Page 183 of Alive At Night

Another slow step.

“Poppy. Iris. Ivy. Violet. Holly. Willow. Olive. Magnolia. Dahlia. Hazel.”

For every word he had said, Julian took a step. Which led him straight to me, and only when he was within reach did he look up and whisper, “Daisy baby.”

His arm dropped, the pad of paper forgotten onto the floor. I stared at him, not sure what was happening but knowing I didn’t want to miss a second of it. He brushed my coat off my shoulders, leaving me in only my black dress again. His eyes raked over it while my jacket fell to the floor beside his notebook with an echoing thud.

“Julian,” I breathed, wishing I had a million names to rattle off in return but knowing I only needed to say his once for him to understand everything I was feeling. “There was a list?”

His smile was gentle as he lifted a hand to my face. “There was a list. I told you.”

I thought it was a joke, something we just teased. But before I could clarify, Julian went on.

“I grew up in a big family, baby.” He put his other hand to my face, cupping it. “I should have been good at sharing, but the one thing I hated sharing was you. Even with my siblings, my parents. I hated that since you showed up on my doorstep and became theirs…that you could never become mine. Everyone called you Juni, but I didn’t want the Juniper that everyone else had.”

My lips parted as shock ran through my system. For over a year, Julian had reinforced how much he loved me. But these words…these words were new.

The corner of his mouth tipped up. “See, I told you I’m selfish,” he said.

“You’ve never been selfish, Julian,” I choked out. “Never. Not one day in your whole life.”

Julian smiled softly, smoothing my hair behind my ear before returning to cup my face. “The first time I called you Rosie, it was Christmas,” he went on. “You had just come inside from the snow, and your cheeks were flushed. You thought I was making fun of you, and I realized I had to return to the drawing board.”

He looked pointedly at the notebook on the floor.

“So I kept trying new nicknames that reminded me of you, hoping one would be perfect. For just us. So at least I could have one thing that was mine. But…I realized you were more than just a single flower, a single name.” Julian’s fingers traced my jaw to my chin, tipping it up until I was staring into his sharp gaze. “You were a whole goddamn bouquet, baby.”

“My nicknamesdobelong to you, Julian. But so does my heart. And a whole lot more.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” he said, grin growing. “Because I was wondering if I could add another name to the list. One that means…a whole lot more.”

Julian’s grip slid down my sides until he had my hands in both of his. He held my fingers tightly as he dropped to the ground. Onto one knee.

“How does Mrs. Briggs sound?” he asked, eyes shining as he looked up at me like I was the only star in the sky. My hands shook in his, and he gripped them harder, refusing to let go. “Should I add it to my notebook?”

A disbelieving laugh broke through my lips. “But it isn’t a plant.”

“Yeah…” Julian winced, but there was humor in it. His eyes twinkled. “I was hoping you’d make an exception. Just this once.”

“You were, huh?”

“Yeah, I was.” Julian let go of one of my hands to reach into his pocket, producing a small velvet box. He popped it open, and I felt my knees buckle. “I even brought this ring along for the occasion.”

My lips parted with a silent scream, and I slapped a hand over my mouth. A larger-than-life diamond sparkled up at me, but that wasn’t what blurred my vision. Tears welled in my lash line, threatening to fall.

But then Julian kept talking, and there was no holding them back.

“I love you, Juniper,” he whispered. Simple words that I had heard so many times before at this point. But they carried the weight of my heart. “I’m in love with you, and I know I can’t live without you. I tried. I tried, and I was miserable. You aren’t just the love of my life. You’re the joy of it. You’re my everything. And I’m hoping you’ll let me marry you.”

I blinked through the tears, trying to find my voice. “You want to marry me, huh?”

I couldn’t seem to figure out how to do anything but repeat him.

“Desperately.” Julian nodded. Aggressively nodded. “Can I?”

There was a time, back in high school, when I had made it my mission to always have a comeback for the words Julian Briggs said. But I never imagined, not in my wildest dreams, that I would have to come up with an answer for this. And even though the answer was obvious, all I could do was smile down at him, my lips stretched so wide they hurt.

“If you need the proof, it’s right there,” he teased, nodding to the ring in his hand. He was waiting…eagerly waiting for me to answer so he could slide it ontomyhand.

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