Page 72 of Brides and Brothers
Benson sighed. “If anyone ruins this for my brother, we’re calling Sheriff Dan back.” Easton and Benson shared an amused smile, but no one else enjoyed the comment.
In a matter of seconds, Emma, Easton, Daisha, Benson, and Camille were around the side of the house and crawling on their hands and knees. Beautiful drifts of white snow sloped against the bushes, making for the perfect barrier between the spies and the lovebirds. Camille had covered her hands with the ends of her coat sleeves, but she nearly shrieked as the moisture soaked through her pants. It wasn’t cold enough to make her want to miss the proposal though.
Camille glanced back at Benson, who was on the other side of Daisha and last in their train. She had a hard time believing Benson would go along with their scheme. He was too private of a person to be willing to spy on anyone. She knew he was groaning and moaning inside, and she had to suppress her laugh. Easton, on the other hand, energetically led the way. He seemed to be enjoying himself, despite how much he protested the reality of there even being a proposal tonight.
He held up his hand when they had gone far enough and crawled back enough to whisper to Emma, “Camille can video from here. It gives her a good shot, even though we might not be able to hear them too well. I don’t feel good about going any farther.”
Emma was in front of Camille, so she turned and repeated Easton’s words. Camille turned and passed the applicable information to Daisha and Benson. The five of them peered through the bushes and waited. They crouched on their feet, giving their knees a break from the icy cold. Camille put her phone into a ready position. Her finger hovered over the record icon as Flynn stood up. He looked right at them and started walking toward them.
Camille remembered her first morning at the Petersons’ home and the abrupt way Flynn had acted. Her heart started pounding. He would be ticked! He stopped a few feet from them by a tree, and Camille nearly fell off her perch on the balls of her feet. She stopped breathing as he reached behind the tree and pulled something large and black out from its hiding place. Air poured silently out of her. He hadn’t seen them.
Relieved, her brain started working to connect what the dark object was. Ah, his guitar case. She’d seen him carry the black case enough times that she didn’t have to wait for better light to be certain.
Flynn called over to Sage, “Remember how I mentioned you inspired me to write a song the first time we were introduced? I think it’s time you hear it.”
As he crossed back to her, she said, “Flynn Peterson, you’re the most romantic guy I’ve ever met!”
“Remind me after I play this, because I’m pretty nervous.” He sat back down next to Sage and unzipped his guitar case. He pulled out the instrument and strummed a few times as he tuned it. When he was satisfied, he cleared his throat and started humming.
Camille nudged Daisha, happy to see her ever-practical friend beaming over the scene.
Flynn’s smooth voice easily carried over to them, a sweet song about how he’d fallen for an angel. If she had to guess, she’d say he’d composed it himself.
After a minute of listening to Flynn’s romantic song, Sage wasn’t the only one teary-eyed. When Flynn finished, Camille’s breath caught. He slid onto one knee and popped open a ring box. It was the moment every girl dreamed about.
“Yes!” Sage said with a squeal. She bowled Flynn over in a bear hug. They laughed and slid back onto the bench, where Flynn slipped the ring on Sage’s finger. She dove in for a kiss, and Flynn caught her face in his hands. Camille averted her eyes. The camera was still rolling, but she could give them alittleprivacy.
She turned to see the reactions of her coconspirators and saw Emma and Easton lip-locked. She stared for a minute in disbelief. She whipped her head to gauge Benson’s and Daisha’s reactions to Emma and Easton’s kissing, but their eyes were ignorantly glued to the scene on the other side of the bushes, and they hadn’t noticed anything amiss. Camille knew her phone blocked their view a little, but it seemed the whole world should be stopping to witness the insanity next to her.
Camille wanted to crawl and hide in a frozen hole. Easton had a girlfriend! Emma had gone out with Benson, who was only three or four feet away. This might be a regular thing for high schoolers, but she was not going to encourage a dramafest with her family and her best friends. Unfortunately, there was no escaping the awkwardness.
Plastering her eyes forward did not prevent her ears from overhearing Easton’s whispered accusation: “You kissed me!”
“I didn’t kiss you! You kissed me!” Emma argued back.
“I admit I kissed you, but you met me in the middle. And you definitely kissed me back.”
Emma giggled. “I did, didn’t I?”
Benson and Daisha made shushing noises.
Easton’s whisper was not any quieter than before. “We need to talk.”
“I’ve been wanting to tell you how I felt for a while, but I only see you during tutoring.”
“I’ll drive you home tonight, and we can figure this out.”
Camille waited for a response, and when there wasn’t one, her eyes darted sideways. It took effort to force her mouth to close. Flynn and Sage were wrapped around each other, kissing again. Aiden was right. They probably should’ve waited away from any windows or bushes for an announcement.
Benson motioned with his hand, and the five of them started crawling back toward the house.
“What was that?” Flynn’s voice made them freeze.
“I didn’t hear anything,” Sage said.
“It was probably nothing. Sit tight for a second. I’m going to unplug the lights before we head back inside.”
“Duck!” Benson whispered loudly. “He’s coming our way!”
