As I watched, Amber grabbed a squirt-bottle of ketchup and aimed it at Brittney's face. Just in time, Brittney shoved aside Amber's hands, and a geyser of ketchup streamed upward, raining down on both of them and splattering the nearest spectators.
Some guy near the front said, "Somehow, I thought this would be sexier."
"Got that right," another guy said.
I had to agree. The whole thing was surprisingly unsexy. Whatwasthat in Brittney's hair? Blueberry syrup?
Suddenly, another guy bellowed out, "What the hell is going on here?" I looked to see Chloe's boss wade into the action. The crowd booed as he separated Brittney from Amber and positioned himself directly between them.
I wasn't booing. The way I saw it, better him than me.
I made my way toward Chloe and placed a hand on her elbow. She turned and gave me a smile, looking amused as hell.
Like always, I couldn't help but smile back. "So," I said, "How wasyourday, honey?"
She glanced toward Brittney and Amber, who'd been hustled to opposite sides of a long booth a few feet away. "Eh, same ol', same ol'," Chloe said.
Suddenly, Amber called out, "Lawton! Yoohoo! Over here!"
I turned to look.
"Have you heard?" Amber said. "I'm gonna be a bridesmaid!"
I froze. I shouldn't have been surprised, but that didn't mean I was happy about it. I glanced at Chloe. The way it looked, she didn't know what to say.
Iknew what I wanted her to say – yes.
But it wasn't supposed to be here. It was supposed to be someplace nice, like under the mistletoe or in front of our very first Christmas tree. I wanted it to be special, something that Chloe would never forget.
I turned back to Amber, and felt my gaze narrow. It suddenly hit me that she was wearing the same formal dress that she'd been wearing on my doorstep for her "bridesmaid audition."
Until now, I hadn't noticed, with all the food-goo and what-not.
"Oh c'mon," Amber said. "It's not like it's a big secret or anything."
I looked down to the floor and gave a slow shake of my head. It wassupposedto be a secret, or at the very least, it was supposed to be a surprise. But you know what? Itwouldbe a surprise, because I had the ring, and I had my girl.
And screw it, I wanted the whole world to know it.
I turned to face Chloe. I reached out, taking both of her hands in mine. Slowly, I sank to my knees.
Around us, the restaurant had gone completely silent. I looked up, looking deep into the amazing eyes of the girl I loved.
"Chloe," I said, "this isn't exactly the way I had it planned, but it doesn't change the way I feel. I love you more than life itself…"
A different female voice cut through the crowd. It was Brittney yelling out, horror-movie style, "Lawton, noooo!"
I ignored her and focused on the only girl who mattered. "Chloe," I said, "will you marry me?"
Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were parted. The way it looked, she was having a hard time catching her breath.
And then, she smiled that wonderful smile of hers. And even before she said it, I knew exactly what her answer would be. Still, it was music to my ears when she spoke in a voice that was almost too breathless to be heard. "Yes."
And then, she threw herself into my arms and kept on saying it. We tumbled together onto the floor, not caring where we were, or who was watching, or for that matter, whether we were covered in ketchup or blueberry syrup.
She was mine. Really mine.
Finally.
