Page 94 of Double Booked

After their last visit to Colorado, Robert had called his ex-wife, Jan, and they’d started seeing each other. In May, the whole family had gathered in Arizona to celebrate Cole’s thirtieth birthday. Eden and Hope were there too, since Hope and Ty had started officially dating by then.

True to his word, Cole had invited Ty along when he’d visited Eden in Michigan. At first, Hope played hard to get, but everyone could see it was just an act. Soon, they saw each other whenever they could, just like Eden and Cole. Whenever possible, the foursome coordinated their visits, because aside from being siblings, they were friends.

“Should we head back to the cabin?” Eden asked.

“Are you in a hurry?”

“I want to call and tell my parents before Hope ruins the surprise.”

They stood and completed the trail loop, holding hands. Eden found herself glancing at the ring repeatedly, both believing and disbelieving at the same time. She’d known this day would come, as they’d talked about it often over the past year, but she hadn’t known it would be here and now. Their love story had come full circle, with the Rocky Mountains as the beautiful backdrop.

“Happy?” Cole asked as they drove back into town.

“Can’t you tell?” She’d been smiling so hard, her cheeks hurt. Soon, there would be a lot of logistical details to attend to, starting with where they were going to live. But today she was simply going to bask in the joy of their engagement.

When they arrived at the cabin, she practically floated up to the door. Cole was about to punch in the door code, but she stepped in front of him. Sliding her hands up his chest, she gazed at him lovingly. Then she leaned in for a kiss. She intended it to be brief, but her desire flared, as it often did when they kissed. She wasn’t sure how long it lasted before he pulled back.

“We should probably go inside,” he said, breathing hard.

“Good idea.” Calling my parents might have to wait, she thought, as he opened the door.

No sooner had they crossed the threshold, Hope and Ty popped up from behind the kitchen counter. “Surprise!” they said, hands in the air.

Eden’s eyes widened as she looked at them, and then Cole. She could tell from his expression that this wasn’t a surprise to him. “You knew?”

“I set it up,” he admitted.

She flung her arms around him again and kissed him, keeping it brief this time.

“Oh, geez. Here we go,” Ty teased.

Hope playfully swatted his arm. “It’s no different from what we were doing before they got here.”

Cole held up his hand. “Spare us the details, please.”

Hope rushed forward, and Ty followed at a more leisurely pace. “Anyway, let me see it!”

Eden held out her hand so Hope could examine the ring. “It’s gorgeous! Good job, future brother-in-law,” Hope gushed.

Ty moved in and hugged Eden. “Congratulations, sis. Can I call you that now?”

“You’ve been calling her that for almost a year,” Cole reminded him.

“Well, now it’s official. Welcome to the family!”

“Mom and Dad are so excited,” Hope said. Then her eyes went round, and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

“You already told them!” Eden said, fighting her disappointment.

“I want my gift card back,” Cole said.

“Too late. I already used it,” Hope said. Then she turned back to Eden. “Sorry, sis, but it was impossible to keep it a secret. I was just so excited for you.”

“It’s okay. I understand,” Eden said. It was just as impossible to stay mad at her sister since her heart was always in the right place.

“Mom said to Facetime later and tell them all about the proposal.”

“Knowing Mom, she’s already picked out a mother-of-the-bride dress.”