“Oh!” she exclaims as I open it. “It’s perfect.”
I free the ring from the box and slide it onto her finger. She lifts her hand to admire the oval-cut amethyst on a slim, rose-gold band that Annie and Maddy helped me pick out. Her cheeks are flushed with pleasure, and I’m proud to think that the happy smile on her face is my doing.
I really can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with this woman.
I lift my hand to cup her cheek, preparing to pull her to me and pick up where we left off, when my phone buzzes, startling both of us. I withdraw my phone to silence it, especially when I see it’s just Maddy. My guess is she’s calling to see if I’ve asked her yet, and while I’ll be happy to share my news in an hour or two, right now I just want to savor the moment.
I toss my phone onto the table and lean in again, only to hear Nora’s phone this time. She smiles sheepishly and pulls it from her purse. “It’s Maddy again. Do you think it’s an emergency?”
I sigh. My gut says no, but on the off chance that she really does need something, we should probably answer. “Go ahead and see what she wants.”
Nora lifts the phone to her ear. “Hello?” After a moment, she offers the phone to me with an amused smile. “It’s for you.”
I can barely contain my annoyance as I take the phone. “What is it, Maddy?”
“Is that any way to talk to your sister? I was just calling to see if you’ve asked her yet.”
“Yes,” I say through gritted teeth.
“And what did she say?” Maddy gasps. “Did she turn you down? Is that why you’re in such a bad mood?”
“She said yes, and I’m only in a bad mood because you’re interrupting a very important romantic evening.”
Maddy’s squeal nearly bursts my eardrum and I yank the phone away from my ear, glaring at it before hanging up on her and silencing the device. I grab my phone too and stride into the kitchen, depositing both of them into a drawer.
Nora is watching me with sparkling eyes and an adorable smile as I stalk back to her. I twine my hands into her hair and brush a string of kisses along her jawline, stopping to hover over her lips. “Now, where were we?”
“I think we were about to eat dinner,” she whispers back. “I’m starving.”
I laugh and pull her into my chest for a hug, then lead her to the dining room. It’s fitting that it all began and ends with the same thing—a love of good food.
When I pull out her chair for her, she sees my second surprise in the seat and picks it up. It’s our new kitchen contract, the one I revised. I had it put in a gold frame with pressed lavender artfully arranged under the edges of the glass.
“That was in case you turned me down,” I tell her with a wink. “I was going to use it to remind you that you are contractually obligated to be ‘a continued presence in my life.’”
She rolls her eyes and gives me a playful smile. “Well, I guess you have kept up your end of the bargain. My fountain of iced coffee never runs dry.”
I press a kiss to her forehead. “I promise to keep that fountain flowing for the rest of your life, Rose.”
