Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
We celebrate for a little longer, Anne and Jim swapping stories from when they’d been friends before, Caleb disappearing sometime in the middle of the celebration, no doubt to chase down some pretty entertainment for the night.
Owen dips his head, putting his lips at the shell of my ear. “Come with me, Kitten,” he whispers, tugging on my hand and leading me away from my friends and up another set of stairs until we're back on the roof, the door closing behind us.
“So this is where it all started,” he says, grinning at me mischievously.
I returned the grin, fire dancing beneath my skin as I draw closer to him. “Do you want to play up here again, Silver?” I ask him just like he asked me the last time we were up here.
Owen wraps his arms around me, tucking me close as he plants a soft and smoldering kiss against my lips. “With you, Kitten?” he asks, pulling back and dropping to one knee. I gasp as he tugs a black velvet box from his pocket, popping the lid to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring set in a band of gold. “Always?” he poses the question.
Tears line my eyes as I nod. “Always sounds perfect.” I extend my left hand, and he slides the ring on my finger, a smile on his face as he scoops me up, drawing me to his eye level, kissing me hard enough to steal my breath and make sparks dance over my skin.
I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him back, giving him everything he’s offering and more. “I love you,” I say against his mouth, meaning every single word in the truest sense of its meaning.
“I love you,” he says before reclaiming my mouth.
And as we clash together on the rooftop, the stars shining above us just like they did the first night we met, I find myself diving headfirst into my happily ever after.
And I don't dare look back.
Epilogue
RIDGE
“So I can't drive anymore,” Lyla says to Anne, the two girls falling into a fit of giggles. “I totally only meant to have one, but I think I'm on number three?”
“We can take you home,” Jim says, who, like myself, has stuck to only water tonight. Jim invited me to the little impromptu celebration for Zoe’s new guy, and I never miss an opportunity to get out of Sweet Water.
“No, I don't want you guys to have to leave now,” Lyla says, the cutest little wrinkle forming between her brows. “But I'm totally ready to go. I'll just call a Lyft.”
“I'll take you home,” I say before I even realize the words are coming out of my mouth. I rise from my chair, sticking close to her because I’m worried she'll top over any moment.
Lyla laughs, letting her phone fall back into her purse. “Seriously?” she asks, turning and swaying slightly on her feet as she looks up at me.
My arms fly to either side of her, not touching her, but ready to catch her.
“Mr. Sour Pants wants to drive me home?”
I furrow my brow. “Did you just call me sour pants?”
“Mr. Sour Pants,” she says with emphasis.
Jim laughs from where he sits behind Lyla, and I glance down, giving him a warning look. He keeps on laughing, and Anne joins in.
I wave the two off, and then nod to Brad and Luna who are chatting in the corner, Zoe and her new guy having disappeared a half hour ago. “Come on,” I say to Lyla, guiding her toward the stairs. “Let me take you home.”
By some sort of miracle, she follows my lead, glancing over her shoulder to wave at her friends.
“Mr. Sour Pants is taking me home!” she says a little loud and a little wild, just enough to make my normal straight face demeanor slip into a smile.
She wobbles on the first stair, and I immediately tuck an arm around her hip, steadying her as we walk down, through the throngs of people in the club, and finally through the front doors.
“Are you going to criticize my food all the way home?” she asks as I hold the passenger door of my car open for her.
I shake my head, helping settle her into the passenger seat, securing her seat belt when she struggles.
I gently close the door, huffing out a laugh as I round the car and get behind the wheel, starting the drive home.
“You know we're going to have to see a lot of each other now,” she says, her buzzed tone so much more apparent now that there's no music blaring around us.
The woman is absolutely wasted, but it's adorable as hell. She’s usually so reserved, unless she's snapping at me for saying something about her food, which I only do because she gets this fire in her eyes like she's lighting up on Christmas morning.