I did as I was asked and grinned against her lips, tasting the strawberry milkshake. “I have a few secrets to pass on. Have you seen my family?”
Carrie nodded and glanced behind her. “Grace is walking around with Micky, who’s prancing, by the way. He adores it here. You can tell. He’s already had, like, six strawberries.”
“Love you guys,” a passerby said from beneath a giant strawberry hat. “We’re from San Diego and watch The Secret Sauce each week. Glad she agreed to go on that date, huh, Skyler?”
“Asking was a good move,” I called back and squeezed her hand.
“And so very public. You had guts.”
“Well, the payoff was pretty great.”
Carrie turned to me. “I’m hoping for the same payoff.”
I squinted “From what?”
She grinned. “The segment is not quite over. Did I mention we’re still rolling?”
“No.” I studied her, mystified. “What’s going on?”
“Why don’t we walk back up the stairs? Here we go.” She took my hand and led the way, as I followed, struggling to piece together the puzzle. My stomach contained a swarm of butterflies, but I wore a big smile, too. I knew I was safe with Carrie. That everything would be okay.
Moments later, we were on the small stage that they’d used to shoot the show, and to my surprise, the audience was still very much in their seats. Had that ending applause been fake? What was going on?
“Let’s say hi to these nice people.” The lavalier mic I didn’t even realize Carrie was wearing went hot on that last sentence and her voice amplified to the live audience. This was all very surreal, and my mind couldn’t seem to catch up to the action as it unfolded. “Does everyone remember Skyler?” she asked the audience, who broke into applause in response. I smiled and waved. “Well, I like to make my guests comfortable on The Secret Sauce, so why don’t you have a seat on this couch.” I looked behind me at the set they’d used for the show: a couch, a comfy chair, and a coffee table. I grinned and took a seat. Carrie sat down next to me for what was apparently an off-the-cuff segment. Now I was wishing I’d sampled more of the food before she’d gotten to me.
“Skyler, do you remember when you appeared on The Secret Sauce for the first time?”
A crew member in black appeared out of nowhere and handed me a handheld mic. Impressive, sir. “I do. We had a great time tasting wine from Napa and the Willamette Valley.” I looked around. “Is there strawberry wine? Are we about to break some out?”
“I’d like to break this out instead,” Carrie said and produced a small velvet box. My eyes went wide. My heart stopped. We loved each other, the kind of love that you read about. Our days were spent sending supportive, sexy, and playful text messages back and forth until we both returned home, kicked off our shoes, and shared a God-it’s-good-to-see-you kiss before a late-night dinner. Weekends were for either lounging around outside or heading out on an impromptu adventure, which were the best kind. Nights were the best, both for the sex and the times we skipped it for cuddling and catching up. I never wanted any of it to end, and if that little box was what I thought it was, Carrie didn’t either. The emotion had already taken hold, and I felt my throat constrict, strangled in the best way. Everything I felt for her, for us, welled to the surface and grabbed hold of my heart in its fluttery, happy grip.
Carrie got up from the couch and sank to one knee as the audience went absolutely wild. She pulled the box open to display a breathtaking pear-shaped diamond in a halo setting. The tears hit. “Skyler Ruiz, you gorgeous woman.” That pulled a collective awww and the room went quiet. “From the moment you traipsed into the newsroom at KTMW, my life was never the same. I never want it to be. You changed all that I value for the better and made the world the best damn place to be. I’m obsessed with you. What’s more? I’m madly, wildly, passionately in love with you, and the only thing left to do is make it official. I want to shout it from the rooftops. I want forever with you. What do you say? Skyler, will you please, please marry me?”
I knew the answer without having to think. For the sake of the audience, I let the silence linger before raising the microphone to my mouth, my hand shaking. “Yes.”
Carrie stood, a huge grin erupting on her beautiful face. She moved toward me. I couldn’t wait. Closing the distance, I threw my arms around her neck with gusto. She caught my mouth in a kiss as the people clapped, hooted, and hollered and the cameras rolled. “Yes,” I whispered again. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
We watched that video a lot to relive one of the best moments of our lives. I say one of because there have been so many, especially ever since we tied the knot. That beach wedding I’d always yearned for turned out to be one of the most beautiful days of the year. The photos were gorgeous and the memories even better. Caroline McNamara was now my wife, and I would never get used to it. Each new day was special for its own separate reason, and I’ve never been made to feel more special.
“Shall we jet up the coast to that little winery in Oregon this weekend? There’s now a fantastic new resort practically next door. I want you to think couples massages, wine tasting, and a cute little town to explore.”
I felt myself light up. “Sold. Make the reservation.” Paused. “But I think you’re just after more of those biscuits you lust after.”
“I want to introduce them to my wife, who, by the way, happens to be really hot in this businessy dress she’s wearing.” She touched the fabric of my dusty-blue belted number. “The station has you in the best clothes lately. This color is perfection.”
The ratings for both the five and ten were high. We were riding the wave, which allowed for a nice bump in my wardrobe budget. Not that I had anything to brag about over Carrie, who had conquered the San Diego leisure market soundly, driving her star all the higher. We were an it couple in town, which came with a lot of invitations and attention, most of which we politely declined for quiet time on our own.
Emory and Sarah had become our go-to couple for game nights on the weekends. Emory, having been given a clean bill of health, dominated most any game we played. She also allowed us to see her vulnerable side when she lost. That was still new. When we were deemed cool enough, sometimes Grace and Bobby joined us and shared their cuteness. We exchanged adoring looks over their heads, sparing them the attention.
I looked down at the dress Carrie had complimented. “This old thing?” I raised an eyebrow. “Are you thinking about taking it off me?” She was. I knew her looks.
Carrie, objectifying me blatantly, grinned and nodded, which made me laugh and my stomach flutter for what I knew was coming. As she kissed my neck, I grinned. “I think you should book it. The trip. Take me to wine country and spoil me properly. There might even be some spoiling back.”