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“Cade,” I whispered, his words making my eyes prick with tears and my heart stutter in my chest.
“I also knew I wouldn’t marry the kind of woman who needed a big fancy diamond to be happy spending her life with a man like me. That she’d appreciate this ring more, because I’d found the stone and welded the silver by hand.”
Cade took a step closer and I waited with baited breath to hear what he’d say next.
“The first time I looked into your eyes, I thought of this ring. Twenty years, and no woman came close. I’ve been waiting for you my whole life, Lila.”
I wiped a wayward tear off my cheek and pursed my lips, trying to hold back a sob.
“I need you, Elin, and Lena, and you need me. I know you’ve been down this road before, but not like this. Not with me. No matter what happens, I’ll never let you go, and I’ll never give you reason to want to let me go.”
I turned my head to see Elin and Elena sitting on the couch, hugging each other, their faces conveying their hope and excitement. Pops, Chris, Jun, and Ripper were all watching with big grins on their faces. Then, I noticed Cade’s mom sitting on the edge of her seat, her hands clasped in front of her, and laughed.
Focusing back on Cade, I tilted my head and took him in, wanting to memorize everything about this moment.
“Marry me, darlin’,” he said, not asked.
“Absolutely,” I replied instantly, then launched myself at him.
He caught me, just like I knew he would, and I grinned down at his face before lowering my head to give him the kiss of a lifetime. His mouth opened and his hands came to squeeze my ass as he took my mouth greedily.
I didn’t even care that he was grabbing my ass in his mother’s living room, with everyone there to see.
It was the happiest moment of my life.
“That’s the most I’ve ever heard come out of Cade’s mouth,” I heard Jun say as I fisted my hand in Cade’s hair and moved my mouth against his.
“I didn’t think he knew that many words,” Chris added, and I heard all the guys chuckle.
Cade lowered me to the floor, slow enough that my body brushed against his in all the right places on the way down. When my feet hit the floor, he kissed me one more time, and with his lips on mine, I felt him slide the ring on my finger.
I bit his lips lightly before pulling back enough to look down at my hand in his.
“Perfect fit,” he
whispered, his breath hitting my forehead. “See … you’ve always been mine.”
Overwhelmed by his sweetness, I choked back tears and replied roughly, “You’ve got that right,” then I looked up into his dark eyes and said softly, “I love you, Cade. Always.”
I could tell he was about to lower his head again, but the sound of faraway female screams had me turning my head. Alani was sitting in a chair, my iPad on her lap and facing me, so I could see Amy May, Bea, and Carmen all squished together in the screen.
They were screaming their heads off.
I turned and gave Cade a big smile, then a quick kiss before I walked up to the screen with my hand held out in front of me and started jumping up and down.
“We’re getting married,” I squealed, which caused an uproar on the screen.
It looked like they were in Amy May’s kitchen. Carmen and Amy May were crying, and Bea was grinning from ear to ear.
“Yes, we get to have a wedding!” Carmen screeched.
“I’m making the cake,” Amy May added.
“Congratulations, Lila,” Bea said softly. Out of all my friends, it had taken Bea the longest to warm up to Cade, but now she was one of his biggest supporters.
Turning again, I threw myself into Cade’s arms, hugging him tightly.
“Thanks for having the girls here,” I managed without losing it.
