Chapter Thirty Two
Her heart hammered in her chest. Alice tugged John's arm. She couldn't wait to tell him. She turned to the huge house and the green trees that created the illusion of shade. It was fitting they were here. She turned him into the garden next to the driveway, as she wasn't ready to drive to John's house. They walked toward the gazebo. The sun shined down and birds chirped in the air. She held onto his arm. "I didn't want an audience to hear me."
He rubbed her hand and nodded. "It's fine. We'll go home soon."
She closed her eyes.This was it. She took a deep breath and everything else around them faded away. As she opened her eyes, he had an ethereal glow around him. "John, I'm so in love with you."
Deep dimples appeared on his cheeks. Her heart raced as he cleared his throat. Then he leaned his forehead on hers. "Good, because I love you too."
Her stomach fluttered. "You do?"
His hands clasped her waist, and an electrical jolt rushed through her. "Yes. And I've tried to tell you for weeks, but you won't listen."
She laughed. "What?"
He kissed her nose, and then went down on one knee. Her heart fluttered as she stared at him. "I want to ask you a question."
Her hand covered her mouth. "What?"
As he reached into his pocket, his face went white. Then he bolted upright. "Wait right here. Don't move."
A smile grew across her face. "Okay, my love."
His mouth brushed against hers. She tried to hold him close, but he stepped back. She laughed as he ran toward his car.
A moment later, he slammed the car door shut and ran back toward her. Then he went down on one knee and held out a jewelry box. "It's been in my jacket."
That whole weak-knee moment was real. Her eyes watered. John opened the box and revealed a diamond larger than she'd ever seen. "Will you marry me, Alice?"
Alice jumped up in the air, pulling him with her so she could wrap her arms around his shoulders. "Yes. Of course."
With a huge grin, he slipped the ring on her finger.
A sigh escaped her lips as she stared at her hand, resting and sparkling on his shoulder. "John, we're doing this. Really?"
He hugged her. "Even if your mother disapproves."
"I would rather spend my life with you than have a life without you."
Out of the blue, her phone rang. Alice reached into her back pocket to silence it, but she saw it was her mom. "She's right on time."
John held her in his arms as she answered. "He—"
"Sweetheart, stay safe." Her mother's voice was so high that it took a second to understand. Alice stepped back and covered her mouth.
Her gaze stayed on John though his eyes narrowed. She asked, "What?"
"Give me the phone." The man that tied her up and left her to die. Smith. Alice recognized his voice. She fumbled to get the phone on speaker.
Now that John could hear, she screamed, "Who was that?"
John motioned with his finger for Alice to stay quiet as he used his cell phone to text someone. She was so dizzy that she couldn't form a sentence.
Then Smith caused both of them to freeze as he said, "Alice, your mom is coming with me as insurance that I get to the airport."
The front door of the main house opened and the police, Victoria, Peter, and Jennifer followed. "Where is my dad?"
Smith's inhale reverberated in the air with a ring. "You have a dad that lives here?"
