorrow.
"You're fidgeting," Hudson observes, taking a pull from his beer. "You only fidget when you're planning something."
"I don't fidget," I protest, immediately stopping my finger-tapping on the table.
"You're literally fidgeting right now," Kane points out. "What's going on?"
Declan leans back in his chair, studying me. "He's got that look. The same one Hudson had before he proposed to Kate."
"And the same one Kane had before Grace," Reid adds, finally looking up from his phone. "Though Kane's was more panicked."
"I was not panicked," Kane protests. "I was appropriately concerned about the logistics."
"You had seventeen backup plans," Eli reminds him. "Including one that involved a flash mob."
"Grace enjoys dancing," Kane mutters defensively.
I take a deep breath. These are my best friends. If I can't tell them, who can I tell? "I'm going to propose to Kendall."
The table erupts. Hudson actually stands up to hug me, Kane orders a round of shots, and Declan laughs.
"Finally!" Declan says. "Do you know how long we've been waiting for this?"
"Literally years," Reid confirms. "I had given up hope you'd ever get your head out of your ass."
"Thanks for the support," I say dryly, but I'm grinning.
"When?" Hudson asks, sitting back down.
"Tomorrow night. After we close on the house but before we move in. I want to do it at our place, you know? Start our life there with this moment."
"Solid plan," Kane approves. "What's the actual proposal plan?"
"That's where I need help," I admit. "How did you guys do it?"
Hudson grins. "I proposed at the lighthouse at sunset. Had Kate's favorite flowers everywhere, her grandmother's ring reset. She cried. I cried. It was perfect."
"I proposed in the car on the way to the hospital," Kane says, and we all turn to stare at him.
"The hospital?" Eli asks, incredulous.
"Grace was in labor," Kane explains. "Emma decided to come three weeks early. Grace was between contractions, screaming at me that this was all my fault, and I just blurted out 'Marry me!' She said yes, then called me an idiot, then had another contraction."
"That's the least romantic thing I've ever heard," Reid says.
"Grace loved it," Kane defends. "She said it was perfectly us—chaotic and unexpected but real."
"What about you, Declan?" I ask.
"One evening at dinner," he says. "Nicholas helped. He'd been calling me 'Dad' for months already, so I had him ask Riley if I could be his dad officially. When she said yes, I got down on one knee."
"That's actually sweet," I admit.
