Real Romance (17 page)

"I, uh..."

David turned red from the neck up.

"I am," he said, loudly clearing his throat.

She gasped at him, momentarily tongue-tied. His eyes were earnest and opened wide, his upper lip quivering.

"Marie," he said, shocking her by pushing back his chair and falling to his knees beside her. "Marry me."

Her first reaction was joy. Sheer, overwhelming joy. The man of her dreams had actually...

But then she thought of Johnny. Johnny and Meg with their own wedding three and a half weeks away.

And of all the time she'd already taken to help Joanne.

She wanted to say yes, but not right now. Find a way to keep him holding on for just a couple of more months.

But then he reached his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope.

"What's this?" she asked, as he set it down on the table before her.

"Open it," David urged. "Don't say yes or no. Just open it."

David watched her studying the envelope and held his breath. It took all his restraint not to lean over and rip it open for her.

He tried to take a mental picture to capture the moment in his mind. He'd proposed! Gone and done it! Taken the plunge headlong, and now the rest was entirely up to her.

David began a silent prayer, looking skyward.

And then, as if in answer, she fitted her nail under the seal and popped it open.

"Airline tickets?" she exclaimed, astonished. "Oh, David, that's so sweet, but—"

"Read them," he said, leveling her a look from his kneeling position.

Marie looked back down at the round-trip tickets in her hand.

"Jamaica?"

"There's something else in there," he said, still on the floor.

She narrowed her lovely eyes, then peeked into the envelope again.

"Oh, David," she gasped, pulling out a gorgeous solitaire.

David took the diamond from her hand and gently slid it onto her left ring finger.

"Marie McCloud," he said, his voice now stronger, braver, than he ever could have imagined. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He took a very deep breath. "Let me carry you away to Jamaica where we can say our vows on a sandy beach, without the worries, the headaches..."

He gave a shaky smile as a tear broke free from the corner of his eye.

"Hey, I'll go if she won't!" someone shouted from the back of the restaurant.

"Oh, David," Marie said, leaping to her feet and pulling him up from the floor. "You make it awfully hard to say no. I do want to marry you, I do. And I love you," she said, looking deep in his eyes.

"I love you, too," he whispered back, bringing his arms around her waist and pulling her up against him.

She hardly knew whether to laugh or cry. "But I can't go to Jamaica. I can't..."

David quelled her emotion with a kiss.

"You can," he commanded firmly. "I've already arranged your vacation with your employer. We'll be back in plenty of time for your brother Johnny's wedding."

"David," she said, breathless, her helpless knees giving way. "I have obligations to meet. Deadlines... You can't just sweep in here and carry me away!"

"Watch me," he said.

And then, to a round of applause from the restaurant patrons, David swooped down and threw her over his shoulder.

A Note from the Author

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Real Romance
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The Sometime Bride
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the first novel in my brand new "Girls on the Go" series.

Coming soon in 2012!