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Sofia reached for the bag, but Adrian tucked it back against his chest.
“Not so fast. Let me show you what I got.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Sofia saw Trina move to a closer spot and wondered what trick they wanted to catch on camera now. Her nerves were on high alert as Adrian dipped his hand into the bag and pulled out one candy bar.
“Don’t Snicker.” He put her full-sized favorite bar in her hand, and went back in for another. “Just Take 5 and listen to what I have to say.”
“What’s this all about?” Sofia asked. He was up to something, but he simply raised an eyebrow and two more candy bars out of his bag.
“Sometimes, I can be a real Butterfingers with your emotions, but I will always love you to the Milky Way and back.”
Sofia’s heart began to melt like the chocolate clenched in her now too-tight grip. This sweet man was proclaiming his love on camera. She smiled as a roll of caramels was added to the pile in her hands.
“I want to Rolo-ver every morning and see that smile.”
That sounded lovely and…long-term. Where was he going with this?
“You are one Hot Tamale, and I love your Mounds.” Adrian’s cheeky grin and wiggling eyebrows pulled a laugh from her, and she tried to move in for a kiss, but he stepped back and raised a hand to stop her.
“No Twix. I promise,” he said as he added the caramel cookie bar to the stack in her hands before sprinkling it with silver-foil-wrapped cones. “Only Kisses every day for the rest of our lives.”
Sofia’s eyes were now riveted to his face. This no longer felt like a silly gag for TV. This felt like the most important moment of her life. He reached into the bag one more time, and when she saw the black velvet box in his hand, her own hands went limp and the chocolate dropped unheeded to the floor.
Suddenly the wet hair and misty makeup didn’t matter, and tears streamed unchecked down her cheeks. She had put dreams of this moment aside for so long. Now that it was here, she was completely surprised. They had so much going on right now, what with Adrian taking on more responsibility at Valenti Brothers, Sofia mentoring Meena and getting SV Design off the ground, and filming the second half of the Million-Dollar Starter Home premiere season.
She’d been content in the moment for the first time in years, enjoying a challenging career and a man who loved her as is. This was a big leap. They had only been together a few months. And yet, as her mind was rapid-fire spinning through all of these thoughts, underneath was the quiet knowledge that, yes, this was the right time and the right place, with the right man. She waited for him to find the right words. As much as she wanted to leap in with an answer, she needed to hear them first.
“Sofia, I’ve known you for years, and I’ve wanted to be a part of your life since the day I met you. I know we had a shaky start, but I want to build a beautiful future with you and design a love that lasts decades. I thought my life was just fine before, but it is so much better with you by my side. Will you marry me?”
It sounded like the perfect project for the next eighty years or so. Sofia drew in a deep breath and let her heart do the thinking for once.
“Yes. Yes, I will.”
He took her now empty hands in his and slid a beautiful brilliant-cut diamond ring on her finger. Giggling and giddy, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight as he spun her in circles in the torn-up kitchen.
“I love you, Sofia.”
“I love you, too, Adrian.”
“I’ll admit, I expected more questions out of you,” he teased.
“Just one. Who told you it was a good idea to propose by spraying me in the face with water?” She grinned up at her fiancé, delighted when he barked out a laugh and his dimple came out to play.
“Cut! That was great, but the bit about her mounds was a little too steamy for HomeTV. Everybody hit makeup and wardrobe to dry off and we’ll go again,” Jake called out from his perch behind a bank of screens set up in the dining room.
Sofia covered her mic and whispered, “How long do you think he’ll wait for another take?”
Adrian lifted her, effortlessly and fully aware that it turned her knees to jelly every time. With his rock-solid arms supporting her, Sofia grinned and opened up her heart to a future together. She wrapped her legs around his waist and admired her ring over his shoulder as he carried her out of the house.
“Let’s go find out.”
THE END
