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Sophie cocked her head to the side as Hazel and Jasper walked away, bent together as they whispered back and forth. “Is it me, or were they acting strangely?”
“To be honest, they’re always a little odd,” Noah said with a shrug. “Nothing more than the usual.”
Sophie giggled and lightly swatted his arm. “That’s not nice.”
“I mean it in a totally good way, of course,” he added. “Those two are incredible. Matter of fact, everyone in Love is pretty fantastic. I’ve been welcomed like I was born and bred here. It makes me feel like I’m back in my hometown.”
Sophie’s grin was infectious. “Me, too. Being in Love reminds me so much of Saskell and all of the wonderful things I experienced there. I think what it boils down to is that we feel at home here. And there aren’t many places in the world that feel like home.”
“Now that you mention it, I think home is a feeling.” He reached out and took her hand in his. “You make me feel at home, Sophie. When I’m with you, I know I’ll never need anything more than the two of us to be completely over-the-moon happy.”
“Oh, Noah. I feel the same way. I’ve always dreamed of being loved by someone who sees me as I am and loves me just the same.”
He leaned over and placed a tender kiss on her lips. “Who wouldn’t love you, Sophie? You make it effortless.”
Sophie let out a contented sigh. “We sure owe this town a debt of gratitude. If it wasn’t for Operation Love and Jasper’s extraordinary vision, we might never have ended up together. And God made sure we were both planted right here in Love so we could find each other.”
Noah held her face between his palms and looked deeply into her emerald eyes. “I would have found you, Sophie. If I had to look in all of the fifty states, I would have tracked you down. My heart would have led me straight to you.”
“Call me crazy, but I believe it,” Sophie said, sniffling back tears. “You make me feel as if anything is possible.”
Noah pushed the coffee cup toward her. “You’re sure you don’t want to give this another try?”
Sophie scrunched up her nose. “I didn’t want to hurt Hazel’s feelings, but it’s pretty awful. It tastes like mud.”
“This was supposed to be a little more seamless,” Noah muttered. He let out a sigh. “Sophie. Look at the spoon.”
She gazed down at it, then shrugged. “What? It’s just an ordinary spoon. It looks pretty old, now that you mention it.”
“Really look at it, sweetheart,” Noah said in a coaxing tone.
Sophie pulled the spoon out of the cup and gasped. “There’s something written on it.”
“It’s a Catalano family heirloom,” Noah explained.
Sophie reached for her napkin and wiped off the liquid residue. She blinked a few times, then swung her gaze up to Noah. “‘Will you...marry me?’” she asked, reading the words engraved on the spoon.
Noah locked gazes with her. His heart began thumping wildly in his chest. There was so much riding on this moment, so many things he wanted to say to this woman he loved so dearly. “I love you, Sophie. I’ve told you that a hundred times or more. But more importantly, I hope that I’ve shown you my love and devotion. I came to this town in a bid to save my company. At the time it seemed as if it was the most important thing in my world. It didn’t take me very long to discover I was wrong. You, Sophie, you are my world. Nothing is more important to me than you. And the scariest feeling I’ve ever known is when I thought I’d lost you.
“I never want to feel that sense of loss. Not ever again. Because you’re a keeper, Sophie Mattson.” He stood up from his chair, then promptly got down on one knee. The sound of Hazel squealing in the background rang in his ears. He knew that dozens of people were gawking at him from their tables, but he didn’t care one bit. If he could, he would shout his proposal from the rooftops of Love. He no longer had a single thing to hide.
Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring with a yellow string tied around the band. He looked up at Sophie, who was staring at him with a shocked expression etched on her face.
“Sophie, I want to be your husband. I want to show you for the rest of your life that I appreciate you for who you are and not for your father’s riches. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about that. From the moment I first laid eyes on you I felt a pull in your direction. You just kept tugging at my heartstrings even though I tried my best to ignore it.”
He let out a shaky laugh. “In the end, I tumbled right over the edge in love with you. And I know with a deep certainty that I’m going to love you for the rest of my days. Will you marry me? Will you say yes to a lifetime of loving each other?”
Sophie was now openly sobbing and wiping tears from her face. In one hand she was clutching the sterling silver spoon. Before he knew it, she had wrapped her arms around his neck and was hugging and kissing him.
When she finally let him go, Noah asked, “Is that a yes? Because it sure seems like one.”
“Of course it’s a yes,” Sophie said, tugging him to a standing position. She rose on tiptoe and placed a resounding kiss on his lips. The sound of wild clapping rang out in the Moose Café, along with shouts of congratulations. Right on cue, Noah reached for her ring finger and slid the diamond solitaire onto it.
“I want you to know that I asked your father for his blessing.” Noah smiled tenderly at Sophie. “And he gave it to me wholeheartedly.”
Sophie appeared to choke back tears. “That means the world to me.”
“I thought this ring was perfect for you. I knew it had to be beautiful just like you, but more importantly, I knew you wouldn’t want anything flashy or over-the-top. So I picked something that sparkled like the sun, because that’s what you do, Sophie.”
