Page 41 of Wedding or Not

“No, I don’t see why. That looked perfect to me.”

“He should be super over-the-top and romantic,” Parker calls out.

“Yes!” Tessa chimes in. “Maybe he can burst into song.”

“Definitely not,” I say with a laugh. “No one would believe it.”

“Why not?” Wes asks with a slight scowl. “I can be romantic.”

“Sure you can.”

Without warning or prelude, Wes suddenly starts belting out the chorus of “I Will Always Love You” with impressive resonance and perfect pitch.

I fall into helpless laughter as he hams it up. The girls are rolling on the grass in hilarity, and even Natalie is smiling as she stands waiting, her hand on her hip.

Wes looks quite pleased with himself when he finishes the chorus.

“Okay, fine,” I tell him. “You can go through the motions, but I don’t think anyone would believe it. You do have a very good singing voice though.”

“Thank you.”

“Why didn’t I know you can sing?”

“You never asked.”

I huff and shake my head. Wes is still on his knee with the ring extended.

“Actually, this is good,” Natalie breaks in. “Ella, try to look kind of like this. Like you really like him, but you’re amused and impatient at the same time. It looks just like you, and it will sell that this is real and not a made-up romance.”

“Okay.” I shrug. “I’ll try.”

“Let’s take it from the beginning again and run through the whole thing.”

Wes gets up and puts the ring back in his pocket. Then we walk back to where we started and go through the motions of the rose inventory again.

“Okay,” I say softly at the moment. “Here’s our snippy argument again.”

“I think the snippiness is more your thing than mine.”

“Excuse me? I have years of experience of you being smug and condescending.”

“I think you’re making that up.”

“I definitely am not.” I don’t have to fake my grievance as I walk away from him with the annoyed eye roll shot over my shoulder.

There’s a minute’s delay as I assume Wes is doing his conflicted thing (I manage not to look back to check). Then he’s approaching and saying, “Ella.”

I turn around. Fake confusion and surprise.

He lowers himself on one knee and extends the ring. Saying, “Ella Blake, will you marry me?”

I make a choked sound and raise my hand to cover my mouth.

“Good,” Natalie says under her breath.

“Are you serious?” I ask him.

“Of course I am. So?” He stretches the ring closer to me.