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“Yeah?”
I nod sleepily against him, but don’t answer. “Hey, I have something to show you.”
The reminder of Lauren’s earlier question has my brain perking up a little. “Right now?”
Teddy pushes to his feet, picking me up and setting me on mine before he takes my hand. I follow him in a tired daze to the room he designated for my office, one that adjoins his with an open doorway so Max can lay in the middle and keep an eye on both of us. There’s a brand-new desk by the window, my laptop and writing notes already set up. A squashy-looking easy chair is in the corner, a throw rug and ottoman completing a cozy reading nook. I can tell Casey and Lauren must have been busy in here because the décor is perfectly me, only nicer than I would have picked out for myself. “Is this for me?”
“Yup. Everything you need is in here.” Teddy gives me a gentle push into the room. Bookshelves line one wall, one of them already filled with familiar looking paperbacks.
“How did you—?” All the books my author friends have published in the last few years are there. The ones I wanted to buy in paperback and didn’t because I didn’t have the space, or money, for it. Not only are all my friends books here, but my favorite authors too. I run my fingers across the tops, sniffing at the books. “When did you do all this?”
Teddy runs a hand through his hair, glancing around. “Lauren helped. She got in touch with all the authors I didn’t know about, and got them to send their books.” He steps closer, reaching out to tuck an escaped strand of hair back into my messy bun. “I wanted you to have a space where you could pursue your dream. I know you love your job at Hype, but when you’re ready to pursue your writing for real, and that’s entirely up to you Sunshine, I wanted you to have everything you could need to make it happen.”
I rise up on my toes to press a kiss to his lips. “I love you.”
He kisses me back for a long moment. “I love you too. That’s not all, look inside.”
“Inside the books?” I ask, not sure where this is going. “What more can there be, you gave me a library office, it’s every bookworm’s dream in here.” I wave my hands at the floor to ceiling shelves lining the wall. He just smiles and nods towards the shelf.
I pull down a random book and flip it open to the title page.
“Say yes. Love, Alina” is inscribed inside it. Weird—that’s not what Alina usually writes in her books.
I pull down another one. “Say yes bisch. Love, Las.”
I pull down more and more books, they all say the same thing. “Say yes.”
There’s even one from Nora-freaking-Roberts with the same inscription. Tears are already running down my cheeks by the time I stop pulling out books and turn to find Teddy behind me. He’s not on one knee like I expected, but he is grinning down at me.
“I figured I’d give you time to get used to the idea before I did it officially, in case you got stubborn about it. But just know…” He looks toward the doorway. I follow his glance to see Emma, Casey, Lauren and Garrett grinning at us. “Emma gave me her blessing and we went shopping for rings the other day. I’m ready whenever you are, just say the word, boss.”
“Yeah?”
“That would be the one I’m hoping for, yeah.”
I slide my hands down his arms to twine my fingers with his. “Yes.”
Teddy stares down at me for a second, his eyes glassy. “You mean it? That’s it? You’re in, just like that?”
“I’m in for as long as you are, remember?” I whisper, giving him a watery smile.
“Forever?”
“Forever.”
