Page 48 of Sweet Christmas Wish
And he truly had. The ring was white gold with a gorgeous emerald-cut diamond, flanked by two smaller emerald cut diamonds. It was simple, elegant, and striking. She couldn't have picked out a better ring for herself if she tried.
He knows me so well,she thought, nestling closer to him and savoring the feeling of resting in his arms. She felt as though she were floating on air.
“I was kind of nervous,” he admitted into her hair with a chuckle.
Lacy pulled back to look up at him and laughed a little. “You had no reason to be. As if I would say anything but ‘yes’.”
Instead of looking reassured, he looked nervous all over again.
“What is it?”
“I, er… I actually have one more thing to show you. Is that okay?”
Lacy’s heart started racing again as she nodded. “Lead the way.”
To her surprise, he helped her into her coat and gloves, carefully guiding the glove over her new ring, before pulling on his own coat. Curiosity and excitement enveloped her. What could this new surprise be? Her curiosity grew even more as Derek tied a blindfold around her eyes, then took her hand, leading her outside and to his truck. He opened the door for her and then scooped her up, depositing her on the seat so she wouldn’t have to climb into the high bed of the truck herself.
By now, Lacy genuinely had no idea what on earth the surprise could be.
It must be far away,she reasoned,or else he would have just had us walk.
Derek stopped the truck only a couple of minutes later though, in a nearby street that they could have walked to.
What in the world is going on?
“Why are we stopping here?”
Derek reached over and gently pulled off her blindfold. She blinked in the light and looked around. They were on a neighborhood street, in front of an adorable stone cottage with a For Sale sign in the front yard. Lacy’s heart started beating even faster at the sight of it.
“I was thinking that it was time we had a home to call our own, a place we can live that’s close enough to the mansion that you can keep running it without any trouble, but a place that’s our own. A place where we can start our marriage together, start a family.” He took a breath, still looking nervous. “A home for us to share, together.”
Lacy’s hand was once more over her mouth. This man beside her was the most thoughtful, caring man she had ever met. Just when she thought she had him all figured out he would surprise her like this and show her that his wells of generosity and thoughtfulness were even deeper than she’d suspected.
“It’s gorgeous! Can we go inside?”
Derek nodded. “Matthew Martinez is the realtor, and he’s a friend of mine. He gave me the key so we could do a walk-through.”
“Wow, yes, please!”
Derek hurried out of the truck and around it so he could open the door for her, and then they walked up the path together. He fitted the key in the lock and turned it, opening the door and waiting for her to step inside first. Together, they explored the small but well-laid out rooms. It was full of unique architectural details, like the stone fireplace in the living room, the arched doorways, the built-in bookshelves in the family room, and the peaked ceiling in the master bedroom.
“What do you think?” Derek asked as they walked back into the front entry.
“I love it,” Lacy breathed. “It’s absolutely perfect.”
“Do you want to put in an offer?”
Lacy nodded vigorously. “Yes, please.” She threw her arms around his neck. “I can’t believe this! I’m so excited about living with you in our very own home and being your wife!”
“That’s good,” Derek said, pulling her into his arms and nuzzling her neck. “Because I don’t think I could have waited another day to ask you to be my wife.”
With that, he lowered his head, and their lips met in a sweet, perfect kiss.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
“Could I get a Reuben sandwich with a side of fries? And a cobb salad?” Sarah considered the menu and then added impulsively. “And a side of fries for the salad as well?”
“Yep, I’ll have that order out to you in a jiffy,” Becca replied, scribbling down Sarah’s order on her notepad and then hurrying off to the kitchen.
