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He grasped her hand, tightly. Reminding her of that time at the beach when he’d told her about Liz. Should she be worried about something right now?
“Grandma!” Mia shouted from the back.
“Your mom’s here?” Cara asked Roman. She’d met Kaleen, and she was a lovely person. She could see a lot of Roman in the woman, and she’d enjoyed learning more about him through his mom’s eyes. A hard-working, compassionate woman with a head full of tumbling, dark curls and kind brown eyes.
“Grandpa Rex?” Mia’s voice sounded again.
Cara froze. What was her dad doing in California? She turned slowly toward the kitchen that led to the back door. Several people were coming through.
Kaleen followed by . . .
“Oh my gosh, Roman, what’s going on?”
The entire Prosper family had just walked into the Italian restaurant. Her mom and dad. Holt, Macie, and Ruby. Knox, Lane, and Evie. She spun toward Roman. “What’s this?”
“Welcome, everyone, come on in,” Roman said, not answering her directly. “Glad you could make it.”
Cara moved toward her family and hugged each one, concluding with a hug for Kaleen. “What’s your son doing?” she asked point blank.
Kaleen just patted Cara’s cheek. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Cara turned to face Roman. He was still standing in the middle of the restaurant where she’d left him.
“Come over here, Cara,” he said in a soft voice.
No one was moving, just watching, waiting. The quiet was a bit unnerving. Her family was never quiet. She glanced over at her parents. Her mom had tears in her eyes. Why? Cara’s gaze connected with Holt’s. He gave her an encouraging nod.
So Cara drew in a breath and walked toward Roman. She stopped in front of him. “It’s not my birthday.”
He smiled, then he knelt on one knee in front of her.
She stared at him in disbelief. What was he doing? Was he . . . how could this be happening? They hadn’t talked about any of this. Three days ago, he’d told her he was in love with her, and it wasn’t hard to say it back.
Yet . . .
Roman pulled a small, glittery item from his pocket and held it up.
Cara’s blurred vision barely made out that it was a diamond ring. “Roman,” she whispered.
“Cara.” His smile appeared, along with hope in his eyes. “I told you last week that I’ve fallen in love with you, but there’s more.”
She covered her mouth with a trembling hand.
“I love you beyond what I ever thought possible,” he said. “You’ve taught me that happiness is possible. True and lasting happiness, no matter the ups and downs of life. You’ve been a light in my darkness, and I don’t ever want to give that up.”
Cara wiped at the tears on her cheeks and drew in a shaky breath.
“Will you do me the absolute honor of becoming my wife?”
Cara’s heart was beating so hard that she didn’t know if she could answer in a normal voice. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I’ll marry you, you crazy man.”
Roman reached for her hand, and she watched him slip the gorgeous diamond on her finger. The fit was loose, but she could deal with that later. Right now, she had a man to kiss.
Roman rose to his feet, and as her whole family clapped and cheered, she threw her arms about his neck.
He pulled her tightly against him and buried his face against her neck. Only then did she realize that he had tears on his cheeks, too.
“You’re a nut,” she murmured, laughing, or maybe crying.
