“So what was going through your mind that last night, Sarah? Why did you run in the middle of Evan’s proposal?” I could tell these were the questions Joseph wanted to ask most, because his brown eyes glistened with excitement. He was hoping for a juicy story, and tonight, he would be rewarded.
“Well, a lot of things, really. Primarily the fact that I wasn’t ready to accept his proposal yet, and that I wasn’t sure of his true intentions. Being surrounded by cameras all the time made it difficult to discern reality from fiction.” Evan fought a grin at my jibe, while Joseph failed to notice.
“But anyone watching the show could see you loved him. How could you turn your back on that?”
“I can say it wasn’t easy.” Truth. “But I wasn’t sure Evan felt the same way, and I didn’t want him to propose for the sake of proposing.”
“Evan, how do you feel about that? The world watched your heart break last night when Sarah turned you down. Tell us what was going through your mind at that moment.”
“A lot of curse words, Joseph.” That earned Evan a few giggles from the girls. They all shot daggers my way with their eyes. With the exception of Amber, none of them knew until yesterday that I’d turned him down. It placed me on their list as public enemy number one. I did not receive a welcome reception in the green room. “But you know, it’s an interesting thing. Sarah’s right. We weren’t ready. There were too many misconceptions between us born by the situation, putting neither of us in the proper mind-set to get engaged at the time.”
“So wait, what are you saying, Evan? That you and Sarah might be ready now? To give it another shot?” The hope was apparent in his voice and seemed genuine.
“I don’t know.” Evan looked at me and smiled. “Would you ever consider it? Doing it all over again without the cameras?”
Shocked silence from all corners of the room met his words while my lips curled up into a small grin. “You know I would.” He went to his knee in front of me and grabbed my hands in one of his.
“I think of you every day,” he murmured.
“I think of you, too, Evan,” I whispered. Tears pricked my eyes as he repeated the words from his proposal last week. This wasn’t the reveal we planned for tonight.My prince, always full of surprises.
“I wouldn’t change that night. It’s what needed to happen between us to erase all the misconceptions and teach us both to believe in love. Our love. You know how I feel about you now, Miss Summers. You know it was never a charade, never meant for the cameras, and only meant for you. I only ever wanted you, and I’ll only ever love you. Be mine, Miss Summers. Write a new contract with me, one underlined in vows we’ll forever promise to one another.” He pulled the ring from his jacket, making everyone in the room gasp. “Marry me, Sarah.”
It wasn’t the exact wording he used in Iceland when he got down on one knee, but it was close. I smiled down at him. “You already know my answer, Mister Mershano.”
“I do, but I want to hear it again.” Then he whispered so that only I could hear, “Again.” His dimples peeked up at me. “Please.”
“Yes.” I let him slide the rock onto my finger and smiled. “Always yes.” He kissed me while everyone broke out into applause and excitement. “I mean,” I whispered against his lips, “how could I say no to such a fine ass?”
THE END
