“I’m going right now,” she panted into her phone. “Love you, Mum.”
“I love you too.” Sharon Walker paused. “What have you got on? Is it nice?”
“Bye, Mum!” Cheryl yelled, hanging up.
Footscray Park was windy. A warm summer breeze was lifting hair and skirts and blowing away hats. As she walked to the fountain, Cheryl was grateful for her bodycon dress. For one thing, a tornado couldn’t have pulled it up, for another, when Patrick saw her, he pressed a hand to his chest like he’d been shot. “Goddamn, woman.”
She’d wondered if it would be weird to see him. She knew she was desperately in love with him, but thought it still might be embarrassing to lock eyes and have to admit all the strange and silly things she’d done to avoid revealing that truth.
But she’d forgotten the single most important thing about Patrick—he was her best friend.
He didn’t make her wait—didn’t hold anything against her. He just stood there smiling his ‘aw shucks’ smile as though everything had gone exactly to plan. He was wearing a forest green shirt, and his hair was all mussy the way she liked.
“Glad you came,” he said, nodding to her shoes. “Sexy heels. Glad I finally got to see you in them.”
Cheryl grinned as she remembered their Instagram conversation. Her in Germany, Patrick in Melbourne, a whole continent between them. A long friendship in front of them. God, she was an idiot for not coming home and fucking him senseless, but better late than never. Now, than not at all. She tilted her foot to the side, displaying the strappy gold sandal she’d once broken in Berlin. Then she said what she should have said to Patrick back then. “Buy me a drink and you can see me in nothing else.”
He threw his head back and laughed. Sunlight shone through the fountain behind him, making the whole afternoon glitter. “I’ll do that. But only if you promise to stick around after.”
“I will. But only because I’m in love with you.”
He pressed his hand to his heart again. “Sweet. I’m in love with you too, but that’s old news, I guess.”
She scowled playfully at him. “Can you at least try to be sincere?”
“Sorry.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and adopted an innocent expression. “Keep going, KitKat.”
She rolled her eyes. “Thanks for helping my mum, you dick-swinging asshole.”
“Anytime.”
“Seriously, thank you. Even though I have a new job and I am going to pay you back.”
Patrick’s face paled. “You don’t… did you get that gig at The Men’s Gallery?”
Cheryl laughed. “No, I promise I’m not stripping. I’ve got a gig with Mara Hardiman. Doing social media stuff.”
Patrick’s smile returned in force. “Congrats. Although if you ever want to strip on the side, I’ll go pull a bunch of fifties from an ATM, like, right now.”
“I want hundreds.”
“Done.” He tilted his head to the side. “Can you come here a sec?”
Heart racing like she’d just run a mile, she did exactly that. Patrick dropped to one knee, and though she’d known what was happening, she gasped and put her fingertips to her mouth. People around stopped to watch with their Cocker Spaniels and Maltese Terriers, their picnic baskets, and their footballs.
“Cheryl Karalis-Walker…” Patrick pulled a black velvet box from his pocket. “I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you, off my face at that EDM gig…”
She giggled around her fingers, tears already forming at the corners of her eyes.
“… I’ve loved you as a friend and a simp and a weird, controlling sex god. But what I really want is to love you as a man. As someone worthy of your trust. Who never stops trying to make your life better and stays by your side when things get bad. So, if you can forgive me for taking so long to grow up and be the man you deserve, will you please marry me, KitKat?”
He opened the box to reveal the hugest, prettiest lavender diamond she’d ever seen. It sparkled like the water in the fountain behind him. It was her dream ring. “How…?”
“Pinterest,” he said happily. “You never logged out on my phone. Had to bribe everyone at Everfinch Jewellery to get this at such short notice, but…” He held up the ring. “What do you say?”
There was only one thing to say.
“Yes!” Cheryl burst out. “Yes, yes, yes!”
