I got down on my knees and grabbed his face. Tears streamed down my cheeks as my mouth covered his.
“Hey,” Evan murmured against my lips. “Is that a yes?” I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him harder. His hand tangled in my hair as he pulled me on top of him. I straddled his lap as our lips kept moving. I lifted my hips and then sank back down on him, drawing a growl from his throat as he grabbed my ass with both hands.
“Did she say yes? I can’t hear them . . .”
Evan took his lips from mine and laughed. “No, Aunt Rose. Not yet,” he yelled up the staircase with his hands still on my ass. I giggled as he turned back to face me, his brow furrowed, waiting for my real answer.
“Yes. Yes, yes, yes!” I screamed loud enough for the entire house to hear me. Loud cheers and clapping came from upstairs, followed by swift footsteps. Evan slipped the ring on my finger and kissed the top of my hand.
My mother was the first downstairs, smiling but shaking her head as we stood up. “We all got so nervous when it got quiet. We thought you said no. Congratulations, baby girl!” She pulled me into a hug before kissing Evan’s cheek.
“That’s not why I thought they got quiet.” Ellie smirked at me before she rushed over and tackled us.
“So you all knew?” I looked around at my beaming family. “You’re a bunch of sneaks. How long did you know?”
My uncle looped his arm around me and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“Evan asked us while you were still in the hospital if he could marry you. We only knew about his plan to ask you tonight a couple of weeks ago.”
“When I was in the hospital?” I glanced over at Evan and narrowed my eyes. “When?”
“The first night you were in ICU. I knew two things—you were going to get better and I was going to marry you.” He shrugged. “I was right on both counts.” My vision got cloudy with tears. This man never gave up on me, even when I gave him every reason to. He picked up my hand and kissed the back of my wrist.
“I love you. Thank you for not giving up on me.”
Evan smiled and took my face in his hands.
“You’re mine. How could I ever give up?” He kissed my lips as his thumbs drifted back and forth across my cheeks.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I think it’s time we break into the good champagne.” Aunt Marie rushed down the stairs with glasses and a bottle in her arms.
“When do you think you’ll get married?” Aunt Rose rushed over and squeezed our arms.
“As soon as possible.” Evan answered for us and looked at me. “I think we’re past the point of long engagements, no?”
“I agree.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed his lips. “City Hall, it is.”
“Over my dead body, City Hall!” Mom huffed at me. “You need to have a wedding.”
“No, I need to have a marriage.”
Mom pursed her lips at me.
“We can have something very small.” Evan interrupted the beginning of our argument. “We have a customer who has a restaurant with a back room. I’ll check it out after the holidays. I just don’t want to wait more than a few weeks.” Evan wrapped me in his arms. “I’ve waited long enough.”
Uncle John handed each of us a flute filled with champagne. Ellie held one glass in each hand.
“Double fisting for the holidays?” I smirked, nodding at the glasses.
She let out a sad chuckle. “Holding Jack’s glass. He told me when you guys got married, he didn’t want to miss a thing.”
“To Evan and Paige.” Uncle John raised his glass. “To happiness, to health, and to a long life together.”
I glanced at Ellie as she wiped away a tear and set Jack’s glass down before she took a drink. Life had no guarantees, and we all didn’t get the privilege of growing old with the one we loved. My life certainly hadn’t turned out the way that I thought it would, but I still felt lucky. I found the one, and I got to keep him.
Anything else that happened, like my cousin said, was just gravy.
Epilogue
