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Pippa yanked the remote from his hand and turned it off. “We’ll both help. I’m sure there’s plenty we can do.”
“But—” Brent argued, being dragged toward the door. “What about the—”
“There aren’t any games. The only thing on is “A Christmas Story” and you know it. I’m pretty sure it’s on every station unless the crackling fire is on a few of them.” Pippa shoved her brother toward the door.
“Well, that’s better than helping you guys in the kitchen. You’re just gonna make me cut strawberries or something.”
“Oh! That’s a great idea!” Jackie’s voice grew softer the farther she got from the living room.
Luke chuckled. “Looks like a couple someones want to give us some privacy.”
Allie snuggled closer to Luke and seemed to be humming contentedly. “I wouldn’t mind sharing the room with them. The kids are still in here.” As if her words had triggered a strange phenomenon, all three kids seemed interested in going elsewhere.
Casey and Danielle grabbed a toy they’d received and headed toward the stairs.
Molly stood up and grabbed her boots by the front door. “Can I go see Snowshoe, Dad? I want to give her a Christmas treat.”
He nodded. “Sure, sweetie. Be sure to bundle up really good. It’s still really cold.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She couldn’t seem to get her coat on fast enough. She tugged on one arm and was in the process of the other when she made it out the door and let it slam behind her.
Luke grimaced and Allie laughed. “I don’t think kids are ever very good at knowing how to shut doors properly. They always slam them a little too hard at school.”
He took her hand in his and traced the back of it with his thumb. “It’s probably a good thing we got some privacy. I want to talk to you about something.”
“Yeah?” Allie’s voice suddenly sounded tight. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was a continuation of their last relationship talk. She’d felt they’d settled everything. In fact, she couldn’t remember feeling more content than she did in this moment. Allie finally had a place where she belonged. When he didn’t say something right away, she craned her neck around so she could find his gaze.
Luke’s eyes pierced right through her, making her shiver and her heart rate accelerate. His hand tightened on hers briefly before he edged out from beside her and moved so he knelt in front of her. “I know this might feel sorta fast…”
And just like that her quick pulse went into absolute overdrive. He wasn’t doing what she thought he was, right? Or had he simply dropped something he needed to find on the floor?
“But when you know… you know.” Luke shoved his hand into his pocket and dug around a little before he pulled out something small that glinted. Pinched between his finger and thumb was a glittering engagement ring. “But now more than ever, I want you to know that this feels like it’s meant to be. And the timing is perfect.”
She dragged her focus from the ring to his face. She knew him well enough to see the fear that he tried to hide. She could hear the slight tremble in his voice. And then there was the way his hand shook just ever so slightly.
“I love you, Allie. There’s nothing holding me back. And if you would agree to be my wife, it would make me the happiest man alive.” His whispered words were a balm to her own anxious heart. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he was right.
This was meant to be.
Allie nodded, her hand clasped over her mouth to prevent herself from crying. “Yes,” she whispered back. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. “I love you, so much.”
They held each other for a moment before he let out a nervous chuckle. “It’s because I saved you on a white horse, isn’t it?”
She pulled back quickly. “What?” she laughed.
“During the storm. I saved you. I was your knight on a white horse.”
Allie pressed her lips together to prevent another laugh then lifted a brow. “Actually, true white horses are incredibly rare. There are less than fifty of them on the planet.”
To his credit, Luke appeared surprised, his smirk fading quickly. “What?”
“Snowshoe would be what you’d call grey.” Allie laughed this time, loving the expression of shock that was written all over Luke’s face. “I’ve sorta been doing some research about horses lately.” She shrugged. “You know me. But if you want to go looking for a true white horse, I’m sure you could find someone who would point you in the right direction…”
His mouth hung open and he blinked a few times.
She couldn’t take the silence any longer and the rambling began. “The horse breeds you’re looking for are—”
Luke pulled on her hands, yanking her to her feet as he stood with her. Before she had a chance to react, he captured her lips with his, kissing her to prevent her from speaking. She went limp in his arms, allowing all the tingling sensations to come over her. When she was fully dizzy and felt like she’d been turned inside out, he pulled back. “Leave it to you to ruin the moment,” he murmured against her neck. “I’m going to have to kiss you a lot more often if I want to try to be romantic.”
