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The room erupts in more applause as Luke places the mic back in its stand and makes his way through the crowd. He crosses the floor quickly and when he reaches me, he sweeps me in his arms, dipping me backwards and kissing me as though there’s no tomorrow. The crowd whistle and cheer and I can’t help the grin that screams ‘I’m the luckiest girl in the fucking world’ from spreading over my face.
When he sets me upright again, he peppers more kisses to my lips until someone, probably Bridget, clears their throat loudly and we turn back to the group. I snuggle under Luke’s arm, right where I belong.
Laughing, Brooke passes Luke and me a flute of champagne each and we all clink our glasses merrily in cheers. Together, we stand in out tightly knit circle, Jordan, Aaron, Brooke, Bailey, Kieran, Sam and Bridget.
“Congratulations, Luke and Natasha, I’m so glad you sorted your shit out and that Brooke didn’t get a chance to chop off your balls,” Bridget says, and everyone laughs.
“Never say never,” Brooke says with a wink towards my boyfriend as we all take our seats.
“So,” Bridget says casually, “I wonder what’s in store for the rest of us.”
Epilogue
Luke
Six months later
“Okay, here it is.” Hannah hands me a small square jewellery box with a beaming grin splitting her face. Her knees bounce excitedly where she sits at the coffee table across from me. “The jeweller did a really great job of cleaning it up. It looks brand new.”
I flip the box open with trembling hands. Mam’s stunning teardrop engagement ring stares back at me. The large centre stone is emerald, the same as her and Natasha’s birthstone, and the stones surrounding it are diamonds.
Just seeing the ring gives me butterflies and enough anxiety to send my heart rate through the roof.
“Do you think Natasha will like it?”
“Of course! She’s going to love it.” She grins. “When are you going to pop the question then? I’m dying over here. You’ve told me nothing!”
“Today.” I look down at my watch. “In about an hour actually. And I didn’t give you details because truthfully, I thought you’d have spilled by now.”
When Hannah left for her trip to Australia, she and Natasha were friendly enough, but now, the two of them are as thick as thieves.
“That explains it.” She shrugs as if her statement makes perfect sense.
“Explains what?”
“You’re a nervous wreck. You have been all week. Natasha cornered me in the hallway the other day because you’ve had her so freaked out! I had to gaslight her into thinking it was all in her head, so please apologise from me when you propose.”
She’s right. I have been nervous. I know Nat loves me; she shows me every day in every single thing she does. But I still can’t shake the fear that she might say no.
It is fast after all – we’ve been together less than a year. We’re not even officially living together, despite not spending a single night apart, which is another thing I want to ask her today. I want her to move into my house. I want her to make it a home with me.
“Okay, I will.” Letting out a huff of breath, I stand from my sister’s couch, securing the ring box in the zip pocket of my running shorts, then double-and triple-check it’s safe. “Right, I’m going.” I walk towards the door, stopping when I grip the handle. “What if she says no?”
“Natasha loves you. She’s going to say yes. Have fun and loosen up a bit.” She smiles a big, excited grin as I finally swing open her front door and step into the hallway. “Try to enjoy the moment.”
***
Natasha
“I’m telling you, something is going on!”
“I think you’re overreacting,” Bridget tells me calmly.
I can hear her typing, her nails clicking against her keyboard. She most likely has the phone propped between her shoulder and ear, her hair and makeup perfect as she handles some crisis with the grace of a swan.
Honestly, I wish I had her ability to always find calmness right now. I even tried to take a leaf out of Brooke’s book and meditate. Much like the last time I tried that, it failed.
“Why else would he call me halfway through the workday and ask me to go for a run?!”
