Taken With You (30 page)

He helped her zip her dress and, when it was time for the pearl necklace, he stood behind her and took it from her hand. Before doing the clasp, he ran his fingertip down the nape of her neck. “Every man in that restaurant’s going to envy me tonight.”

“There will be other men there? I’m sure I won’t notice.”

“We need to get out of this room before I forget I’m supposed to be helping you into your clothes and not out of them.”

Once they’d ridden the elevator back down to the lobby, they followed the discreet signs guiding them toward the restaurant. Hailey was glad they weren’t running late because she kept stopping to admire some bit of architecture or art. Matt just smiled patiently and let her explore.

Then they reached the arched glass walkway that connected the main hotel to the restaurant and she stopped halfway across. It was the most beautiful scenery she’d ever seen and she turned in a circle, taking it all in. But it was looking over the gazebo by the lake and over the woods to the mountains that took her breath away.

“Look at that view. It’s stunning.”

“It’s one of the prettiest spots in the state. I wanted us to see it together.”

She smiled, warmed by the heat in his eyes. “Thank you for this weekend, Matt.”

“It’s barely started.”

“I know, but this spot... This moment, with the view and us looking amazing and surrounded by this romantic atmosphere. It’s so special.”

He squeezed her hand. “This spot right here, huh?”

“Yes.” She breathed deeply, looking through the glass and trying to absorb it all. She would never forget this moment.

“Hailey.”

He said her name quietly, his voice serious, and she looked away from the window. First at his face, and then at the velvet box he had in the hand not holding hers. Her breath caught in her throat and tears threatened to blur her vision.

“I love you, Hailey. I love the you that crawled through the doggy door and let me get your sheets dirty when I needed you. I love the you that runs around in flannel pajamas with the kids and the you that looks like a movie star right now.” He let go of her hand to open the box, and the diamond sparkled at her in the golden light from the chandeliers. “I wanted this moment to be extra special for you because every moment with you is special to me. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, all that matters is that I’m with you. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she whispered, but she wasn’t sure any sound came out because her throat felt choked with tears, so she tried again. “Yes!”

When he slid the ring onto her finger, she had to blink back tears to see it sparkling in the sunlit hallway. Then she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him until she could hardly breathe, not caring who might see.

“I love you,” she whispered against his mouth.

“I love you, too. More than you can imagine.”

“We could go try out that huge tub and order room service.”

“Oh no, you don’t, future Mrs. Barnett. There’s a very expensive bottle of champagne in that dining room just waiting for me to pop the question.”

She laughed. “A diamond ring
and
champagne? You’re going to spoil me, you know.”

“And I’ll love every minute of it. Because I love you.”

“I’m glad I waited my whole life for you.”

He lifted her hand, kissing her knuckles just above the ring. “Me, too. Now let’s go drink some champagne and live happily ever after.”

* * * * *

Can’t get enough of the Kowalski family? Don’t miss the first three titles in the Kowalskis series, available now!

Exclusively Yours

When Keri Daniels’s editor finds out she has previous carnal knowledge of reclusive bestselling author Joe Kowalski, she gives Keri a choice: get an interview or get a new job. Joe’s never forgotten the first girl to break his heart, so he’s intrigued to hear Keri’s back in town. Despite his intense privacy, he’ll grant Keri an interview if it means a chance to finish what they started in high school. He proposes an outrageous plan—for every day she survives with his family on their annual camping trip, Keri can ask one question. Keri agrees—but the chemistry between them is as potent as the bug spray...

Undeniably Yours

Bar owner Kevin Kowalski is used to women throwing their phone numbers at him. But lately he’s more interested in finding a woman to settle down with. A woman like Beth Hansen. Beth’s tending bar at a wedding when she comes face-to-face with a tuxedo-clad man she never thought she’d see again. She keeps her distance but, by last call, she can’t say no to the invitation back to Kevin’s room. She slips out without leaving a note and, despite their precautions, pregnant. Kevin warms to the idea of being a dad. But Beth’s not ready for a relationship and, given his reputation, it’s going to take a lot to convince her to go on a date with the father of her child...

Yours to Keep

Emma Shaw needs a husband, and fast! Not because she’s interested in romance—after all, she’s too busy with her landscaping company—but because Grandma Shaw is coming to town, and she will have nonstop questions about Emma’s (stagnant) love life.

Sean Kowalski no sooner leaves the army than he’s recruited by Emma to be her fake fiancé. Sean doesn’t like the deception, but he can’t help his attraction to the feisty brunette. A little pretend kissing won’t hurt anyone—especially when there’s no chance he’ll fall for a woman with deep roots in a town he’s not planning to call home. But when fake, innocent kisses lead to very real, explosive sparks, Emma and Sean discover that their big ruse might just lead to happily-ever-after...

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About the Author

New York Times
and
USA TODAY
bestselling author Shannon Stacey lives with her husband and two sons in New England, where her two favorite activities are writing stories of happily ever after and riding her four-wheeler. From May to November, the Stacey family spends their weekends on their ATVs, making loads of muddy laundry to keep Shannon busy when she’s not at her computer. She prefers writing to laundry, however, and considers herself lucky she got to be an author when she grew up.

You can contact Shannon through her website,
www.shannonstacey.com
, where she maintains an almost daily blog, or visit her on Twitter,
@shannonstacey
, her Facebook page, or email her at
[email protected]
.

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ISBN-13: 9781426898150

TAKEN WITH YOU

Copyright © 2014 by Shannon Stacey

Edited by Angela James

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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