Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“Did he say yes?” Karlie asked, raising a freshly opened bottle of champagne overhead.
I grinned and held up our hands, showing off the new bands. “He said yes!”
“Smart man!” she shouted as the crowd let out a raucous cheer.
James seemed to realize something then. “Wait, Conor and Wells making up an excuse to leave the beach, and Karlie protesting when I offered to help—that was all a ploy, wasn’t it? You had this planned in advance and they were leaving us alone so you could pop the question?”
I grinned widely. “It would have been really awkward if you’d said no.”
He leaned toward me, brushing his mouth against mine. “I would never say no to you.”
I stood and held out a hand, helping him to his feet. Karlie approached and threw her arms around James, nearly knocking him from his feet. “Welcome to the family,” she said, just loud enough that I overheard. His eyes turned misty.
“Thank you,” he said earnestly, his voice cracking. Though he didn’t often talk about his life as an only child, I knew how much he’d dreamed about being part of a large, loving family. So I knew how much Karlie’s words meant to him.
I slipped my hand into his, and he squeezed tight.
Karlie noticed and smiled. Then she shot us a mock frown, wagging her finger between us. “No sneaking off to the honeymoon suite just yet. I busted my ass baking a cake to celebrate your engagement, and you’re damn well going to enjoy it!” She turned and started back toward the steps leading up to the inn, herding folks along with her.
“Honeymoon suite?” James asked, a mischievous grin on his face.
“Hmm, well… I happened to book us the best room at the newest beach resort in McBride for the night.”
He slipped his arms around me, pulling me close. “That’s no small feat, given that I’ve heard that place is booked out three solid months straight.”
“Good thing I happen to have an in with the owner.”
He chuckled and bent his head toward mine, deepening the kiss. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the sun had almost finished setting, only a tiny strip of light left to be swallowed by the sea. I pulled from his kiss long enough to say, “We’ll miss the green flash.”
His eyes met mine. “We’ll have plenty of sunsets in the future to look for it,” he said, brushing his lips against mine. “Besides,” he added, “I already have everything I could ever wish for right here.”
“Me too,” I told him. And he kissed me again before we turned and walked hand in hand back toward our friends and family, back toward the new and improved Sea Sprite, and back toward the exact life we wanted.