Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25316 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25316 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
I take it, and look at Lily, who is a bit overwhelmed by the suggestion made by Sarah.
There’s definitely a part of me that wants to drop to a knee right now in front of her. “Sarah, I think it’d be a bit crass to pop the question with a ring meant for someone else.”
“Oh, probably.” She shrugs. “But I figure if you want to drop it, you can go get a ring specifically for her later. It’s all about catching the moment when it’s right, ya know?”
I laugh. “I didn’t think my ex would care so much about my romantic future.”
“It’s more of a professional interest. Once we get all this nonsense put away, I’m going to go chase my dream of being a wedding planner.”
Lily raises an eyebrow. “I did notice you were a tad enthusiastic about the wedding for a marriage of convenience.”
“A party is a party. I was going to make the most of it. And now it’s your turn.”
I look at Lily, at Sarah, at the people around us. There’s a few who caught the energy of the scene, and are watching with anticipation.
“Lily, I...” I take a deep breath. “I was already engaged. I’m your boss. And I’m twelve years your senior. There’s no way that romance should have ever blossomed between the two of us, and yet, from the moment I laid eyes on you, I was enraptured.”
There was no plan for me to do this. I could have never anticipated the lengths that Sarah would go for us, and the thoughts of marrying Lily seemed like something that just couldn’t happen.
The stars align sometimes, and when that happens, you gotta be ready to take your chance.
“Everything about you is what I want. From your smile, to your laugh, to your curves, to the countless wonderful ways you make me feel, you’re everything a man could want and then some.”
Lily is trembling before me. I can tell she’s feeling a million things at this moment, because she, too, likely couldn’t imagine this happening this soon.
I drop to my knee. “Lily Bennett, this all feels like a dream. And one I want to keep going. Will you marry me?”
She’s frozen in fear. Oh dear, did I make a mistake? I didn’t want to break the poor girl.
I grimace at her lack of response. I shouldn’t have asked; it’s just too much.
“Yes,” she says, snapping out of her haze. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Jack. I want nothing more than to be with you, forevermore.”
My heart lifts up, relieved, and overwhelmed with joy. I slip Sarah’s ring on to her finger. It’s a bit big, but it’s only a temporary fit. With it in place, I stand up, grab her, and place the biggest, sloppiest kiss I can manage right upon her lips, and hold her so tight.
Clapping erupts around us, and lots of cheering and shouts of congratulations flow our way.
“It’s beautiful,” Sarah says. “Way more romantic than how Jack proposed to me.”
Lily laughs. “How did he propose to you anyway?”
“Over a bottle of scotch and a bunch of paperwork. Just how I always imagined it’d be as a little girl.”
I squeeze Lily tighter. I can’t believe it. But I’ve never been happier. For her, for me, and even for Sarah. We all have such a bright future ahead of us.
11
LILY
ONE YEAR LATER
We didn’t rush the wedding. There was still a lot of work to do around the ranch, especially with the expected acquisition of the Perry lands coming soon.
The two of us also wanted to make sure that our love was real. I was young and passionate, and he was the first man I ever fell in love with. He wanted to make sure that he wasn’t just a passing fancy for me, and that my youthful hormones would soon lead me astray to the next hot guy to catch my eye.
He didn’t understand that to me, no one could be hotter than him. That the fact he was mine made him all the sexier, not to mention that he’s handsome, caring, and more than giving in the bedroom. I couldn’t possibly imagine someone sexier than he is.
I guess he wanted to be sure himself. He wasn’t wrong to have doubts. It’s just basic common sense to realize you just don’t make a lifelong commitment out of a few weeks of lust.
What you do make it out of is a year of continued passion for one another, when it still burns as fiercely as when you first laid eyes on one another.
And this is still undoubtedly the case as I begin my walk down the aisle.
Sarah had been with me all along in planning my own wedding. She was so into it, I should have guessed how passionate she was about these sorts of things when I first met her.