Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 86199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
River clears his throat. “Ummm… Weren’t you supposed to ask that question with a nice piece of bling? You know, something to sweeten the deal for having to look at your ugly mug for the next fifty years?”
“Well, hell. He’s right.” Maverick winces. “I was so nervous, I forgot to show you the ring.”
All the kids make ohhhing sounds.
“That’s a bad word, Mr. McKinnon.”
“Yeah, Ms. Thompson doesn’t allow us to say that.”
Another girl pipes up, “Ethan said it in the library last week and Ms. Thompson told him that she’d send him to the principal’s office if it happened again.”
Ethan uses his fingers to make a zipping motion across his lips.
“It sounds like your teacher is a real stickler,” Maverick says with a smirk.
Heat floods my cheeks when the kids all nod in agreement.
“However, Ms. Thompson is right about that. And she can deal with my punishment once we get home.”
He gives me a little wink before slipping his hand into the front pocket of his jeans and pulling out a light-blue box. My heart spasms when he pops open the lid.
That’s all it takes for another gasp to slip free as I catch my first glimpse of the ring nestled on the cushy pillow inside.
The piece of jewelry is so stunning, it robs the air from my lungs.
The band is platinum with a sparkling diamond set between two equally dazzling sapphires that are polished to a high shine.
A heavy silence falls over the classroom.
Even the children hold their conversation as the scene plays out in front of them.
Maverick has no idea the miracle he’s been able to accomplish.
But I can’t focus on that right now.
The only thing that fills my vision is Maverick staring up at me from his bent knee.
When I say nothing, his brows pinch together and uncertainty flickers in his dark eyes. “Sunshine?”
It takes effort to blink away the haze that has settled over me.
My tongue darts out to moisten my lips. “Yes.”
His eyes widen. “Yes?”
I nod as a grin breaks out across my face. “Of course I’ll marry you!”
In one swift motion, he leaps to his feet and wraps his arms around my body before lifting me up and swinging me around in a tight circle. Excited voices explode around us as the children cheer and my family claps.
“You need to kiss her,” one of the boys shouts.
“Yeah, Mr. Maverick, you need to kiss Ms. Thompson!”
“Well, if you all think I should kiss my fiancée, then I probably should do it.” Maverick grins. “Are you good with that, Ms. Thompson?”
I glance at the kids before flicking my gaze back to the man of my dreams. “Maybe just one.”
“I’ll try to keep it PG.”
“That would probably be for the best.”
His lips sweep over mine. The chasteness of the peck only makes me hungry for more. The glint filling his eyes tells me he knows it.
“I promise I’ll show you exactly how much I missed you when we don’t have an audience,” he murmurs.
“I love you so much and can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together.”
He rests his forehead against mine so our gazes can cling. “I love you too, sunshine. More than I’ll ever be able to put into words. But if you let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life doing my best to show you.”
When another cheer goes up around us, we break apart with a smile.
My mind tumbles back to the very beginning—the moment our eyes connected while he was out on the ice—and then everything we went through to get to this point.
What I realize is that there’s not a damn thing I’d change about how our story unfolded.
Because in the end, it’s ours.
The one we’ll share with our own children someday.
And maybe even grandchildren.