Remy grinned at her. “Anything for the soon-to-be new deputy mayor of Harrogate.”
“Oh, we don’t know if that’s going to happen,” I reminded them. The corn dog was helping my nerves but not by much.
“I think we’re about to find out,” Remy said, jerking his chin to the stage.
Edna was walking up with an envelope.
I finished the rest of my corn dog in one big bite then made my way over to the stage. Hunter wrapped his arms around me.
“Even if I win,” he said quietly, “I’m not taking the job, so you’re going to have to be mayor anyway.”
“You don’t have to,” I whispered back to him.
“I’m not doing it because I love you, though I do love you very much. I’m doing it because the composting committee and the newly formed feral cat committee spent the last thirty minutes complaining to me that the other committee was encroaching on their territory. Apparently, the composing committee wants to put cats out at the compost pile to keep away critters, and the feral cat people want to be in charge of any use of cats.”
“Lordy.”
“Just wanted to give you a heads-up, since I cannot deal with that for six years.” He kissed me, and I sank into him.
“If you two are finished,” Edna said, clearing her throat.
Hunter grinned. I blushed.
Edna put on her spectacles, opened the envelope, and took out a piece of cardstock. “Harrogate’s newest mayor is Meghan Loring! Hunter loses with twenty votes.”
“So it was close, then,” Hunter said, “if I lost by twenty votes.”
“No,” Edna corrected, showing us the paper. “You only received twenty votes.”
Hunter’s mouth dropped. “I only—what? Let me see that! Who didn’t vote for me?”
“The better question is who did,” Edna replied tartly.
I was giddy with relief. “It’s okay, Hunter,” I told him. “You’re going to be the first gentleman. Only if you want to, of course.”
“Please,” he said, tossing the paper to one of his waiting brothers, “I’m the only man for you.”
“That’s a relief!” I joked.
“However, I want to be extra sure that I’m spending the rest of my life with you,” Hunter continued, getting down on one knee in front of me and taking a small blue box out of his coat pocket.
I clapped a hand over my mouth, hardly registering what was happening.
“Meg, I have been in love with you since our tulips first met.” He grinned. I shook my head at the pun, trying and failing to keep from getting teary-eyed.
“From the first time you touched my peonies—flowers, that is—I knew you were the one. Mayor Meghan Loring, will you do me the honor of being my wife? I can’t spend another minute without you, and also, I think that, especially in light of our unorthodox living arrangement, we can’t have the new mayor living in sin.” He grinned. “What do you say?”
I fumbled for a tissue in my pocket as I started to cry.
“Peony for your thoughts?”
“I love you!” was all I could choke out.
Hunter opened the box. Inside was a gorgeous sparkling ring with glittering pink and white diamonds in the shape of a flower.
“If it’s bouquet with you, I’d like for you to be my wife.”
“Yes! I’ll marry you, Hunter!” I said around the sobs. “Of course!”
