He was there by the railing, in almost the exact same spot as he’d found her having a minor breakdown so many months ago.
Maybe he was feeling nostalgic too.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked. “It’s kind of cold.”
“I know it is.” His smile was warm and fond and just a little bit dry. Exactly like him. “Do you need my jacket?”
“No, I don’t need your jacket.”
“One time I offered it to you, you said it smelled like me. Scrumptious I think was the word.”
She gave him the eye roll he deserved. “If I recall correctly, I also called you arrogant and presumptuous that night, so I wouldn’t put too much stock in a random comment on how you smell scrumptious.” She leaned forward and sniffed his shoulder. “Although you still do, if you want to know the truth.”
He laughed and pulled her into a quick hug. She still loved every time he did that. It was like he couldn’t help but reach out to her in his amusement.
“But seriously,” she went on after a minute of enjoying the feeling. “Were you getting hot in there or something?”
“No. I just wanted to come out here.”
“Oh. Why?” Her eyes were wide. She really had no idea what was about to happen.
He cleared his throat and shifted very slightly.
Frowning, she asked, “What are you all stiff and nervous about all of a sudden?”
“I’m not stiff and nervous.” He frowned back at her, lofty and disapproving.
With a giggle, she gave him a patronizing pat on the shoulder that she knew would annoy him. “Of course you aren’t. You’re not nervous at all. You’re always totally confident and in control—in fact, I’m in awe of your lack of nervousness about anything.”
“Shut it,” he muttered.
“But despite your superhuman abilities, you did seem kind of nervous before. Like a sappy guy who was about to... about to...” She trailed off as an idea came to her for the very first time.
He arched his eyebrows, a glint awakening in his eyes that was impossible not to understand. “About to what?”
“About to... Robert?” Her voice squeaked on his name. She hugged her arms to her chest.
He was half smiling as he cleared his throat again and stuck his hand in his pocket.
She made another squeak and raised one hand to cover her mouth.
Then, with an expression of self-deprecating amusement, he lowered himself to one knee and extended his hand.
In it was a jeweler’s box. In the box was a beautiful princess-cut diamond on a sleek platinum band.
She made a little sobbing sound as she stared down at it. At him.
“You’re my sunshine, Amanda Griffin,” he said thickly, gazing up at her with an adoration she’d never have dreamed she’d see on his face even a year ago. “And you always have been. Will you marry me and be my sunshine forever?”
It took her a few moments to find her voice, but she nodded until she could finally choke out, “Yes. Yes, of course I will!”
He made a relieved sound in his throat as he hefted himself up to his feet, wincing slightly as he rose. He pulled her into his arms. “I love you, sunshine.”
“I love you too! So much.”
After a minute of hugging, she pulled away so he could put the ring on her finger. They both stared down at it in satisfaction, but then she asked, “Did you hurt yourself going down on one knee?”
“No, I did not.” He looked offended but wasn’t. “Just pulled something standing up.”
She burst into laughter, and then he did too. And Amanda knew one thing for sure.
Being with him would never be a mistake.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I hope you enjoyed The Mistake! The next book in the Bad Bridesmaids series is The Mission (about Serena and Keith). You can find an excerpt from that book on the following pages.
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excerpt from The Mission
SERENA INVITED KEITH to stay for dinner when they got home. He’d been a huge help to her today, and she always enjoyed his company.
Plus, she felt kind of weird about their interaction regarding dating, and she wanted to make sure things were good between them before they said goodnight. She’d had to work hard to build back a stable life after her divorce, and Keith was central to that stability. Nothing upset her peace and security like conflict with him.
The three of them had a grand time making pizza (with premade crust), adding all kinds of creative and yummy toppings thanks to Keith’s ingenuity. They’d been working through all the Disney princess movies, so they watched one of those afterwards, all three of them together on the couch with Eva in the middle.
Eva was happy and giggling when the movie was over, and she didn’t even object to it being her bedtime. As she ran off to change into her pajamas and brush her teeth, Serena smiled over at Keith, who was still slouched on the other side of the couch.
He looked particularly big and warm and masculine as he stretched his long legs and leaned back his head. He’d never been much of an athlete, and he was only semi-regular about working out, but he was made lean with good shoulders and a mostly flat abdomen. Today he was wearing worn jeans and a blue crewneck. The long sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, and her eyes were drawn to his tanned forearms. She wasn’t sure why she liked the looks of them so much. The dark hair, the ripples of the tendons. He’d always worn a watch—for as long as she’d known him—and he was wearing one now. Basic black with a digital display. It slid slightly back and forth whenever he moved his arm.
She knew him so well. She knew every scar and mole on his body—at least those visible in his regular clothes. She was suddenly hit with the vision of what he might look like without a shirt. Without anything on at all.
“What is it?” he asked, his eyebrows arching up. He had brown hair and brown eyes and the slightest little cleft in his chin.
“Nothing.” She felt her cheeks warming for no good reason. “Just I’m glad you stayed tonight.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know. You might have had plans. Or you might have still been a little annoyed about my attempts to aid in your love life.”
With a slight roll of his eyes, he replied, “Your attempts are sometimes annoying, but I know you mean well.”
“I do.”
“So we can give it a try. What can it hurt? Line up the women, and I’ll make my way through them like bowling pins if will make you happy.”
“I’m not trying to make me happy. I’m trying to make you happy.” She actually didn’t like the idea of women lined up to try to snare Keith. Attempting to make him theirs.
He didn’t feel like theirs.
He felt like hers.
But that was silly and selfish and irrational, so she didn’t indulge the feeling. Instead she reached out and put a hand on his forearm, just next to his watch. “I promise I am.”