Logan wiped his hands on his jeans. This was it. Go big or go home. All or nothing.
It had been four months since he’d tracked down Tess, fallen on his sword, and groveled for absolution. She’d forgiven him, and they’d spent every possible second together since.
He’d stayed at the inn for about a month before moving in with Tess. He worked remotely and flew to Houston as needed. He’d been working up a plan for new living arrangements, but first he had to see how the next ten minutes played out.
He entered Tess’s home office—the second bedroom—with a light knock on the open door.
She’d mulled it over for a week before declining his offer to purchase The Outpost. She agreed to stay on as manager until they found another, but she’d also decided it was time to move on and had just launched an online emergency supply business.
“Hey,” he said. “Got a sec?”
They were headed to The Rusty Nail to meet the gang for dinner soon, but he had something important to take care of first. It involved the diamond ring burning a hole in his pocket.
“Sure.” She tapped the keyboard for a second, then gave him her full attention.
As he approached, he noticed she looked tired and pale. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah. Just a little queasy.” She rubbed her stomach.
“Should we bug out of dinner?”
“No.” She waved a hand. “I’ll be fine.”
“All right, but let me know if you change your mind. I can make soup or something.”
“Soup’s theonlything you can make,” she teased.
“Hey. I make a mean grilled cheese too.”
She seemed to turn green at the mere mention of the words and quickly changed the subject.
“Care to explain why ninety-five percent of my orders are coming from Houston?” She pointed to the computer screen.
“Beats me.” He shrugged. “Ihaveheard there’s a big prepper community there.”
“Right,” she said with a smirk. “You’re not advertising behind my back, are you?”
“I may have mentioned your new venture to a few friends, but that’s it.” He crossed a finger over his heart.
“Since you promised never to lie to me, I’m gonna take you at your word,” she said, standing and coming to hug him. “And thank you. I’ve probably set a record for first-week sales in any business ever.”
He smiled. Making her happy always made him happy.
“So,” he said. “I wanted to talk to you before we head out.”
“I have something too, but you go first.”
Normally, he would press her to precede him, but he had to get this off his chest. He’d been rehearsing for an hour, and his nerves were frazzled enough.
“Tess, I love you. You’re smart, ambitious, compassionate, and sexy as hell. Every day you amaze me. I’ve been waiting my whole life for a woman like you.”
A suspicious look crossed her face as he dropped to one knee and pulled a small black box from his pocket. When he opened it, and she saw it was a diamond ring, her eyes widened and she went completely still.
“I still owe you two dollars from the day we first met,” he said. “But I’m hoping you’ll take two carats instead. Will you marry me?”
“It’s only been five months,” she said. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
