A ragged sigh of relief bursts from my chest along with a firm, “Yes.”
“Yes?” she echoes, her lips curving.
“Hell, yes.” I reach out. But instead of taking the ring, I take Lark in my arms, hauling her over the gate and into a hug so tight I can feel her heart pounding behind her ribs.
“Yes,” I whisper into her hair as she wraps her arms tightly around my neck and the other customers begin to applaud. “I will marry you, Lark March. I will marry you and work my ass off to make you the happiest woman in Georgia, or anywhere else.”
“You already have.” She pulls back, gazing up into my face. “I’m so sorry for the way I acted. I was afraid and it made me do stupid things.”
“You didn’t do stupid things.”
“Yes, I did,” she says. “I know that now. I thought I had to make a ‘safe’ decision, but love is never safe. There’s always danger involved. Yes, one of us could betray the other. But even if we have the perfect relationship, everything could still fall apart. One of us could get sick or hurt and…everything could change. We could lose it all. Just like that. There are no guarantees.”
I nod slowly. “You’re right.”
“But I’ve realized there are worse things than betrayal or heartbreak or loss.” She slips her fingers into my hair, just above the collar of my shirt. “There’s my life without you in it, and it sucks. Big time.”
The backs of my eyes beginning to sting, I smile. “It does. Huge donkey balls.”
“And I hate donkey balls,” she whispers seriously, making me smile wider. “Almost as much as I love you. So you should kiss me now, right?”
“Hell, yes, I should.”
And then I kiss her, summoning another wave of applause from the rest of the diners on the patio.
Lark pulls away with a self-conscious giggle. “I almost forgot we had witnesses. This place looks amazing.”
“It’s the best brunch spot,” I say, setting her down and taking the ring box she places in my hand. “You’re going to love it.” Tugging the ring from the box, I glance at the inscription—For my Forever Friend—with a smile.
“You like it?” she asks as I slide it on my finger.
“I love it.” I take her hand. “Now we just need to get you something big enough to blind people at fifty feet and we’ll be set.”
“I don’t need a diamond big enough to blind people,” she says, squeezing my fingers. “I just need you.”
I lean in, pressing another quick kiss to her lips before turning to grab my paper and notebook. I dig a few bills from my wallet and toss them on the table, but when I look back at Lark she’s pulling out the chair across from mine and picking up one of the menus tucked between the salt and pepper shakers.
“What?” Her eyebrows lift. “You’re not going to leave that omelet uneaten, are you? It’s too beautiful to abandon. Look at that fresh basil. And I smell pancakes. Really good pancakes with real syrup.”
I smile, so happy she’s here with me, being Lark and smiling and wanting to eat breakfast together. It’s something so simple, but still so special, just because I get to share this memory with her. “You want me to order you some pancakes, Sunshine?”
“I wouldn’t turn up my nose at a pancake,” she says, grinning up at me. “That’s all I’m saying.”
I sit back down, scooting my chair next to Lark’s, putting my arm around her and pulling her close. She leans into me with a happy sigh, and I kiss the top of her head.
“All right, how about you help me eat this omelet before it gets cold, and then we split a stack of the harvest pancakes?” I ask. “Sound like a deal?”
“Sounds perfect,” she says, tipping her face up to mine, glowing with happiness.
“And then we’ll go ring shopping and find something you won’t mind wearing for another fifty years or so.”
She smiles. “That sounds even better.”
“It does,” I agree.
It sounds pretty damned perfect, in fact, like the beginning of the life I’ve always wanted, one filled with love and laughter and this beautiful girl, who is my very best friend.
“And then we’ll go back to your place,” she whispers. “I want to see the new bedroom furniture you talked about in last week’s letter.”
“If you don’t like it, we can take it back. I saved the receipt.”
She rolls her eyes. “I couldn’t care less about the furniture, Mason. I want to see the bed. And you in the bed. And me in the bed with you.”
I arch a teasing brow. “Yeah? Think you’ll be ready for a nap soon?”
“No napping today, Doctor Stewart,” she says with a grin. “I’m going to need a thorough physical. Every inch examined thoroughly. Head to toe.”
“Head to toe,” I agree.
I’m about to suggest we ask for the rest of our breakfast to go, and get to the examining as soon as possible, but Lark is already lifting her hand, summoning a waiter. She then proceeds to order twice as much food as we agreed upon in a very assured, very sexy voice, before turning back to me, and asking, “You want anything else?”
I shake my head. “Nope. I’ve got everything I’ll ever need.”
And I do.
Ready for more Bliss River Romance?
Married to the Enemy,
Nash and Aria’s story,
is coming soon!
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Sneak Peek
Please enjoy this sneak peek of
Married to the Enemy!
CHAPTER ONE
Aria
Twelve years ago
I slip through the woods on silent feet, my heartbeat louder than the cicadas buzzing and clicking in the trees.
It’s almost too dark to see the trail, I don’t have a flashlight, and being out of my cabin after lights out and on my way to meet a boy are both major camp handbook violations. If I’m caught, I’ll be kicked out. My mom and dad are on the Arts Council board, but not even that will spare me the ultimate punishment.
The staff here are really intense about following the rules.
And staying in bed after lights out.
And not kissing boys.
Or girls.
They frown—hard—at all varieties of kissing and displays of affection.
I should turn around. I really, really should.
I don’t want to be sent home. My friends are here, camp means another four weeks away from my bratty little sisters, Lark and Melody, and I’m having the time of my life sketching and painting and experimenting with new mediums during our five hours of daily art classes.
I love camp Arts Under the Elms. I love it like I love deep fried Twinkies at the fair and staying in my pajamas all weekend, and I wouldn’t put my future here at risk for anything.
Anything except him.