I wondered who, out of everyone here, would find love this time. Would it be Kinsley, our resident chef, or maybe Remi? Nah, it couldn’t be him. He was too slutty to settle down just yet. Maybe it’d be Cooper or Josh. Or maybe one of the waitresses.
I shook my head and helped the guys take the food out. When had I become such a romantic anyway?
Oh, right. Must be right around the time I fell in love with my beautiful bookworm and cat superhero.
My Samir.
“Thank you so much, sweetheart,” Mom said, looking at Samir, “for suggesting we have this dinner. It was such a brilliant idea.”
She raised her glass and so did everyone else. Dad was too busy staring at his plate, but Mom jabbed him with her elbow, and he raised his glass too.
“To Samir,” she said. “And to family. Because that’s what all of you are.”
“To family,” said everyone else.
Before we could clink our glasses though, Samir cleared his throat and pushed his chair back.
“If you don’t mind,” he said.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he went down on one knee, and I suddenly forgot how to breathe.
“Colin, Lydia, may I have your blessing?” he asked, and Mom bit her lip and held Dad’s hand, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“Your blessing for what?” I turned back to Samir, and there was a box in his hands.
It was a small black box and inside was a silver band with a red heart-shaped stone inside.
“Cole Jackson Williams, almost a year ago I promised to look after your heart forever. This year, will you do me the honor of taking mine?” he said, but I must have misheard.
Had he really said…
“Huh?” I asked.
“Will you marry me, silly?” Samir said.
I froze.
This. It was moments like this one that I was terrified. Just when I thought I’d gotten over all my fears, a new one would pop up and make me want to run, to hide, to shut out the entire world.
But even though it was my first instinct—to be scared—I didn’t want to hide or run. I wanted to stick it out, see it through, and live it with all my heart.
No more running.
Unless it was running in his arms.
“Of course I will,” I said, and the whole restaurant full of our friends and family erupted in cheers that made both Ella, and my manager’s baby cry.
But it was okay. It would all be okay. There was nothing scary here. Just love in the making.
A few moments later, after toasting to our engagement and having everyone congratulate us, we were just about to tuck into our meals when there was a knock on the glass.
“We’re closed,” Mom shouted, but the knock insisted.
I pushed my chair back and walked to the front where a tall, Black man stood in a long black coat and a red scarf, looking nothing short of a movie star.
“Sorry, we’re closed today,” I said.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” he said. “I… I’m looking for Colin Williams.”
