After they cleaned up, they went in the den.Riley was still nervous.He couldn’t have said why.If she said no, she wasn’t ready, then he’d wait.Not a big deal.Except it was.
“All right, spill it,” Letty said.“You’ve been as nervous as a cat in a roomful of rocking chairs since I got here.”
He sat beside her on the couch.Took her hands in his.But he couldn’t speak.What the hell was his problem?
“Is something wrong?”She stared at him.“You want to break up, don’t you?”
He laughed.“Absolutely not.”He slid down to the floor on one knee and reached in his pocket for the ring.Which for a moment he thought he’d lost.He patted his pockets, finding it in the last one he checked.Thank God.“Letty, I love you.Every day I love you more.”
Her eyes wide, she stared at him.“Is this—are you—”
“Marry me, Letty.Make a home with me.”
She didn’t speak, just continued to stare at him.
“We can have a long engagement.As long as you want.”
“I thought you were never going to ask me.I was afraid I’d screwed it up for good.Yes, Riley, I’ll marry you.”
She held out her left hand and he slid the ring on, then he kissed her hand.She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
“Are you sure you’re ready?”
“I wouldn’t have said yes if I wasn’t.But I don’t want a long engagement.Or a big wedding, either.”
“What do you want?”
“When do your parents get back?”
“In a couple of days.Why?”
“I want to get married here, with your parents and Val and Liam.And the pastor, of course.As soon as possible after your parents get back.”
“Really?You don’t want to ask your other friends?We don’t have to have a lot of people but we can have more than just the six of us.”
“I know.But I don’t need anyone else.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very.”
“We can have a party later on to celebrate and invite all the people we didn’t get to invite to the wedding.”
“I’d like that.”
“How about next weekend for the wedding?I’ll make sure the pastor is available.Oh, we should ask Mercy and her husband too.She’ll want to bake a cake and since she didn’t get to go to Val’s wedding I know she’ll want to come to ours.Besides, she’s family.”
“Of course we can ask her.Anyone else we need to ask?”
“I can’t think of anyone.”
“Then we’re on for next weekend.We can talk to Val and Liam tomorrow.”
“That sounds good.Tonight I want to celebrate with you and me in my bed.”
“Sounds like a deal.I love you, Riley.”
“I love you too.”He kissed her and swung her up in his arms to carry her to his room.
