Page 73 of It's Only Love

They only left the bedroom to show up at the bar the next morning to see everyone. He felt so proud walking in there, with her on his arm, she was his. His forever. Taylor had thrown herself at them both the second she saw them, sobbing. The first time he’d ever seen her actually cry. She was so happy Christy was staying, so grateful to him that he made it happen and that they were going to be one big, happy family.

Beau came over and hugged them both, equally pleased, especially now he was moving back to the town, something Dean was also ecstatic about, could life get any better? As Christy moved away to speak to Taylor and Justine, squeezing his hand gently before letting it go, he and Beau started talking.

“So, I guess I’ll officially have to stop flirting with her now, huh?” Beau asked, a shit eating grin on his face. Dean punched him on the arm.

“Bitch, please. You were never a threat,” Dean laughed, Beau nodded.

“That is true,” he paused, “although how does it feel knowing I kissed her first?”

Dean’s smile fell off his face, Beau turned to face Christy, folding his arms over his chest and tapping his chin in contemplation.

“I mean, you have her now, and forever, blah blah blah, but technically, I had her first…” Beau trailed off and fixed him with a stare.

“Run…” Dean growled, Beau barked out a laugh and ran outside, Dean following close behind. They made it to the children's play area before Dean tackled him to the ground, and gave him a dead arm, and a dead leg for good measure. Dean chuckled at the memory, served the bastard right. The women had come outside to watch them wrestling and, eventually, Christy begged them to stop, not wanting Beau to damage Dean’s pretty face. They both laughed and came over to where the women were standing.

“Hey, Blake,” Taylor called, waving as the new deputy headed into the bar. All of a sudden, Justine grabbed Beau and pulled him to her for a kiss. Beau stumbled and slammed into her, pinning her to the wall of the bar, obscuring her from view.

As they kissed, Dean flicked his eyes to Christy, when did this happen? Christy just shrugged and he moved his eyes to Taylor, whose lips thinned and eyes narrowed as she watched them. As soon as the door to the bar banged shut behind Blake, Justine pulled away from Beau.

“Sorry, Beau, I don’t think it’s going to work,” she said, patting his shoulder and turning to speak to Christy. Beau looked around, as confused as the rest of them had been.

The sound of Christy’s mumbling brought him back to the present. She was working on the first draft of her new book, he wasn’t allowed to read it until it was finished, but he couldn’t wait. He loved curling up with her on the couch in her study and having her bounce ideas off him. She was so talented and he was so thrilled that he got to be part of her process.

“Oh my God…” she cried from inside her study. He smiled to himself, showtime. He took a deep breath, tried to stop himself from shaking and opened the door. He walked into the room and she stood up from her desk, her notepad in her hand, still reading what was on the page. She turned to face him, shock lining her features and watched as he slowly got down on one knee and produced a small box. Her hands went to her face and he opened the box.

“Christy, will you-” he started, his voice shaking slightly from his nerves, but that was as far as he got. She screamed and flung herself at him, tackling him to the floor, showering him with kisses.

“Yes,” kiss, kiss, “of course,” kiss, kiss, kiss, “I’ll marry you!”

He chuckled and rolled on top of her, pinning her with his weight, kissing her lips, tilting her head to dive deeper, and she sighed into his mouth. When they pulled apart, he took her hand and placed the ring on her finger. She looked at the ring, then at him and promptly burst into tears, he laughed and pulled her to him, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat.

*

That night, when their friends came around for a barbecue, Christy showed everyone the ring. There was screaming, applause, tears, and hugs all round. Even Beau got a little choked up, which Christy thought was super sweet. The girls took her to one side to start talking wedding dresses and venues, while Beau and Dean were at the grill talking bachelor parties.

“No strippers!” she shouted over to them, and Dean laughed.

“I don’t wanna see anyone naked but you, darlin’,” he replied. Justine sighed dreamily, Beau chuckled, and Taylor muttered, “Gross.”

“Let me go and get some drinks,” Christy said, getting up and heading into the kitchen, leaving Taylor and Justine to talk flower arrangements. As she made her way back out onto the terrace with a pitcher of margaritas, Christy paused. Dean and Beau were at the grill, Beau and Taylor sniping at each other, and Justine was sitting watching them and laughing. Her heart squeezed in her chest. This was it, what she imagined but even better because it had come true.

She was so full of love and surrounded by her family that she felt her heart would burst with happiness. Who would’ve thought a few months ago, when she returned home with such dread, that this would be the outcome? Not her that was for sure.

She went back outside and sat down with Taylor and Justine, not really listening to what they were saying, instead she was eyeing up the sexy blond at the grill. The way he threw back his head with laughter, his biceps flexing when he moved his arms, his back muscles rippling through his shirt. She shivered and couldn't wait to get her hands on him later. As though he read her mind, he turned and their eyes met. He smiled at her, those gorgeous dimples of his making an appearance and he winked, his smile promising a night to remember.

“-I just don’t understand, that’s all,” Taylor cried out, pulling Christy’s attention away from her future husband.

“Understand what?” Christy asked.

“Why Justine isn’t interested in asking out Blake,” Taylor replied.

“The new sheriff?” Dean called over his shoulder.

“He’s just not my type, how many times do I have to tell you?” Justine replied, exasperation in her tone. As they bickered back and forth, Christy watched Justine closely, Justine avoiding her stare. She didn’t believe for a second he wasn’t her type, there was definitely something more there. But then Dean came over and dropped a kiss on her mouth, distracting her.

Later that night when everyone had gone home, Christy was back in her study. She was looking at the pictures on her desk, one of her and the girls, one of her and Dean, and the one of her parents. Now when she thought of them, she felt nothing but love. She had chosen to let go of the past and embrace her future. She looked at the photo frame she added to the collection this afternoon. A black wooden frame with a slip of paper inside. She had been furiously writing away earlier today when she turned to the next page in her notebook, and her heart had stopped dead.

Will you marry me?

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