Page 164 of One Night with Number Nineteen

A shake of his head. “We all can’t read as quickly as you and Faye.”

“Maybe not. But”—I reach for the book he set on the island when he came in—“you didn’t even peek at the ending?”

“I’m outraged you even spoke those words aloud.”

Laughter in my chest as he snatches it back and holds it to his chest. “No spoilers allowed.” He sets it back on the counter⁠—

And…I make my move.

Down onto one knee.

He turns back and the look on his face would almost be comical if not for the way my heart is pounding.

“I told myself I would never risk my heart again, that I’d never again chance getting lost in a marriage, in a man.” I inhale deeply as emotions clog my throat, then slowly exhale and say, “Then I met you. From that first night I knew you were different, and it scared me.”

“Pages,” he murmurs.

I take his hands in mine. “Then I got to know you, the man you are, the person you strive to be…and the fear went away. Because I love you, Sawyer Hill. Love you enough to fall head over heels, to drop the shields around my heart, to trust that you’ll always be my partner and not just another responsibility I have to carry. So, I wanted to ask if you’ll ma⁠—”

“Yes,” he says, dropping to his knees and cupping my face in his hands.

My eyes are burning but there’s more laughter in my chest. “I didn’t even finish the question, handsome.”

“You don’t need to, Pages. I’m yours—forever and always and all those times in between. Same as you’re mine. We’re a team. A family. So, fuck yeah, I’d be honored to marry you.”

Then he’s kissing me.

And then Ollie’s running back down the hall and barreling into the kitchen. “Did you ask him? Did you ask him?”

“Yeah,” Sawyer says, “she did.”

I grin because I hadn’t and yet…close enough.

“What do you think, bud?” he asks. “Are you good if we become a family officially?”

Ollie nods. “Smitty says we’re already a family. Everything else is just paperwork.”

Our gazes lock again.

Then we both laugh.

Because…he’s not wrong. Ollie runs over to us, hugging us both tightly, laughing at the joke he doesn’t quite get.

Until, as families are wont to do, our kiddo throws us a curve ball.

“Can we get a dog so he can be the ring bearer?”

Ryan

The door opens and Veronica hurries in, her hair a mess, her purse falling down one arm, a grease-stained bag of food in one hand…and her scrubs marred by a huge stain down the front of her top.

The explanation for which I clock a second later.

A fountain soda with the lid popped off.

And she is absolutely fucking beautiful.

The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.