Page 22 of Sugar and Spice Kisses

“I’m good with sneaky,” she said and pulled me in for a hug. “I’m so happy for you. Eli is the best.”

“He really is. I’m a lucky guy.” I wasn’t the easiest person to deal with, but Eli always smoothed things out and made me see things differently without the haze of stress and concern. He made everything better.

“You are, now go get your guy. Aren’t you guys leaving to go to Tahoe soon?”

I checked the time and rushed around closing everything down for the night. The special-order people had yet to show up, so I wrote a note telling them they could find their order at the gift shop and after a few minutes I was locked up and carrying a few boxes of cookies with Kelsey hurrying along next to me. I was nervous as fuck and Kelsey kept having to jog to catch up. Finally, she pulled me to a stop.

“Give them to me, I’ll give them to Carol, she knows what to do. You go home and get your man.” Without giving me a choice, she took the boxes and continued down the street. I stood there a full minute before breaking into a run to get to my car that I’d thankfully driven to work today.

I rushed into the bedroom and was double-checking I’d packed everything when Eli came up behind me and settled his hands on my hips while kissing my cheek. “Hey, babe, are you ready to go?”

I clutched the ring box in my hand and forced myself to answer him and not give away the surprise. “Yep, just makingsure I didn’t forget anything.” He kissed my cheek again before walking into the bathroom.

“That’s a good idea, I’m going to do that too,” he said from the bathroom while I shoved the ring box back into the bottom of my bag.

A few hours later we were seated at the same table we’d had last year. My nerves were shot, and I was barely able to eat. “Are you feeling okay?” Eli asked, taking my hand.

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just going to go use the restroom.” I stood and walked toward where the bathrooms were located, which happened to be just past the front counter. “Excuse me. I called and spoke to your manager, Steven. I discussed with him about proposing to my boyfriend and I was hoping I could get the ring to him without my boyfriend seeing us.” The dark-haired man at the counter listened to me and grinned as I explained what I needed.

“You’re Randy Miller,” he said, checking a note that was tucked under the reservation book. “Steven told us to be on the lookout for you. I can get him for you if you’d like or you can give the ring to me, and I’ll make sure he gets it.”

I considered making him get Steven but thought better of it when I decided that Steven wouldn’t have told his staff if he didn’t trust them. Not to mention Gordon Ramsay would never hire someone who was questionable. “Here,” I whispered. “Please take good care of it, and make sure it comes out with his dessert.”

“You got it. By the way, my name is Gregory. If there’s any issue at all, please come get me.”

“Thank you,” I whispered back, still not sure why I was whispering.

“Is everything okay?” Eli asked when I returned to the table.

Wiping the sweat off my brow and taking another deep breath, I settled my hand over his. “Everything is perfect. Did you want to order dessert?”

“I can’t believe you could ask me that with a straight face, of course I want to order dessert.”

As if on cue our waiter brought the dessert menu and we both studied the choices. “I think I’ll try the bread pudding this time,” I said and set down the menu. Eli was still studying it when the waiter walked back to our table, and it was so unnerving knowing he knew what was going on, but Eli didn’t.

“I’ll take the brownie. It was delicious last year.” The waiter took our menus and walked away toward the kitchen.

It was time, and nerves and emotions tightened my throat forcing me to swallow hard and take yet another deep breath. Eli reached for my hand and his warm, gentle smile reassured me even without him trying. The waiter showed up with dessert and a sparkler was added to Eli’s making us both laugh . . . until the waiter set down the box next to Eli’s brownie. “What’s that?”

“Go ahead and open it,” I said and watched every move he made.

His hands shook as he scooped up the small black box and pried it open. The simple platinum band shone in the lights of the restaurant making him gasp. “Are you serious?” he asked before taking it out and looking at it.

“Oh, I’m very serious,” I said, and took it from him. “Eli, I love you. I think I’ve probably always loved you, but I was too stubborn to see it.”

“We’ve talked about this before—” he started but I stopped him with a raised hand.

“I love you and there’s not another person in this world I would rather spend my life with. Eli Canton, would you do me the honor of becoming my husband?” His eyes widened, and fora moment it was him swallowing hard and taking a deep breath or two.

“Are you serious?” he whispered, and I reached up and brushed his cheek where a tear had fallen.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more serious about anything in my whole life.” The sound of the restaurant and everyone in it faded to the background and for a moment there was only him and me. He covered my hand that covered his and squeezed.

“I’d love to be your husband,” he whispered before gently kissing me. “I love you.”

“I’m going to take that as a yes.” I slid the ring on his finger and breathed a sigh of relief that it fit like it had been made for him.

“It’s definitely a yes,” he said, still preoccupied by the ring now on his finger. “Now I need to get you one to match.”

“I’d like that,” I said. The rest of the night was filled with us falling in love all over again, or maybe it just felt that way and we fell deeper in love. Either way it was romantic, and sexy, and filled with more love than I would have thought I had a right to even wish for. But somehow, someone somewhere had decided that I deserved all the love and happiness this wonderful man had given me. And I planned to spend the rest of my life showing him how much I loved him right back.

THE END

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