AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Willow snorted, thinking I was joking. “Come on, the others are leaving.”
That was because the others knew we weren’t going to the restaurant with them. “No, I’m serious. We have to stay.” I pulled her against me with one arm. My other hand drifted down to my pocket to make sure the small box I’d slipped in it earlier was still there.
“Only you would put a stinger in a Callum O’Conner film,” Willow said, shaking her head and laughing. “If it’s aliens, he will kill you.”
“It’s not aliens,” I promised. As the credits wound up, I felt my heart beating faster. This was it. It was time. The screen was fading to black. The lights were lifting. We were the last two left in the screening room. Looking at Willow’s face in profile, I saw her eyebrows raise. Expectation fading to confusion.
She looked over at me. “I don’t think–”
And stopped, because automatically her gaze had turned upward to meet mine, but she didn’t find it. I wasn’t standing beside her anymore. I was down on one knee, an open ring box in my hand.
“Julian,” she gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.
“This is the story that brought you to me,” I said, tilting my head toward the now blank screen. “It’s directly related to the best things that have ever happened in my life, and I want to add one more to the list. Will you marry me, Willow James?”
Her hand was still over her mouth, but I saw the edges of it curving into a wide smile. Tears were sparkling in her gray green eyes. Wordlessly, she reached down. Not to touch the ring, but to wrap her hand around wrist. Through her fingers, I could feel the vibration of her entire body. “Of course,” she whispered.
I tugged the ring free of its velvet confines and slid it onto her trembling finger. Rather than admire it–and it was fucking beautiful–she tugged at my hand. I rose to my feet obligingly and had nearly straightened up when she threw herself into my arms. I wrapped mine around her, pulling her body flush against mine. Her face was raised to me.
“I love you,” she whispered, kissing me softly.
“I love you too. Forever.” I tightened my grip. I was glad I hadn’t told the others we’d meet them at the restaurant after. I wanted to get her home. We’d tell everyone eventually, but for now, our friends and family and the press could wait.
We were busy celebrating happily ever after.
The End
Enjoyed the story?
Please check out book four of the series!
All stories can be read standalone
“Christmas with the Older Man”
Keep reading for a short preview of the story.
1
DOMINIC
Most Tuesday nights found me with my four closest friends at our favorite bar on the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings in LA. Even on a mid-November night like this, we’d be up there, shooting the shit. This Tuesday, though, they’d all fucking flaked on me. Julian, a movie producer, was on set of his latest epic because it had already gone over its massive budget twice and he was ready to fire someone’s ass. That was forgivable. The rest of my friends–not so much. Landon, a former asshole who spent more time surveying people than actually talking to them, had a wife, a kid, and one on the way and they were doing family shit. My friend Con still ran a top-five talent agency, but he was increasingly handing off the reins to his second-in-command. Something about wanting to spend time with his new wife and baby. And my friend Garrett wasdefinitelyfucking around with his latest client, even though he hadn’t admitted it yet, so he was out, too.
Left to my own devices on this rare Tuesday, I did what any reasonable person would do.
I bought a black Ferrari.
I called my sister on the way home to tell her about it.
“What the hell do you need a Ferrari for?” Marjorie asked, a thread of warning in her voice. “You haven’t so much as ridden shotgun in anything other than a Mercedes in the last ten years.”
I frowned. “That’s not true. I let you pick me up from the airport that one time in your–”piece of shit“--Nissan.”
“Stop saying Nissan like that,” Marjorie ordered.
“Like what?”
“Like you meanpiece of shit.”
