Page 96 of Saving Her Heart
"Yes," she says immediately, dropping to her knees in front of me. "Yes, of course yes!"
I slip the ring onto her finger with trembling hands, and then she's kissing me while the puppy tries to wedge between us, barking excitedly.
"Is this our dog?" she asks when we break apart, both of us laughing and crying.
"If you want her," I say. "I thought we could start our life here with a new family member."
"She's perfect," Kendall says, picking up the puppy, who immediately licks her face. "What's her name?"
"That's up to you," I tell her.
She looks at the puppy thoughtfully. "Hope. Her name is Hope."
"Hope," I repeat, liking how it sounds. "Perfect."
We sit there in our backyard, under the lights, with our new puppy, and I think about all the paths that led us here. The goat chaos that brought us back together, the fires that tested us, the trial that proved we could face anything together.
"I want to get married here," Kendall says suddenly. "In our backyard. With all our people."
"Even the Walking Ladies?" I ask.
"Especially the Walking Ladies," she laughs. "They can be flower girls again."
"They'll wear their FBI badges," I warn.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
My phone buzzes with a text from Hudson.
Hudson: Did she say yes?????
Before I can respond, more texts flood in.
Kane: The suspense is killing us!
Kate: ANSWER YOUR PHONE!
Declan: If she said no, drinks are on me.
Grace: She didn't say no. Right? RIGHT?
Charli: I'm outside in my car. I couldn't stay away. WHAT HAPPENED?
I show the phone to Kendall, who laughs and takes it from me. She snaps a selfie of us with Hope, her ring visible, all three of us grinning.
She sends it to the group chat with one word: "YES!"
The responses are immediate and enthusiastic, with lots of capital letters and exclamation points. Charli apparently lays on her horn in celebration because we can hear it from the backyard.
"Should we invite them over?" Kendall asks.
"In a minute," I say, pulling her close again. "I want to enjoy this moment. Just us."
"And Hope," she adds as the puppy wiggles between us.
"And Hope," I agree.
We sit at our beautifully set table, eating Italian food and talking about our wedding, our future, our life in this house. Hope falls asleep under the table, occasionally snoring in little puppy huffs.
