A Thin Line (28 page)

“So, you said this was a last minute thing. What makes the time right, right now?”

He averts his eyes. There’s a story here, I’m sure of it. “Well...a couple days ago, that punk Troy texted me that he was proposing to Jade soon. Not that I need to beat him to it–”

I give him a soft laugh and a pat on the cheek. “Oh, let’s not pretend. We both know you do. You hate when he one-ups you.”

Sheepish, he acknowledges the brotherly competition. “I can’t lose to that kid. But mostly it’s because you shouldn’t have to sit through one more engagement and bridal shower and wedding and honeymoon and not be celebrating your own. You should have been the first one married and because of me, you weren’t. I want to make it right.”

In a smooth motion, Preston sinks to one knee, almost slipping in the soggy, muddy grass. He flips open the box, revealing a brilliant diamond in a gorgeous platinum setting. It’s the kind of ring I’d always drooled over when Morgan and Jackie and Brandy got engaged. My heart is so high in my throat I can hear it beating in my ears.  He had to have asked them for advice, which means they all know what’s happening right now.

“So, I think I know what the answer is, but you never know what might happen in the heat of the moment.”

He gives me a conspiratorial wink, and then his face returns to seriousness. “So… it’s been a long time coming, a lot of years with a lot of shit between us. I have a lot of regrets but the biggest one is disappointing you and not being the man that you needed me to be. Not back in high school and not in the years since then. I want to make it up to you and that’s why I’m asking if you’ll finally
marry me.”

It takes everything in me to hold back a scream. I’m ready to explode.  “Finally?” I squeak.

“Finally,” he repeats.

I inhale the deepest breath possible, then shove it out and let the word ‘
Yes
’ escape with it. Preston’s eyes narrow as he gives me a sidelong glance.

“Was that… a yes?  I’m making sure I heard right.”

My head bobs and I can’t stop laughing as tears spring to my eyes. “Of course it’s yes.
Finally
. Yes.”

Preston heaves a long sigh and his shoulders relax as if he was afraid I would say no. Before I can change my mind, he plucks the ring from its fancy, velvet lined case and slips it onto my left hand. It’s nearly perfect.

“In a couple of days we’ll go get it sized. You can show off that bad boy for New Year’s. Show Troy up.”

“Yeah, that’s totally what I’m thinking about. Get up, come here.” Preston stands, suddenly bashful, ducking to avoid me. I grab his face and pull him to me, landing a long and loud smooch. “I love you,” I tell him, staring deep into his eyes. “I haven't
always
loved you… but I always, always will.”

“I love you, too. So I can go back to being an asshole?”

“Don’t push it,” I say, trying to scowl.

“Well, now my mom can get off my back, at least.” He gestures toward my hand, now heavy with his ring and finishes his sentence softly. “I hope it’s worth the wait.”

With one arm still around his neck, I hold my left hand aloft and stare at the sparkling gem on my finger. I’m already used to its presence. “It’s perfect, baby. Just perfect.”

I hear noise, what sounds like clapping and cheering but from far, far away. I whip around and notice a small crowd standing on Preston’s patio.  “Oh my— hey!”

I wave at them and the group waves back. I hear Kent’s ear piercing whistle from all the way across the lake. I turn back around and grin at Preston.

He looks more satisfied than smug. He wraps both arms around me and pulls me to him, dipping his head toward me. I rise up onto my toes and meet his lips with a playful kiss that turns sultry and heated in an instant. My knees go weak and I wilt against him. He tightens his grip and any thought of moving from the spot we’re standing fly out of my head. I’m warm and getting warmer as the kiss grows slower and deeper.

Way earlier than I’m ready for him to do so, Preston groans and pulls back, glancing up at the sound of more cheers from the gang on his patio. He shakes his head and returns his attention to me. “They wanted to be here for this occasion that no one thought would actually come. I said they could watch.” He nods his head toward them. “From over there.”

“You put a lot of effort into this. Thank you.”

He shrugs. “Now we can relax and celebrate our first Christmas back together. How about we go home, Evangeline Reid?”

I smile. Even though he’s using my full name, which I hate, it somehow sounds amazing next to his. I already love it.  “Sounds good to me, Preston Reid.”

We climb back into the Jeep after packing up our makeshift breakfast and lifting the seat back into position. “Too bad we didn’t have time for sex. That would have been nostalgic icing on the cake.”

I slam the rear door and get into the front seat next to him, pulling the seatbelt across my lap. “Honestly, that was cool for high school but after two years in the backseat of your Jeep, I so prefer sex with you in a bed.”

“We can do that, too.”

Preston starts the Jeep and begins to pull back onto the road, hanging a left at the highway.

“Whose rig is this, by the way?”

“A friend of Kent’s. He dropped it by this morning. Along with breakfast.” He glances over at me with a silly grin. “I thought about trying to cook but burnt toast isn’t romantic.”

I laugh, turning my attention to the scenery outside of the plastic window. Six months ago I hated that asshole Preston Reid. Now I’m wearing his ring. And we’re on our way home. To our house.

Life comes at you fast. 

“What are you smiling at?” Preston asks. I must be subconsciously beaming. I feel like I could glow in the dark.

I pop back to attention and reach over to tap his knee, still wet and muddy. “Just thinking.”

“About?”

“About how payback is a bitch. I’m already dreaming up ways to torture Morgan with my wedding plans.”

“It’s all her fault, you know? That we’re back together. She couldn’t let it go.”

The memories—the arguments, frustrations, how much I had to bite my tongue to get along with Preston for
her
sake—come rushing back to me.  “Her stupid plan worked.”

“I knew it would.”

“Oh, you did not.”

“Did so. When Morgan made you come to me, groveling, begging me to help you plan that wedding.” He snickers, making a teeth sucking sound. “I knew it.”

I stare at him, incredulous.
How can he say that, when…
“But… you agreed that we’d never see each other again after the wedding.”

“Meant I had my work cut out for me. I had four months to make you mine.”

I know I did not make it easy on him. But maybe that’s why being back together means so much. He fought through every barrier I put up. Long after he should have given up, he’s still here.

I reach across the console of the Jeep, find his hand and interlock my fingers between his. He squeezes, and I squeeze back.  

In a few moments we are home, the driveway full of the cars of our friends who have given up their Christmas morning to celebrate our engagement with us.

Us.
The two people no one ever thought would get back together are actually
engaged
.

Preston cuts the engine but doesn’t get out of the Jeep. We sit, holding hands, savoring the moment. Finally, I give his hand a squeeze and nod toward the house.  “Suppose we should go in. Say hi to people. Get Christmas going.”

“Yeah,” he answers. But doesn’t move.

“You okay?” He nods. He’s staring at me, those golden browns boring a hole right through me.

“I never said Merry Christmas.”

I wiggle my finger at him, the one bearing the rock that he’d just slipped on. “Yeah, you did.”

“No, I didn’t,” he says softly, shaking his head. “Merry Christmas, Angie.  I’ve never been happier than I am right now.”

I bat my eyes, blinking away tears.  “Merry Christmas, baby. You’ve made me very happy.”

We lean in, meeting over the gearshift and get in one last smooch before the front door opens and a gaggle of people spill out.

Preston pretends to be irritated. “We can’t get rid of these people, can we?”

I laugh, both at him and the small crowd surrounding the car, tapping on the hood and lightly beating on the windows. I feel like if we don’t get out, they might flip it over.

“It would be a waste of time to try.”

We escape from the Jeep and, hand in hand, walk into our house as an engaged couple for the first time.

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