“Molly Elaine Bennett, I knew there was something special about you from the moment I stepped through your door. In a matter of seconds you had me neck deep in a project.”
She breathed a laugh at the memory.
“And it didn’t take much longer until I was completely over my head. Even though I write about love and soul mates, I’d never experienced any of it... until you.
“Every day you surprise me, you confound me, you amaze me, and I don’t even know how I was satisfied with the colorless life I had before you brightened it. There’s no one else in this world I want to be with, Molly. I want to see your face first thing every morning. I want to share every moment of the day with you, good and bad. And when I fall asleep at night, it’s you I want in my arms.”
He dropped her hands and withdrew a box from his pocket, lifting its lid to reveal a beautiful marquise diamond that sparkled under the lights.
“Molly... will you make me the happiest man alive? Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” Molly stared into his eyes, mesmerized by his words. Someone sniffled. Maybe her. “Yes, yes, yes. Now get up here and kiss me.”
“Um...” He looked so sweetly uncertain. “I’m supposed to put the ring on now.”
Laughter gurgled from her again. “Right. Yes, of course. Go ahead.”
He took the ring from its velvet nest and slid it on, his fingers a little clumsy.
Molly’s eyes fastened on the diamond, glinting under the twinkle lights. “Oh, Adam, it’s beautiful. It’s perfect. I love it.”
He rose to his feet, framing her face, thumbing away her tears. “You’re beautiful and perfect. Perfect for me.”
Her heart rolled over in her chest. “I love you, Adam.”
His eyes were wet. “I love you too, Molly. So much.”
And as his lips met hers, softly, sweetly, reverently, Molly felt more alive, more blessed than she ever dreamed possible.
forty-six
“I quit.” Mia shoved the cheesecake closer to Brooke. “It’s all yours.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Brooke dug her fork into the creamy slice of heaven, dragging the bite through the raspberry swirls that decorated the plate.
Somewhere on the coffee shop’s patio a chair grated across the cement. Cars rumbled by, the traffic slow on the Sunday afternoon. In the distance a siren wailed. As was their tradition when they weren’t on set, she and Brooke had stopped for lunch after church.
She’d been home for two weeks now. Thankfully the hullabaloo surrounding the scandal had died down on her end, allowing her to get back to her routine: working out, church, outings with her “little sister.” She’d been working hard on theLesser Daysscript, and on Wednesday she was heading overseas to begin filming.
She’d also gotten back to a Bible study she used to attend. It was time to get serious about her faith again. She was learning to let down her walls with people, but she needed to let God in too. Him, most of all.
“You’ve been quiet since you’ve been home,” Brooke said.
“I’ve had a lot to think about.”
“If I didn’t know better I’d think you left your heart in North Carolina.”
Mia took a sip of her water, then gave her friend a wan smile. “I’m afraid you might be right.”
Brooke blinked. “Wow. Did not expect that.”
“Well, you’ve been tiptoeing around it for two weeks.”
“True, but...” She leaned into the table, wincing as she placed her hand over Mia’s. “Gosh, Mia. I’m so sorry. You finally fell hard for a guy and he just...”
“Rejected me?”
“That’s harsh. You said he has a lot going on right now. Maybe the timing’s just not right. Maybe later...”
