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Gavin pulls the mask away from his face one last time as the paramedics lift him into the ambulance. “Diabetic,” he manages. “Diamond needs medicine. It’s in the front seat. Meet me at the hospital … Take care of him … first. He’s for you.”
“You got me a hundred-pound diabetic mastiff named Diamond?” I steal another glance at the dog in the BMW. He’s drooling all over the leather, the window, on everything.
“Will you marry me?” Gavin asks.
I turn back to the ambulance. One paramedic’s tending to the gunshot wound in his arm—from the bullet he took to save Ava—while the other tries to replace the oxygen mask. My house is swarming with police officers. I spent the last two hours being held at gunpoint and terrified a madwoman would kill my dogs. Now, my kitchen’s a crime scene.
It’s far from a romantic proposal. There isn’t a picnic basket in sight.
But it’s perfect.
“Yes, I’ll marry you.” I nod to the paramedics to start closing up the ambulance. “And I’ll meet you at the hospital after I take care of my drooling, diabetic engagement ring dog.”
“I love you, Kayla,” he calls as the paramedic closes the first door.
“I love you too.”
The second door closes and the ambulance heads down my bumpy driveway for the main dirt road. I turn to the BMW and open the driver side door. I slide the driver’s seat forward and extend my hand to the backseat, allowing the dog to smell me.
“Hi, Diamond,” I say in a gentle voice. “Welcome to Kayla and Gavin’s Home.”
“I should have known Alexandra would go after you.”
Gavin has said the same thing at least a dozen times since I met him at the hospital. We’re now on day three of Gavin’s stay, and I’m starting to wonder if the attending doctor is refusing to discharge him because the nurses enjoy his company—and his pretty face.
“Gavin, you can’t plan everything in life,” I say, reaching for the spring rolls I picked up at the Chinese restaurant nearby. It’s not the same as Manhattan’s best, but it’s better than the hospital food. Seeing as Gavin is under doctor’s orders to rest so I can take him home tomorrow, I decided our date night should include a take-out buffet spread over the table on wheels that reaches across his bed.
Plus, the food keeps me in the visitor’s chair beside his bed instead of straddling his lap. Also not part of the Get Gavin Discharged Tomorrow plan.
I glance over my shoulder at the closed door. Dinner and maybe a special dessert treat. I keep telling myself that, but I did wear a skirt.
“I can try to plan everything,” he insists.
“We’re going to be living in New York City with five dogs.” I reach for another egg roll. “I’m guessing Diamond alone exceeds the weight limit for your condo.”
“They’re willing to look the other way for me.”
I let out a laugh and wave my half-eaten egg roll at him. “They’re probably going to make us use the service elevator, which I admit will take some planning. Plus, diabetic dogs need to go out a lot. And Diamond’s full of surprises. Did they tell you he likes to chew shoes when you adopted him?”
“They told me to make sure I give him his medicine, and then they tossed us out on the street.”
“He’s going to destroy your furniture.”
He shrugs. “I’m sure Ginger will appreciate the help. But I wasn’t planning on spending a lot of time in Manhattan.”
My brow furrows as I polish off the last of the egg roll. “You work there.?
?
“I’m going to take a leave from the company. I’ll still drop in a couple of days a week, but I don’t need to oversee everything.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Right after you told the world about your past? Won’t it look like you’re afraid to keep working now that everyone knows?”
“I don’t care what they think.” He pushes the table lined with half-eaten Chinese take-out away from the bed. “I want to spend the next few months, maybe a year, making your dreams come true.”
“Gavin.” I’ve known this man since he was five years old, and he can still take my breath away. “You like the city.”
“We’ll be there some. Just not every day. And not based on my schedule. We’ll need to be up here when they start construction on the barn.”
