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Something was very wrong.
“Amber, what’s going on?” He stopped her to look in her eyes. “I need to tell you that—”
“I know.” She interrupted him again. “I know it’s not going to work. I know you need to keep moving and I’m not sure I can go.” She shook her head. “No. That’s not true. I know I can’t go. Not permanently, anyway. I need to be here. I need to be close to my family. And I know you aren’t the type to settle down and have a relationship. You told me so and even though I said it was okay, it’s not. Because I need more. Iwantmore. And as much as I want you to want it too, I know you don’t and that’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay. Nothing about it is okay because I love you and I wish it could be different. But I totally understand and I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s okay and you don’t have to say anything because I think I already knew, so you’re off the hook.”
She wasn’t crying, but the unshed tears shone in her eyes, ready to spill over. Except they wouldn’t. He knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t cry until she was alone. But he’d be damned if he was going to allow that to happen.
Especially after a speech like that. When he was sure she was done with her ranting ramble, he shook his head. “Are you finished?”
She nodded and pressed her lips together. They had a swipe of light-pink lip gloss on them and looked so completely kissable, but Cole forced himself to focus.
“Good,” he said.
They’d stopped dancing while Amber spewed forth the verbal barrage she’d obviously been holding back for a while. But Cole once again took her in his arms and led her to the beat of the song he’d forever think of as theirs. The one he’d specifically asked the DJ to play. He spun her gently, but didn’t release her from his grip. When she came back and once more was pressed up against him, Cole whispered in her ear. “I love you, too. Very much. I was hoping to say it first, but you kind of beat me to it.”
He heard her breath hitch, but he wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.
“In fact,” he continued, “I’ve loved you for some time now. I just didn’t know how to say it and to be totally honest, I was a little bit scared you wouldn’t say it back. Or if you did, that I wouldn’t be enough for you.”
She started to say something in protest, but still Cole had more to say. He cut her off smoothly and continued. “But then I realized that if I never told you how I felt, I could lose you forever and that wasn’t something I was willing to risk. Because the truth is, Amber, I’ve never felt the way I feel about you. Not even close. And maybe there was a time when I thought I’d never be arelationship guy, but that was before you. Before this.” He pulled back a little then so he could look her in the eyes.
The blue of her dress made her eyes sparkle.
“I know it hasn’t been long, but I don’t think there’s any kind of time limit on these things, and I hope you feel the same way. Because the truth is…”
Cole took his hand from the small of her waist and dug into the pocket of his suit jacket before he produced the ring he’d bought from Evie’s store earlier in the day. Without releasing her other hand, Cole dropped to his knee in front of the love of his life. There was a room full of people with their eyes on them, but he didn’t care. Cole only had eyes for Amber.
“I love you, Amber McCormick, and if you’ll have me, I would love to spend the rest of my life making plansandgoing on adventures with you. From the moment you sat on me on that couch at Josie’s house, I knew. Spending a life with you is all I’ll ever need, and I hope with all of my heart that you feel the same way.” He held out the vintage diamond ring. “Will you go on the greatest adventure of our lives and marry me?”
She stared at him; her mouth fell open, but still she didn’t say anything. Cole became very aware of the way the music had stopped and the room had grown very quiet as the crowd waited for her answer.
The moments seemed to tick by in slow motion, but finally Amber said, “Really?”
He nodded. “Really.”
“You’re sure?” She shook her head and a tear finally slipped free and down her cheek. “But I just told you that I want to stay and I know you need to—”
“I need you.”
“But Cedar Springs?”
“Absolutely.”
“A small town? Settling down? All of it… you’re—”
“All in, Amber. All. In.”
Around them, Cole began to register some whispers as still, Amber didn’t answer him. She shook her head a little, but after a moment, a smile started to cross her face, so he asked again.
“Amber McCormick, whatever it is that life throws at us: small towns, world travel, kids, family, career changes, sickness, health…all of it. I want to face it with you.” He swallowed hard, and still on his knee, said, “Will you marry me?”
Still, she waited a beat. But finally, the one word he’d been dying to hear came out of her mouth. “Yes.”
He jumped to his feet and pulled her into his arms. He pressed his lips to her beautiful mouth and kissed her deeply as if their lives depended on it.
Around them, the crowd cheered and let out a series of hoots and hollers, but Cole was barely listening. He took the ring that he still held in his fingers and slid it on her finger before pressing a kiss to it and looking up to meet her gaze again. “Whatever it is you need from me, Amber…I want to be that guy. If you need to make plans and figure things out, I’ll do it. If you want to go on adventures and travel, let’s do it.”
She closed her eyes for a moment. “I want it all,” she said after a moment. “But maybe, we could make Cedar Springs a bit of a home base?”
