AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I haven’t had the chance to get you a proper engagement ring, but I wanted to give you something now. It’s a promise that when I ask you to marry me for real, I’ll do it right. You won’t be on pain meds, I will have showered, and we’ll—”
She’d yanked him down for a kiss. Pain meds and all. And she’d been wearing the simple, but perfect, silicone band ever since.
“Can I sneak you out?” Joe asked, bringing her back to the present.
She turned in his arms. “Can we get lunch? I’m starving.”
He nodded toward the back door. “Let’s get out of here.”
Roxie linked her fingers with his. Waving to the construction workers, she followed him out. The air-cast had her walking slowly, and he helped her into his truck.
“Where to?” she asked as he drove by Ray’s Diner. Then her brows turned inward when he drove them out of Hudson’s quaint downtown.
“How’s your ankle?”
Her eyes narrowed as she studied him. “What are you up to, Joseph Buchanan?”
“Lunch.” He shot her a wink.
“Yeah, but where?”
He simply smiled in response, and she rolled her eyes.
After a few minutes, he turned off the main road toward a familiar trailhead. Her curiosity climbed as he drove past the small parking lot and pulled onto the gravel service road. “Uh, Joe?”
He shot her the sweet and mischievous grin she loved. “You trust me, baby?”
“I do.” Her heart squeezed. And then her stomach growled. “There is food planned, right?”
“Hang on,” Joe said, chuckling as he put the truck in Park. He hopped out, hustled around the hood, opened her door, and helped her down.
Holding hands, he led her to a short trail. The late-February chill had her thankful for her scarf and Joe’s body heat. Recognizing the familiar area, she smiled. She’d run this trail countless times and knew it led to one of her favorite views on Hudson Island.
They ambled down the path in companionable silence. When the trail opened onto a grassy bluff, she let out a reverent sigh. Ahead, the Pacific Ocean’s Puget Sound shimmered beneath gray and cloudy skies, the water calm and smooth despite the season. In the distance, the silhouette of the Pacific View Resort loomed atop its own bluff.
Tearing her gaze from the view, she looked up at Joe. “What are we doing here?”
“Lunch.”
He nodded toward the edge of the bluff, and she gasped. How had she missed the picnic blanket? When she turned back to him, her jaw dropped.
Joe was on one knee, that little wooden box in his hand. The lid was open, and in it sat a sparkly, beautiful diamond ring.
“Joe,” she said, struggling to find her voice. Her throat was thick with emotion.
“I’d planned on doing this at your grand re-opening party. Everyone was going to be there. Alex and Nina were both in on the surprise. They were talking about balloons and signs and some sort of confetti.” He shrugged, and the smile on his face melted her heart. “But I’m a selfish guy, Rox. You know that. I didn’t want to share you—sharethis—with anyone else.”
Tears welled, and her pulse kicked up when he took her hand.
“Roxanne Elizabeth Jameson, I have loved you my entire life. I promise you I will never stop. We’ll have our ups and downs, but I promise I’ll always fight for us. I won’t lie to you, and I’ll never stop working to prove how much I love you.”
Her heart swelled. “You have my love, Joseph Buchanan. You always have. I think I fell in love with you when I was eight.” She laughed, and a tear spilled down her cheek. “We’ve had our ups and downs, and I’m sure we’ll have more. I promise I’ll always fight for us, too. It’s always been you, Joe.”
“I love you, baby. So much. I promise to do everything I can to deserve you.” His eyes shimmered as he brought her hand to his lips. “Will you marry me, Roxanne? Please be my wife?”
She nodded, more happy tears falling in earnest. “Yes,” she whispered, her heart singing.
Joe jumped to his feet and slipped the ring onto her finger. Then his hands were in her hair, and his mouth was on hers. Passion and love. That’s what they’d found together. But they would be best friends first... and forever.
* * *
