The Best Friend Zone Read online Nicole Snow

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Romance Tags Authors:
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Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 136247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 681(@200wpm)___ 545(@250wpm)___ 454(@300wpm)
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“Not too tired, I hope.”

She turns, shooting me one of her coy, sexy smiles. “I’m never too tired for you.”

We spend a few minutes congratulating Ridge and Grace on the successful grand opening and then head home.

The sun’s sinking below the horizon by the time I pull the truck into the driveway, leaving the sky a dusty blue streaked with shades of orange, yellow, and brilliant red.

“Any thoughts on food tonight? I could make eggplant parmesan for supper,” she says as I turn off the truck.

I shrug, having something else in place.

“No? I thought you liked it.”

“I do, but I want to show you something first. Come on.”

“Oh. All right.” She opens her door and climbs out.

I take a deep breath, knowing every movement counts now so I don’t ruin the surprise.

Just like the hundred times I’ve done before, I check my pocket, feeling to make sure the ring box is still there securely before I climb out. We meet at the front of the truck.

“So what do you want to show me?” she asks, frowning.

“It’s in the barn.” Taking her hand, we head across to the huge building.

“I haven’t even been in there the past few days with everything going on,” she says, clearly racking her brain for clues. “Wait. You didn’t. You didn’t get me one of those giant human hamster wheels I showed you on YouTube? It was a joke, Quinn, I—”

“Nah. Nothing quite that insane.” I grin, knowing what I’ve got planned might just be crazier.

She gives me a skeptical look.

I just smile and stare at her longer than I mean to.

To say I’m a little nervous is like calling Owl a little puppy.

I never thought I’d be here, planning to put it all on the line, asking Tory Three Names if she’ll have me forever, but...here the hell we go.

I love her, and that ought to be enough. More than I ever imagined. There isn’t a single shred of doubt I want to spend the rest of my life with this woman.

She hears the soft music as we get closer and glances up at me again, a slow smile forming on her heart-shaped lips.

I don’t say anything yet, just open the door languidly and step aside for her to enter first.

“Quinn Faulkner!” she belts out my name, taking a deep breath. “This is...it’s beautiful. But why?”

I follow her inside and have to agree as I close the door.

The strings of twinkling lights I’d hung along the beams, entwined in her silk ropes, fill the entire space with a mellow glow. In the center of the floor, there’s a table, draped with an ivory-white cloth like a little preview of white, silky things to come.

Flowers everywhere.

An ice bucket with a bottle of champagne chilling in it, and a large platter of finger foods are also on the table, ready to be devoured in celebration.

She looks at me slowly. “When did you have time? You’ve been at the pumpkin farm all day.”

“A little old lady helped me,” I say with a shrug.

She laughs, shakes her head, and looks around.

“This is so lovely.” Glancing at me again, she adds, “And romantic.”

“Good. That’s the vibe I was going for,” I admit.

She stretches up and gives me a quick kiss. “Well, Romeo, you nailed it. I’m all yours.”

“Not yet,” I growl.

She blinks and her smile disappears.

My original plan was to pop the big fat agony question after eating, but hell, I can’t wait a second longer.

It’s now or never.

Taking a breath, I step forward, grasping her hands.

For a second, we just share this bewildered glance.

She has no clue what’s happening. That goes double for me, wondering how I can condense half a life of feelings for this woman into a few words without giving us both whiplash.

“I love you, Tory Redson-Riddle-Coffey.” I just blurt it out. “I’ve loved you for years, ever since I caught you freaking out over Gramps’ honey farm. When you fell down face-first in that peach pie, and I promised you’d find your man, even when you were so sticky and miserable you thought you’d never live it down...I had to prove you right. Here I am, darlin’. The same dude who loved you enough then to lick your face clean. Except now we’re grown up and I’m damn glad I get to taste every inch of you.”

Her eyes go huge like blue diamonds as the reality of what’s happening hits her.

No going back now. Hell if I want to.

As I drop to one knee, I pull the box out of my pocket and flick it open. Holding it up for her to see the diamond ring, I reach down deep for a few more words.

“You didn’t steal any honey from Gramps and you didn’t get my tongue that day with the peach pie like I wanted to give it, but you got something better both times, and again years later when you came back to Dallas. You stole my frigging heart, woman. So, will you marry me, already? Because I’m fresh out of romantic crap to say. I promise to cherish you till my dying day.”



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