Dex glanced at Luna with a rueful smile. “I wasn’t quite done, but okay.” He looked up at me again. “The girls helped me pick out the ring, and they wanted to be part of this. I couldn’t say no.”
“Of course not.” My eyes filled as Luna and Hallie came and stood behind their father.
“Winnie, my favorite thing about you is your hugs,” said Hallie, as if she’d practiced her lines. “You always make me feel good if I have a bad day. Even if kids at school aren’t nice or I’m frustrated about something, I always know that when I see you, you’ll give me a hug and make me feel better.”
I sniffed. “Thank you, Hals. I love your hugs too.”
“My favorite thing about you is how you always have fun Band-Aids at your house,” said Luna. “And good snacks. I also like when you play salon and Barbies with me.”
I smiled at her through tears. “I’ll always have fun Band-Aids for you. And I love our playtime too.”
Dex spoke up next. “My favorite thing about you is the way you see the good in everyone, the way you treat people with generosity and kindness, and the way you love with your whole heart.” He slipped the ring on my finger. “I know I’m just a big hairy ogre who doesn’t deserve a princess, but it would make me the happiest ogre alive if you’d ride off into the sunset with me.”
“With us!” Luna added.
“We told him to say that part,” Hallie whispered.
I half-laughed, half-sobbed. “It’s good.”
“What do you say, Winnie MacAllister? Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I squeaked, because I could barely find my voice. “Yes!”
I only looked at the ring for a moment before leaning down to kiss him. He stood up, wrapping me in his embrace, and I looped my arms around his neck.
As my feet left the ground and his little girls cheered, I felt his heart beating against mine and knew I was safe.
I knew today was just the beginning of our life as a family.
I knew I’d never forget this moment as long as I lived, and it would be a story we told our grandchildren someday.
Overcome with emotion, I buried my face in his shoulder and shed tears of joy—I was loved, I was cherished, I was home.
THE END
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Then get ready for more in the next generation Cloverleigh Farms Series… Ellie and Gianni’s book, TASTE, is up next! Keep reading to learn more about it…
Be a Harlot
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Taste
A peek at Ellie and Gianni’s story…
The last person on earth I want to be stranded with is Gianni Lupo.
But thanks to the blizzard of the century, I’m trapped in a roadside motel room with that cocky bastard for two straight days.
With one small bed.
Some women might thank Mother Nature for delivering a polar vortex that maroons them with six feet of solid muscle, those deep blue eyes, that sexy grin--but not me. I’ve known Gianni Lupo all my life, and he’s never brought me anything but bad luck and trouble.
So when the tension between us explodes with enough fiery heat to melt my icy defenses, I should have known what the disastrous end result would be--
A big fat plus sign.
After the snow melts, I’m left with more than just memories of the night we spent keeping each other warm. And he might be a rising star on the culinary scene, but he’s got no idea how to handle this bun in the oven.
He says he wants to do the right thing, but I’m not about to spend the rest of my life feeling like someone settled for me.
But just when I think I’ve got Gianni Lupo all figured out, he gives me a taste of the man he could be, of the family we could become, of the way he could love me if I let him.
I’m terrified of falling for him.
But one taste might be all it takes.
TASTE will release February 28th, 2022. Preorder now!