Page 67 of Deal with Mr. Cruel

She looked up at him through her lashes and bit her bottom lip, still unsure. He brushed his thumb against her lip softly and knelt down to kiss her. She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t fully let go. How could he convince her? Then he thought of it. He felt for his back pocket. The ring.

After she had pushed it at him at the festival, he had dropped it. He spent several moments frantically searching for it in the grass. It wasn’t about the ring. It was about what it meant. It was about who it belonged with. That person was Mae. Afraid of losing it again, he kept it with him.

He knelt down on one knee, pulling the ring from his pocket. She put her hand to her mouth and gasped as she looked down at him. This time, it was real.

“You’re it for me, Mae. You always have been.”

She shook her head in disbelief.

“I love you so much. Will you marry me?” he asked. Every bit of hope he had was doing cartwheels in his stomach as he waited for her answer.

After what felt like an eternity, she nodded slowly, holding back a smile.

She stared down at him for a moment before giving him her hand. “Only if it’s for real this time.”

“It’s real. It’s so real.” He placed the ring on her finger.

She knelt down to kiss him softly before pulling away and looking at the ring sparkling on her hand. “Now, I’ve been meaning to ask. Isthisreal?” She wiggled her fingers at him and Jonas laughed. He pulled her in for another kiss. Taking her by surprise, they tumbled to the floor laughing.

Epilogue

Mae

Mae pulled into the garage as she watched the sunset in the rearview mirror. She smiled at Jonas’s car that was already parked next to hers. She checked the time on the dash before turning the car off. It was 5:30 p.m. He beat her again. Ever since he had challenged himself to leave the office on time, he had never been late. It had been a year, and he was always been home before her. Mae loved that about him.

She switched off the ignition and grabbed her purse from the front seat. She saw her phone light up with a notification. It was a text from Nico:

Threw my fastest pitch at training today!

Mae smiled and texted back:So proud of you!

She was so happy they had patched things up after all the drama. Jonas was the one who had forced them to meet for dinner and hash everything out. He had tricked them both into it because they both probably would have been too stubborn. He had told Mae he had made a dinner reservation for a date, and he had Braydon tell Nico it was a business meeting.

When Mae showed up at the restaurant, the hostess led her to a table where an unsuspecting Nico sat. After a few awkward minutes, they ordered a bottle of wine, and finally talked about everything. Mae explained everything about Jonas, and although Nico didn’t warm up to the idea of them together right away, he’d finally come to terms with it. He even texted Jonas sometimes. What they talked about, Mae had no idea, but she was happy. The two men she loved finally got along.

She clicked off her phone and slid it into her purse before heading inside. She was met with the smell of garlic and spices wafting in the air. Her stomach grumbled loudly. She set her things down on the entry table and walked quietly through the house. Their house. She ran her fingers lovingly against the wall as she made her way to the kitchen.

They had moved to the suburbs a few months ago. Ever since she had stayed at Lindsay’s during that emotional time she’d rather forget, Mae realized how much she missed the home she grew up in. She missed the tree-lined streets, cul-de-sacs, and the quietness of a small neighborhood. It felt like a piece of her was missing in the city.

She thought she would have to talk Jonas into it, but he was happy to leave the city. He had said he wanted a fresh start with her. After he had proposed to her a second time, they had a small courthouse wedding to make everythingreal.They had never smiled so big as they did in that courthouse in front of the judge. Their cheeks actually hurt.

Afterward, they popped champagne in the back of his town car, which unbeknownst to her was driving away from the city. When the car stopped and Mae finally came up for air from kissing her husband (for real), she realized they were in front of a charming two-story Colonial. Confused, she looked at Jonas for answers, but he just had a secretive smile on his face.

“Welcome home, wife.”

She gasped as she pressed her hands against the window and gawked at the house. It was perfect, with white shutters and a wrap-around porch. There were rose bushes growing neatly on the lawn. Children riding bikes whizzed by on the sidewalk laughing.

“Jonas. What did you do?” asked Mae slowly.

“Do you like it?” He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

She felt her eyes tear up as she squeezed his hand back. It was perfect. It reminded her so much of her childhood home.

“I love it.”

Now, she leaned against the wall of the entryway to the kitchen and admired her husband. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the idea. Jonas had music playing and hadn’t heard her come in. She stayed quiet and took it all in. He was wearing the gray sweats she loved and a fitted white t-shirt as he moved confidently around the kitchen. The cooking classes they had taken together last month were paying off. She hadn’t cooked in weeks, which she was grateful for. She had been so busy at her new job.

When Braydon retired shortly after the festival, she felt like it was the right time to try something new. She also felt like it was time to give Nico the space to grow and come into his own, without his big sister always around. When she told him, he was disappointed at first. Maybe even a little scared, but in the end, he understood.

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