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“Look,” Savanna says with a small smile. “Whatever you do, I know Autumn will say yes. She loves you, Easton, and I highly doubt the way you propose will change that. You could be in your boxers, looking a hot mess, and she’d still accept.”
Just as I thought, my sister knows just the right thing to say to get my head back on straight. I nod. “I know you’re right, but that doesn’t stop fear from rearing its ugly head sometimes.”
“I know and you’ve been doing really well with that. I’m proud of you.” She looks at me curiously and shakes her head. “Not that I don’t love helping you, but why didn’t you go to Mom with this?”
I arch a brow at her and chuckle. “Could you imagine how insane she’d be if she found out I was planning to propose? No, thank you. She can be surprised right along with Autumn.”
“True.”
If there’s anything my mother has been wishing for years now, it’s that I would finally find someone to spend the rest of my life with. I was not going to make the mistake of going to her for help, knowing she’d blab to everyone around town before I even had the chance to ask Autumn.
With any luck, I’d get home one day to find Autumn bouncing excitedly in the middle of the living room with a knowing grin on her face. Then I’d have no choice but to propose right then and there because the people around town couldn’t keep their mouths shut.
I still don’t have a grand plan for the proposal, but I’m able to walk out of Savanna’s house without a huge weight pushing me down. In the months that I’ve been with Autumn, she hasn’t once told me that she doesn’t see a future with me anymore, so there’s no reason I should think she’ll reject my proposal.
All I need to do is figure out the right way to go about asking her.
It’s later than usual when she finally walks through the front door, her red hair sticking to the sweat on her forehead, and I walk up to her with a smile. “Good day, baby?”
She nods and throws her duffel bag onto the floor before wrapping her arms around my neck. “It always is. I can’t begin to show my appreciation for the studio.”
Even though I’ve told her plenty of times that she doesn’t have to keep thanking me, the words thank you never fail to slip past her lips every single time she talks about her day. I brush my lips against hers briefly just before Bethany walks through the door, her chest heaving as if she just got done running a marathon.
“And you?” I say. “How was your day?”
She sighs. “It was rough, but still great.”
“I put your dinner in the fridge so all you have to do is heat it up.”
Autumn groans and rubs the back of her neck. “You’re amazing, but I’m going to hop in the shower before I do anything else.”
While Bethany gets her dinner out of the fridge, I follow Autumn upstairs into the bathroom and watch her from afar.
I’ll never get over her raw beauty. The dimples at the small of her back and the way her hips flare out, it’s enough to have me wanting her already. While she gets herself cleaned up, I head into the bedroom to grab her a change of clothes and my fingers run over the red velvet box.
I could do it now. There wouldn’t be a huge audience, but the two people who really matter are here. Without thinking about it any further, I quickly snatch up the box and shove it into the pocket of my pants before sitting at the edge of the bed.
A few minutes later, Autumn walks into the room with a towel wrapped tightly around her chest and another tied at the top of her head. She smiles at the pile of clothes sitting next to me, but before she can grab them, I wrap my fingers around her wrist.
This is it.
I’m not sure how I know, but I do.
I clear my throat and give her a nervous smile. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while now.”
She eyes me curiously and nods. “Okay, could you possibly wait until I’m dressed?” The chuckle she lets escape fills my heart with happiness and I shake my head.
“No, this is perfect,” I say before kneeling on the floor and reaching into my pants for the box.
Autumn gasps when she sees it and her eyes immediately shine with tears. “Seriously? As soon as I get out of the shower, Easton?”
“You’re beautiful.”
She stays silent while I hold her hand. “It took me a while, but I can’t imagine anyone else getting past all my defenses. You’ve been a beacon of light in my life for a long time and I’m sorry it took me so long to finally see you. I promise to make it up to you for the rest of our lives. I’ve watched you treat my daughter as if she is your own and that’s all I could ever ask from anyone in my life.
A tear falls down her cheek and I reach up to wipe it away. “Nothing about my life made sense until you walked through my front door, begging for me to give you a chance as a nanny. I want nothing more than to make you my wife and all I need is for you to say yes, Red. Will you marry me?”
Autumn doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, but finally nods and wipes at the tears that keep falling down her face. “I can’t believe you asked when I just got out of the shower.” As soon as the ring is on her finger she jumps into my arms with a big smile before slamming her lips to mine. “Honestly, this was perfect.”
