Page 84 of Hello Handsome
I let out an embarrassed laugh, but he continued.
“I thought, ‘I’m going to ask her to move in.’ And then I realized, ‘roommates’ isn’t what I want us to be. I want it all with you, Aggie, and I hope you’ll agree with me when I say we’ve waited long enough.”
I was crying all over again, this time with happy tears. Because I felt the same way. How could I go back to long shifts at the diner and lonely nights at home when I really wanted to be with the man I loved—who loved me?
“Will you marry me?” he asked.
“Of course I’ll marry you,” I said.
His eyes crinkled with his smile as he stood up, tugged the ring from the box, and slipped it on my finger. It was gorgeous, a gold band with a simple diamond. “It fits perfectly,” I said, amazed.
He held my hand, admiring the stone, and said, “Isa told me your size.”
My jaw dropped open. “Isa? You talked to my daughter?”
He nodded, coming closer to hold me in his arms. His fingers were linked around my hips, and I easily grasped my hands at the back of his neck. “I couldn’t propose to you without getting their blessing.”
Overcome with emotion, I pressed my lips to his, pouring it all into a kiss that shook me to my very core.
I was kissing the love of my life.
I was kissing my husband-to-be.
I was kissing Gray Madigan, and he was kissing me.
53
AGGIE
The next morning,I sat at the dining room table in Gray’s house—our house, I corrected myself mentally—while he made us a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and whole-grain toast. (He told me Fletcher insisted on the latter.)
My phone sat near my coffee mug on the worn oak table. I glanced at the dark screen, imagining the task to come. Gray and I agreed we’d tell our families today. And then ask for help moving my things into his place.
I was excited to tell Isa and Enzo that their suspicions were founded all along. But his children? I wasn’t so sure. We all got along, but having someone my age as a friend was different than me being his wife.
Gray brought me a plate loaded with bacon and eggs and toast slathered with actual butter. It looked so delicious my mouth was watering.
“Thank you,” I said, tilting my head back for a kiss.
He obliged, pressing his lips to mine, winding his fingers through the hair at the base of my neck. My heart pounded quickly, ready to forget breakfast altogether and take him back to the bedroom.
But he pulled away and said, “Eat up, Ags.”
“Like I can remember how to use a fork after that kiss,” I teased.
He chuckled as he went to get a plate of his own. I took a bite of the eggs, and they tasted so good I nearly moaned. The man didn’t shy away from seasonings, and for that, I was grateful.
He sat across from me, taking a bite of crispy bacon. “I was thinking we could invite the kids over for a barbecue tonight. Make it an engagement party.”
A streak of nerves sliced through me before I could school my features.
“Bad idea?” he asked.
I bit my bottom lip, setting my fork down. “It’s not that, it’s just... What do your kids think of you dating a younger woman?”
He waggled his eyebrows and said, “I’m not sure I should tell you what Hayes would say.”
That had me tossing my head back and laughing. Of course Hayes would make a dirty remark. But I quickly sobered because truly, I was nervous. I knew how much his family mattered to him, and this relationship wouldn’t succeed without their support. I’d never come between Gray and his kids.
