Page 27 of Blue Jean Summer

A shadow engulfed me. I looked up to see the cloud that had eclipsed the sun but found Hayes standing behind me. “What do you think?”

I turned to face him, but Hayes didn’t move backward. He braced his hands on the iron railing, trapping me between his arms.

“This is…this is far too generous, Hayes. I don’t need this much space. I can take one of the smaller rooms.”

“You’re going to be my wife. You need the big room.”

“Is Lewis going to throw a fit about us sleeping in separate rooms?” I asked.

Hayes’s eyes darted out to the rose garden as he thought it over. “Hopefully he won’t be around much, but we should probably make it look like we’re sleeping together. If he’s home, I’ll slip in here for a little bit until it looks like we’ve gone to bed and then sneak down the hall to my room.”

I nodded. “I’ll make sure to keep the door closed. Just text me before you come in. It would probably look weird if you were knocking on your own bedroom door.”

Hayes chuckled. “Right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Hopefully after the wedding he’ll let it go, and we won’t have to keep up the ruse.”

I let out a deep breath. “Wedding. Right. We need to plan one of those.”

Hayes chuckled as he reached into the pocket of his slacks. He pulled out a ring and held it in his palm.

I couldn’t help but gasp. It was stunning. A large pear-shaped diamond sat in the center with smaller marquise diamonds creating a starburst around it. The gold band showed age with small scratches, but it had been pristinely polished, glimmering in the light.

Hayes gently took my left hand in his and slid the ring on my finger. “This ring has been in my family for over a hundred years. When my parents got engaged, my grandma gave it to my dad to propose with. When they died, my grandma gave it to me instead of taking it back.”

The ring fit like a dream.

Maybe it wasn’t love and wedding bells. But it felt right. This felt like something. I just hadn’t quite put my finger on that something just yet.

Hayes smoothed his thumb over the diamonds. “Looks good.”

“If people ask, how should we say you proposed?”

He never let go of my hand, just kept brushing his thumb across the ring. “How do you want to be proposed to?”

I laughed. “Honestly? Something like this. Something quiet and private. So much of my life is public. It’s nice when there are no photos. No hair and makeup. I like having things that I don’t have to share with the court of public opinion.”

“Then this is how it happened,” Hayes said. “Us on the balcony.” His lips quirked in a small smile. “And no one else.”

“And you were on your knees begging and pleading for me to marry you,” I teased dramatically. “And thank goodness for you, I finally said yes.”

Hayes’s laugh was bright and warm. I liked that he shared those laughs with me. He was always so serious. “Is that what happened?” he countered. “Because I remember it much differently. Something about you pleading and weeping to be my wife.”

“That’s the beauty of a lie,” I said with a grin. “Whoever tells it first gets their way.”

Hayes locked eyes with me. A twinkle of amusement danced in his. “You’re going to be trouble for me, aren’t you?”

“I think you need a little trouble in your life, Mr. Wilder.”

With a single step, Hayes had me backed up against the railing. “That so?”

I couldn’t breathe. Not with the way his cologne wrapped around me like a lover’s caress. Not with the way I was bracketed between his thick biceps.

Doors slammed downstairs, making me jump. But Hayes didn’t back away. Instead, he let go of the railing and slid his hands onto my hips.

I was a tall woman. If I had been in heels instead of sneakers, I would have been eye to eye with Hayes. But right now? I was glad I wasn’t. I didn’t want him to see the surprise or lust lingering in my gaze.

Hayes tipped his head to the side. I tilted my chin up, seeking, and felt the brush of his lips against my temple, then my ear.

“Lewis is here,” he whispered. “No one slams doors quite like he does.”