Matthew walks up to me as Dexter pants and finally makes his way over to Abigail with the sandwich board still bouncing off his chest with every step.
Matthew takes both of my hands and says, “Did you have fun?”
I nod furiously. “So much fun. It was amazing.”
“I love you, Karli Rains. You’ve completely turned my life upside down, these past six months. In the best way possible. I’ve never smiled this much, been this happy—ever.”
“I’m so happy right now too. You make me so happy.”
“Good.” He drops down to a knee in front of me.
I clamp a hand over my mouth, because I should’ve known it was coming, from all this, but it still takes me by surprise. My heart redlines in my chest, and that same nervous feeling I get every time I’m near this man rolls through my limbs and lands in my stomach. At the same time, it’s like someone injects me with a narcotic and this warm, fuzzy feeling courses through my veins. It’s like I could float away any second.
“You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I never want to be apart from you. Never want to leave your side. There’s nothing better than waking up next to you every day.” He sniffs a little and his voice starts to crack. “I want you next to me, and I want to share a life with you as long as I’m breathing, Karli. I want to support your dreams, take care of you when you’re sick, have a family with you, a dog, a cat, I don’t care. I want you to have whatever you want.” He takes a deep breath. “What I’m saying is…” He pulls a small black box from his pocket and opens it up.
It reveals a giant diamond solitaire in a platinum setting.
“I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
My eyes dart around and everyone’s staring at me. Everything about this moment is perfect. Matthew is perfect, for me.
I nod furiously through happy tears. “Yes, of course, I’ll marry you.”
Right when I say it, I see all the tension and anxiety leave Matthew’s body, and I know the way he’s smiling has to be a mirror reflection of how I look right now. He grins that boyish grin of his, like I just made him the happiest man on the earth, at least I hope, because I can’t ever remember feeling more alive than I do right now.
He carefully slips the ring onto my finger, and in an instant he’s on his feet with his arms wrapped around me and his mouth is on mine.
Some cheers and whoops ring out around us, but they feel distant, faded into the background. Right now, it’s just me and him. He picks me up and twirls me around, his mouth still locked onto mine while the skyscrapers spin by overhead.
When the kiss breaks, he brushes a few strands of hair back around my ear, and says, “Fiancée.”
I grin and say back, “Fiancé.”
Before I know what happens next, we’re surrounded by our family and friends. I give giant bear hugs to my mom and dad. I should be surprised, but I’m not. Of course, Matthew would make sure they were here for this moment.
I walk up to Dex. “Thank you. That was so much fun. I’m glad we got to do it together.”
He grins and says, “Congratulations. And don’t worry about it. I had a blast.”
“Me too. It was the best.”
“Hey, I’m the one who came up with it.” Matthew pretends to glare as he chats with my parents.
I wave him off with a flippant hand. “Yeah, yeah, sure you did. Stop talking to the talent over here and go fetch some bagels.”
Dexter dies laughing, and so does Abigail.
Matthew smiles, shaking his head. “No respect around here.”
“You wanna marry me? What ya see is what ya get, buddy.”
Matthew comes over and wraps me up in another giant bear hug and whispers in my ear, “Wouldn’t change a fucking thing about you—ever.”
I whisper back. “Same. I love you.”
“I love you too, Karli.” He squeezes me like he may never let go. “More than you’ll ever know.”
My life is perfect. Everything is perfect. Sure, I still need to pass the bar and work hard. But that’s part of the beauty of this whole thing. The people around me make the struggles not seem like struggles. Going through the trenches, being there for each other, and coming out stronger on the other end… That’s the real happily ever after.
And mine is just beginning.
It’s the greatest Christmas present in history.
The End
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Nothing in my life can ever be easy.
I glance at the clock on the wall of my hotel suite. I knew this would happen. Weston knows I hate getting assignments at the last minute and rushing to prepare. I’m going to be late. I’m never late. He’s probably already on his first drink at the bar. I could use a drink about now.
I make it a priority to be organized and professional. It’s impossible when he throws stuff at me and makes unreasonable demands. My temples throb with the tension headache slowly radiating through my brain. I rub my fingers in soothing circles above my eyes, hoping to escape the pain. In haste, I toss a few Advil in my mouth, take a drink of water, and toss my head back to swallow.
The room is nicer than I imagined for a quick trip: queen-sized bed, high thread-count sheets, walk in shower, hardwood floors. I shouldn’t expect any less from Weston. He’s a heavy hitter.
I need to get my ass in gear and out of this hotel room. Weston Hunter is not the kind of man you keep waiting. He runs one of the most successful law firms in Dallas—The Hunter Group. He brought me to Chicago to aid in a merger that could be huge for our firm. It’s an amazing, though stressful, opportunity. I can’t help but feel this is my big test. Trial by fire.
I’m a senior associate and this is my shot at making partner.
I’m the best lawyer at the firm. It’s not a brag, Weston’s told me before.
However, I’m underprepared and that doesn’t sit well with me. Back in the Dallas office I was reading over a deposition when Weston barged in and hollered for me to grab a bag and meet him at the airport. I don’t know what he was thinking.
Maybe he’s the boss and can do as he pleases?
I fuss over my hair one last time in the mirror. There’s one strand that refuses to behave. This shit happens when I’m in a hurry. Everything falls apart.
Giving up on my hair, I slip on a pair of black heels and smooth my hand down the front of my skirt. I pick a stray piece of lint from the back as I twist around in the mirror. My blouse appears crisp and wrinkle free. My jacket completes the ensemble.
Finally, all the paperwork is organized into neat piles on the coffee table. Lists of clients, checklists of shit that needs done for due diligence. It’s all there. I breathe easy, gather the files, and tuck the hotel key into my wristlet.
Satisfied I have everything, I walk from the room and get on the elevator. It moves at a snail’s pace. If I wasn’t afraid of working up a sweat, I’d have taken the stairs to get me to the lobby faster. It never fails; the minute I’m in a hurry, Father Time makes things stand still. It’d be just my luck for the thing to stop working.