Page 79 of Finding Zara

I sighed. “I love that correction. Our room.”

“Me too.”

It had only been a few weeks since Matt moved in, which was pretty much straight after I gathered enough courage to tell him I loved him. We hadn’t spent a day apart since, and I couldn’t be happier. Or could I? “What’s with the champagne?” I asked suspiciously.

“Wonder where Bess can have got to,” he remarked, not answering my question. I was about to ask again when he gave a shrill whistle. “Where the hell is she?”

I tilted my head, listening for any sounds of her running around in the garden, but I couldn’t hear anything. Matt whistled again, then I heard dog steps around the side of the house and Bess appeared in a flash of black and white, charging onto the patio and jumping straight into Matt’s lap. “Oomph.” I couldn’t help but giggle. Bess was really way too big to be a lap dog. “Give her a pat, Zara.”

“Oh, okay.” I reached out and patted the top of her head, then quicky put my hand back under the blanket.

“Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?” Okay, now he was being really weird.

“Where’s the—” Before he could finish the sentence, Bess spat something out of her mouth straight into my lap.

“Eww, what the hell!”

Matt snatched it up before I could shove it away. “Yeah, so, that wasn’t quite how this was supposed to play out.”

“How what was supposed to play out?”

Blowing out a breath, Matt patted Bess affectionately, saying, “Good girl. Yes, you are averygood girl…but you need to get off my lap now.” She climbed down, lying on her stomach with her head on Matt’s foot.

“She’s so funny.”

“She is. She’s also much cleverer than even I give her credit for.”

I laughed. “And why is that?”

“Because this,” he held up whatever-it-was she’d spat in my lap, “was meant to be tied to her collar, but it obviously came off. But she knew she was meant to bring it, and she did. I’m very sorry, it has her slobber all over it now.”

I laughed. “I’m sure it’s fine. What is it, anyway?”

His face grew very serious, and I felt my heart thudding at the look in his eye. “Zara, I love you.”

“I love you, too, Matthew.”

“I never thought I would find someone like you, that I knew I could love for the rest of my life. Someone I wanted to share every moment with, have a family with, grow old with. I hope you know that.”

“I do know that.” The absolute trust I had in the sincerity of Matt’s words would always fill me with joy. “I feel the same for you. Exactly the same.”

“That’s good, because I thought this might be too soon, but I don’t want to wait anymore. When you know, you know. And I know. You’re it for me, Zara. You’re my everything.”

“Oh.” Happy tears began to glisten in my eyes when I finally registered what was happening. Matt wiped dry the ring box that Bess had spat onto my lap, and then snapped it open and held it out to me. “Oh my God,” I breathed. Nestled in the box was a simple, yet stunning, sapphire engagement ring.

“Zara, will you marry me?”

I nodded. I couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat.

“Is that a yes?”

Swallowing hard, I said, “Yes! Yes, yes,yes!” I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around the back of his neck and squeezing him to me, reveling in the feeling of his arms around me, holding me impossibly close. “I love you so much.”

He held me even tighter. “I love you, too.”

I pulled back just enough to kiss him. “I don’t want a long engagement. We can have the wedding here. Gabe and Jake can help with the garden—oh! Ally will help me cater it! All I need is a dress and we’re all set.”

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