His eyes flitted to Emily beside him. She wore a pair of jeans and a purple hoodie. Her face was makeup free, and her hair was arranged in a long thick braid. At that moment, he was certain she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
Why had it taken him so many years to appreciate her as more than a friend?
“Well?” Claire asked, dramatically tapping her foot. “Are you coming to the dining room or what?”
Jake held his hand out to Emily. “Take my hand.”
She stared at it, and he sucked in a breath as the moments ticked by.
Please, Em. Whatever I did, please just forgive me.
Finally, her eyes met his, and she hesitated before doing as he asked.
Some of the tension slid out of his body as he threaded his fingers with hers. “Thank you,” he whispered before guiding her down the hallway.
They reached the enormous dining room, and the long table was set with the fancy china Jake had seen only during holidays and special events. The scent of steak and freshly baked rolls wafted out of the nearby kitchen.
Claire pointed to an empty chair beside Jake’s mom. “You can sit there, Emily.”
Emily released Jake’s hand and sat where she was told.
Jake felt a muscle jump in his jaw as he looked at Claire. “What’s going on?”
“You’ll see,” she sang before she began distributing champagne flutes.
When she gave one to Jake, he studied her. “Tell menow.”
Her smile was coy, and his blood began to boil.
“Stop playing games,” he grumbled. “I want to know why we’re here.”
His ex pointed to her mother. “You’re about to find out.”
Just then Sherry tapped her fork against her glass. “I’m so glad you’re all here tonight.” She beamed in the direction of her daughter. “Now, I believe Claire and Jake have an announcement.”
At that very moment, Jake noticed a sparkle of light glinting off a large antique diamond ring on Claire’s finger—thatfinger.
Huh?
Claire rested her left hand on Jake’s arm, and his eyes widened.
“Last night Jake and I did some soul-searching, and we realized that it was time to move on to the next stage of our relationship.” She looked up at him and gave him the phoniest adoring smile he’d ever seen in his life.
Wait. What?
Then she took a deep breath and angled her left hand toward the group of people at the table. “He proposed! We’re getting married in Nashville on New Year’s Eve!”
The world stopped, and everything seemed to move in slow motion as Claire’s words registered in Jake’s brain.
Proposed? Getting married?
What on earth?
And then Jake’s head began to spin.
Mom gasped. “Oh my goodness! My prayers have been answered!”
“Isn’t this wonderful?” Sherry asked Mom. “We knew it would happen eventually.”
