Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
We all held our breath as silence stretched between them … and then, finally, my big brother shook Reid’s hand.
Mum blew a loud puff of air out between her lips. “Oh, thank God for that.”
The atmosphere was strange after our announcement. While Annie and Mum brimmed over with joy, Dad was chilled as ever, but Patrick’s uncharacteristic brooding caused tension. Reid and I sat together, casting each other concerned looks. The last thing I wanted was to cause a breakdown in their lifelong friendship.
Mum refused to acknowledge the tension, continuing on as if Patrick was fine.
We’d just finished exchanging gifts when Mum told Dad to come and help her put together the breakfast in the kitchen.
“Can you wait?” Reid asked.
Mum paused from standing up from sitting on the arm of Dad’s chair. “Why?”
“There’s one last gift to give out.” There was a slight nervous tremor in Reid’s voice that alerted me.
“Oh?” Annie asked.
Reid nodded, his expression serious, almost strained, as he stood up and retrieved his jacket from over the back of a dining room chair. Confused, I watched him remove something small and dark out of the pocket.
I was less confused when he returned and went down on one knee in front of me.
Blood whooshed in my ears. Shock immobilized me.
Was this happening?
Was this a joke?
WHAT?
I gaped at Reid in question, seeing a jumble of emotions fight for supremacy in his gaze. Then his hands moved in front of him and a million of my own emotions flooded me.
He held up a black velvet ring box.
He opened it.
Nestled inside, sparkling in the winter sunlight flooding my parent’s front room, was the most beautiful diamond ring I’d ever seen. It was a platinum band with delicate filigree work that encased smaller diamonds along the top half of the very slender band. Clasped in the middle was an oval diamond. It was perfect. Not too over the top for my small hand.
And exactly my taste.
But it was an engagement ring!
We’d only been dating two weeks?
I didn’t have to say that. He read it in my expression. Reid reached for my hand, his fingers curling around it. “I know it’s soon.”
“Uh, huh.” I nodded. It was very soon.
What scared me the most, however, was how much I still wanted to yell, “YES!” at the top of my lungs.
“You know me, Ev.” He tugged on my hand. “You know I’m a man who goes after what I want. It’s why I’m successful. Business is one thing … finding the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with is the most important thing that will ever happen to me. I never thought I’d find you. I didn’t even know feeling so much for someone was possible. And it hasn’t been easy. It’s been complicated. But all the best things are. And you, my love, are not just what I want. You’re everything I need to be happy. And I don’t see any reason to mess about for the sake of what we’re supposed to do. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I want it to start right now.”
“Oh my goodness,” I breathed, feeling raw and terrified and thrilled and excited … because I wanted and needed him too. So much. It was overwhelming.
“Will you do me the absolute honor of marrying me, Evan Munro?”
Some people would call us crazy.
Impulsive.
I didn’t care.
I grinned, nodding, as I threw myself at him, almost taking him to his arse. Reid gave a bark of surprised laughter and caught me. His arms bound so tight around me.
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes!” I reared back my head to yell, “Yes, yes, yes!”
He kissed me, hard, possessive, and it was inappropriate in front of our families, but I didn’t care. And as he did this, he fumbled for my hand, blindly sliding the engagement ring on my finger. I broke the kiss to stare down at it, disbelieving this was real.
“Happy Christmas, Ev,” he murmured huskily in my ear.
My gaze moved from the ring to his face. “Best one ever.”
He grinned and opened his mouth to reply, but the words were cut off as our mothers fell upon us in joy.
“It’s finally happening!”
“Let me see the ring.”
“Oh my God, it’s beautiful!”
“You should get married next Christmas.”
“A Christmas wedding would be stunning.”
“A sleigh! She could arrive on a sleigh!”
“Oh heaven! And we could have a Christmas choir singing her up the aisle.”
“And we—”
“Enough!” Patrick yelled.
A deafening silence fell over the room and my heart sank.
Patrick glared at Reid.
Oh boy.
But then a smirk curled the corners of his mouth. “You didn’t have to propose to convince me. Marriage is life, mate. She’s cute but have you really thought this through?”
I reached past Dad for the large cushion on his armchair and chucked it at my brother.