He slipped the rock onto her finger, and she didn’t even glance down before he stood and she threw herself into his arms. Their lips met through her tears and when they pulled apart, they were both laughing because it was perfect.
He buried his face into her hair. “You’re unbelievable,” he roughed out against her neck.
“Me? You painted a whole house!”
He drew back, searching her eyes, his own lit by the orange and yellow streaks of sunlight. He looked at her with total wonder. “You said yes.”
“There was never any other answer. I love you, Grant.”
He pulled her into another kiss that stretched for long moments while the sun dropped even lower in the sky.
When they withdrew again, she blinked down at her engagement ring. “It’s a perfect fit. How—”
“I wrapped a bread twist tie around your finger while you were asleep.”
She burst out laughing. “You’re serious?”
“You were out.”
“That is so creepy.”
His grin only widened at her teasing. “You mean efficient.”
She shook her head, smiling through her tears. “It’s perfect.”
They kissed again, slower, as if this chapter of their life only came with peace and contentment.
Finally, they pulled apart and she let out a happy sigh. “This feels like a movie moment.”
“Very cinematic.” He nodded.
The drive back to the ranch felt unreal. She would always remember the way her hand felt in his and how she kept staring at the ring like it might disappear.
When they pulled up to the lodge, he cut the engine and looked over at her.
“Why are we stopping here?” she asked.
He smiled, and this time he didn’t look green around the gills. “Come on.”
She followed him inside to the dining hall. When they walked in and she saw the place was full of people clustered in the middle of the room, waiting for them, she slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Oh my god! This is amazing. Church, you planned a party too? When did you decorate?”
“Um. I wasn’t that confident. This all happened in… When did we leave the office?”
She blinked. “About forty-five minutes ago?”
Everyone was here. Gabe and Felicity, Willow and Honor and Rhae. Little Navy sat on the floor playing with toy animals. And there were a few men she hadn’t met yet, at least not in person. Some of the Malone brothers were home.
Everyone crowded in, clapping Church on the back and hugging her. She showed off her ring so many times she lost count.
When she circled back to her fiancé, he was waiting with his smile and that special forehead kiss steeped in so much meaning.
She drank in the impromptu party decorations and all the joy swelling in this room. They’d done this for her and Church.
They weren’t just a team. They were a family. One she was part of now.
Church pulled her into his arms, holding her tight.
