Page 107 of Loved By The Bad Boy

Drama Queen:OK. I won’t tell the world anything but call me later. Pretty please with a cherry on top.

I collapse to the bed. Laughter spills freely from my lips. If only she knew her best friend lost her virginity a while ago. There was no right time to mention it to her. Ben’s face hovers over mine, and his nose rubs against mine. I palm his face for a kiss, but he draws back before our lips meet.

Pointing to the phone glued to his ear, Ben mouths, “They want to speak to you.” I sit up fast, and he laughs. He palms my knee and gives it a calming squeeze. It’s not working. I stretch my shaky hand for his phone. Ben tucks the phone between his ear and shoulder and places my hand between his. “Relax, babe. No need to get worked up over a call. You’re part of the family now.”

That works. My pulse slows, and I smile from ear to ear. He’s also part of the Mower family.

“Video call?” I button up to hide my cleavage, and he plants a kiss on my jaw. He switches to video call, and three eager faces fill the screen. Josef. Maddie. Asher. Asher is straddling Josef’s back. Maddie is beside her husband. They wave, and we wave back. “Gracie wants to say hi.”

“And thank you,” I add. My eyes sweep over my room, and I palm my rosy cheeks. “I love it.”

“Did you like the note?” Asher asks. There was a note in their gift. A handwritten note I can now confirm came from him. Maddie grins at Josef, and he plants a kiss on her temple. “I wrote it.”

“Really? I loved it, Champ. Will you come visit?”

Asher nods. “During the break.”

Ben stays quiet throughout the call, but his hand drops to my back to remind me of his presence. After a few minutes of chatting between all four of us, we finally end the call. I place our phones out of reach. I would switch them off to avoid distractions, but we need to be accessible.

“Gracie…” The seriousness on Ben’s face and his voice send a chill down my back. He runs his palms over his face and sighs. I sit cross-legged in front of him. “I’m nervous? I got you something.”

Prying his hands away from his face, I lace them around my waist. “Should I hold you?”

Ben laughs because I’m already holding him. He hides his face on my shoulder while I stroke his back. What did he get me? Why is he nervous about it? I don’t ask. He’ll tell me in his own time.

My boyfriend’s head lifts slowly. “Don’t laugh, okay?” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets. That statement elicits a small smile from me. I’m not mocking him. “I am not sure if you…”

I cut him off with a kiss. “I won’t. I promise.”

Ben doesn’t speak. I hug him. He nods and withdraws. My pulse spikes as he rises from the bed to get something outside. On his return, I’m a tight ball of anxiety, but I hide it with a smile.

Our eyes meet. Ben’s smile is as jittery as mine, but I don’t stop smiling. He gets down on one knee. My heart stops. He pulls out a square velvety box from his shorts, and I clap a hand over my lips. I don’t want to break his heart. We already talked about this. It’s too early for marriage.

Words hook in my throat. My legs slide off the bed, and my feet plant on the floor. “Benny—”

“I know you said we should wait. I agree, but I wanted to give you something else.” He flips the box open, and I gulp hard at the sight of the ring. It’s a simple gold band that represents Gracie Mower. “Calum suggested a promise ring.” Oh. My breathing falls to a regular pace. I want to get married to him, but I don’t think we are ready for that step today or tomorrow. “I don’t know, babe. Do you like it? I should have asked Imani, right? She would have given a better option.”

My nerves are under better control, but his hands shake so badly the ring almost drops. I place a hand on his shoulder. He is looking everywhere but at my face. I squeeze his shoulder. “Ben. I—”

“Or even Mira.”

“Benny.”

“You don’t like it, right? That’s why you’re not saying anything.” He’s talking too fast for me to interrupt him. Looking up at me with sad eyes, he says, “I… I really thought you would like it.”

“Wrong. So wrong. I love it. I really love it, babe.”

Ben cocks his head, staring at me like I have grown a potato in the middle of my forehead. His gaze falls to the ring, then back to my face. I grin harder. “You… you love it? Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I love it.”

His relief overwhelms him. His head bobs, and he draws me in for a hug. “Do you want me to put it on?” Of course. He tears up a little, and my self-control shatters as the ring slides up my middle finger. Happy tears roll down my cheeks, and he kisses them away. The ring is perfect. Ben is perfect. “Grace Theresa Mower, I promise to make you happy for the rest of our lives.”

Forty-Five

“Are you ready?”Mom screams from downstairs.

“Almost,” I scream back and clip my earrings.

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