"Manual Ortez! Will you please get ready or we're going to be late!" I stomp down the hall, fastening my earrings as I go. "Your mom will blame me again and it's always you who holds us up!"
He's not in the den, or the spare room so I continue into the living room and freeze.
There are candles, everywhere. Lit candles, and the lights are turned down and there's a giant bouquet of roses in the center of the coffee table. And on one knee in front of me, wearing a goofy grin, is Manny.
"Sorry, I know we'll be late for my Dad's party, but I think this time my mom will forgive us." He takes a small velvet box from his pocket and holding it out to me, slowly lifts the lid. "If you say yes, that is."
My hands fly to my mouth and I tear up, laughing at the same time.
"Manny! Oh my God!"
He cocks his head at me. "Well?"
I take a deep breath. "You didn't actually ask."
He rolls his eyes but he's still grinning. "You can be so annoying, you know that?"
I laugh and nod, waiting.
"Taryn Bishop, I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you, whether it's long or short. Will you marry me"
"YES!" I'm jumping up and down and I race over to him as he stands up. Then he slides the most beautiful diamond I've ever seen onto the ring finger of my left hand.
"I love you so much!" I tell him, throwing my arms around his neck. He holds me close and nuzzles my neck and I keep staring at my finger over his shoulder.
Manny pulls back and kisses me softly on the lips. Then his hands fall to my ass and he squeezes me.
I laugh and push him away slightly. "Don't you want to get to the party so we can share the news?"
He takes my hand with the ring and brushes his lips over my knuckles. "We can be late."
I raise an eyebrow at him. "No, we can't. Besides, I want to tell everyone and then we can go by Mom and Ethan's and tell them. And we can call Dad and Steve."
Manny lets his eyes slide down my body rakishly, tilting my head up with his hand cupping my cheek. "Or we can be late." He lowers his lips to my throat and slowly spreads feathery kisses across my skin.
I feel my resistance start to fade, closing my eyes and pulling him closer. This man that I love, this man that I will spend the rest of my life loving.
"Yes," I whisper against his smooth-shaven cheek. "We can be late."
The End
About The Author
Brigid McMahon
Brigid McMahon is the pen name for a writer who lives in the American Mid-west with her husband, three children, two German Shepherds and one insane, slightly psychotic cat. When not writing, she enjoys reading, researching, crafting and painting.
Dear Reader
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my book. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please consider leaving me a thoughtful review on Amazon.com. As a self-published writer, your support and encouragement mean so much to me and help make it possible for me to share more of my stories
Best Wishes,
Brigid McMahon
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my family for putting up with all my distracted, long hours of writing. And to my good friends who cheer me on and give me the courage to continue chasing my dream. You all rock!
