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“I do,” I admit. “Sandra has given me an ultimatum. But after I drove Miss. Rose to quit on me with my boarishness, we managed to find some common ground and come up with a plan. Well, Emma came up with a plan. She’s smarter than us all.” I turn to her and offer a secret smile, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it.
“It’s not anything groundbreaking. But it does focus on what the market demands: romance and childhood enrichment.”
EMMA
We outline our plan extensively during breakfast, and I’m wowed at how receptive Lincoln’s mother is to having me in her home on christmas morning telling her how to run her family business. But when she takes me aside later and explains she had a special feeling about me when we met during her birthday celebrations, I understand and get my own feeling of the warm and fuzzy variety.
Sandra finds the whole morning an affront to her own selfish plans and leaves in a huff, taking a parting shot at me by telling me I was nothing more than the plaything of a desperate mind. It’s then that Lincoln takes my hand and leads me over to the Christmas tree.
“I know this isn’t the christmas you had planned. But I’d like to make it the most perfect christmas in your memory,” he says, slowly lowering to his knee.
“Oh my gosh,’ I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand as my eyes go wide because I can’t believe I’m seeing this.
“I want you in my life always, Emma Rose. Every moment over these past few months has been enriched knowing you’ve only ever been a phone call or a few feet away. But I want that distance to be smaller. I want you by my side as my life partner, my love, my heart. Will you marry me?”
Tears pour from my eyes as I nod. “Yes.Yes.”
“I don’t have a ring,” he whispers, a momentary flash of sheepishness settling over his features.
“I don’t care,” I say, placing my hand against his stubbled cheek. “It’s the words that mean something.”
“Yes you do!” His mother cuts in, pulling the ring from her own finger and waving it in the air. “Use this. It’s a family heirloom. It should go to your beautiful bride to be.”
I gasp as Lincoln takes the ring and holds it over my finger. “I love you, sugarplum.”
Smiling and crying, I nod as he slides the beautiful diamond over my knuckle and it settles at the base of my finger. “I love you too. I love you so much.”
“Merry christmas!” Angela Maverick claps her hands together and beams with pride as tears fill her eyes and she gazes upon us. “I’m so happy for you both. I’m so happy for us all.”
“What about Sandra?” I ask, hating that there could be a rift in their family because of me.
“Oh, she’ll come around when she wants money again. Don’t worry about her.” Angela waves my concern away as she embraces us both. “Just enjoy your day. It’s the start of a new life.”
* * *
“Where in god’sblazes are you?” Grandma asks when I FaceTime her in a quiet moment.
“I’m at Mr. Maverick’s family estate,” I say, practically squealing as I hold up my hand and show her the ring.
She gasps and almost drops the iPad. “I told you to quit him, dear girl, not marry him. But I’ve gotta say, I saw this coming.”
“What do you mean, your saw this coming?”
“The way you jumped whenever he called… There’s no way my granddaughter would act like that around a man unless she was completely smitten by him.”
“I am, grandma. I am. I’mcompletelyandutterlysmitten by him.”
“Then I have just one more question for you.”
“What’s that?”
“When are you getting here so I can feed you both?”
I laugh. “You’re always trying to feed me up.”
“It’s my job. I hope this man of yours has a big appetite too.”
My eyes drift to my husband to be as he enters the room and moves closer to me, clear intent in his eyes. “He sure does, grandma. In fact, I think I’d go as far as to say he’s insatiable.”
