by J. Sterling
“I know it’s an engagement ring. Where did it come from?” I sputtered at him, half exasperated, half excited. I couldn’t pick a single emotion; too many of them were running through me at once.
“A jewelry store. You can take it off, if you want.”
“No.” I yanked my hand back so quickly, he laughed.
“So you like it?”
I stared at the sparkling oval diamond surrounded by a circle of smaller diamonds, and practically swooned. “Like it? It’s stunning.”
“And the rose gold?” he asked, knowing how much I adored the flattering tone against my skin.
“It’s unbelievable. Perfect.”
Ryan smirked at me. “So you’re going to keep it then?”
I wanted to smack him and kiss him at the same time. Staring at the ring on my hand, I waited for what felt like a full minute, but in my excitement, it was probably only about ten seconds.
“It depends,” I said slowly, thinking that two could play this game, even though I knew I’d lose.
“Oh, it depends, huh?” He grinned and I nodded, trying to keep my expression serious. “On what exactly?” He reached for my hand.
“On your answer to my question.”
“What question would that be?” His head cocked to the side, and his sly grin appeared again.
I held my hand in the air between us. “What’s this ring doing on my finger?”
I kicked off the covers like I was about to storm out, but the truth was that I was hot. Had someone turned the heat on?
He climbed out of bed, then placed his hands on my legs and spun me to face him. “Waiting for you to finally say yes.” He dropped to one knee.
“Yes to what?” I continued to toy with him as he reached for my left hand and pulled the ring off. I missed it instantly. With the ring now gone, my finger looked so sad and empty. I wanted to pout, but kept my mouth shut.
“To me, Sofia. Will you finally say yes to marrying me?” He held up the ring, his fingers dwarfing it. “Please say you’ll be my wife. I can’t wait any longer to make you mine.”
“Of course I’ll marry you.”
He pushed the ring back on my finger, and the world righted itself again.
“I can’t wait to be legally yours,” I told him. “You know I already am in every other way.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his mouth to mine, our kiss slow, romantic, and deep.
Happy Ending
Ryan
I’d grown tired of waiting to put a ring on it, especially after Nick proposed to Jess.
I hated to admit it, but I was jealous of my little brother. And yes, I knew that I was the first Fisher to give our parents a grandbaby, and no one else had that going for them, but still. I wanted to be engaged and get married. Hell, I wanted it all . . . yesterday.
So while Sofia was passed out asleep—looking absolutely beautiful, I might add—I did what I’d tried to do once before. I put a ring on that otherwise empty finger. I figured if I wasn’t supposed to ask her yet, then it wouldn’t fit, just like it hadn’t the last time I tried to slip it on.
But it did. It slipped right on, and I smiled to myself as I tried to fall back asleep, knowing what the coming morning would bring.
When she shook me awake like a combination between an earthquake and a thunderstorm, I’d forgotten for a second what I’d done. My heart raced with the worry that something bad had happened to Hope.
It wasn’t until Sofia thrust her hand in front of my face, narrowly missing my nose, that I remembered what I’d done.
• • •
Three weeks later, we gathered at the bar to welcome Frank and Claudia home from their honeymoon. We had started doing more family things at Sam’s, even if it seemed like the least obvious place to do so. You’d be surprised at how family-friendly a bar could be when you were the one who owned it. To keep things legal, we got together when the bar wasn’t open to the public so we weren’t technically breaking any laws.
Frank and Claudia walked through the doors, glowing from their tans, and we all went crazy, shouting over one another and trying to get to them first.
Life was funny that way. You didn’t always think you missed someone while they were gone, but the second you saw them again, it hit you just how much you did.
I suddenly felt like I had a million things to fill Frank in on, even though there actually was nothing new. And I wanted to hear all the details about their honeymoon in Tahiti. Well, not all the details, obviously, but they had stayed in one of those over-the-water bungalows, and I wanted to hear all about that, thinking that I could surprise Sofia with a trip there one of these days.
Frank’s smile hadn’t dimmed since they walked through the doors, and I didn’t know if it was because he was so relaxed, happy to see everyone, or for some other reason.
Nick appeared at my side and nudged my shoulder. “Why won’t he stop smiling? It’s freaky, right?”
I nodded. “I was just asking myself the same thing.”
Frank headed toward us with that smile still plastered on his face. He pulled Nick and me into a group hug.
“Missed you guys,” he said, sounding more like me than I did in the moment.
“Is that why you won’t stop smiling?” Nick asked as we shoved him away.
“It’s creepy. Please stop.” I poked at Frank’s cheek, and he slapped my hand away—hard.
“Not sure why I missed either of you jackasses,” he growled, and before I could thank him for going back to normal, that damn smile reappeared. “You’re going to be shitty uncles.”
“What?” I sputtered as Nick said, “No way!”
“That took like two seconds.” I shook my head, crazy excited that there would be another Fisher baby running around soon. “How do you know already?” I stepped behind the bar and poured us each a shot, then handed them out.
Frank shrugged as he reached for his glass. “We think she was pregnant before the wedding, actually. It’s all Hope’s fault.”
I put my shot glass down and gave him a questioning look. “How exactly is it my perfect angel baby’s fault?
“Because,” he said proudly. “I saw her and wanted one.” He looked around and lowered his voice. “And then Claudia gave me that look when we got back home.”
“What look?” Nick asked, leaning closer.
“The look that said she wanted one too.” Frank said it in a way that made sure we knew that they were both to blame for this baby, and I bit back a laugh. “I told her I was going to put a baby in her, and she told me I’d better.”
“Best getting-pregnant story ever.” Nick lifted his shot glass in the air, and when he realized we weren’t toasting yet, he set it back down.
“She basically threw down the gauntlet,” I said, thinking how lucky they were that it worked out. It wasn’t always that easy for most people to get pregnant.
“No shit. I’d better. Good thing I did.” Frank’s smile reappeared. “But I’m sure it didn’t hurt that we’ve been trying ever since.”
“Who else knows?” I asked.
“It’s still so early,” Frank said, “and she’s nervous something could happen. But I’m sure by the end of today, everyone in this bar will know.”
“You’re going to be a dad.” I slapped his back and squeezed his shoulder.
“I figured if you could do it, anyone could,” he shot back.
We all laughed, raising our glasses. Then without a word being spoken, Frank and I stared expectantly at Nick, who threw one hand in the air.
“We’re not ready for kids yet, so stop giving me that look.”
“But you’re going to have kids, right?” I asked, realizing that none of us had ever talked about it. I’d always just assumed my brothers wanted the same things I did.
“Hell yes. I’ll help populate the world with little Fishers at some point. Just not now.”
His answer was good enough for me. “Here’s to all the little Fishers . . . th
e ones on the way and the ones yet to come.” I held my glass in the air, and we all clanked them together before downing our shots.
Life was good, and it was just getting started.
The End
Other Books by J. Sterling
Bitter Rivals
Dear Heart, I Hate You
10 Years Later- A Second Chance Romance
In Dreams – a new adult college romance
Chance Encounters- a coming of age story
The Game Series:
The Perfect Game - Book One
The Game Changer - Book Two
The Sweetest Game - Book Three
The Other Game (Dean Carter) – Book Four
The Playboy Serial:
Avoiding the Playboy- Episode #1
Resisting the Playboy- Episode #2
Wanting the Playboy- Episode #3
The Celebrity Series:
Seeing Stars- Madison & Walker
Breaking Stars- Paige & Tatum
Losing Stars- Quinn & Ryson (Coming)
About the Author
Jenn Sterling is a Southern California native who loves writing stories from the heart. Every story she tells has pieces of her truth in it, as well as her life experience. She has her bachelor’s degree in Radio/TV/Film and has worked in the entertainment industry the majority of her life.
Jenn loves hearing from her readers and can be found online at:
Blog & Website:
www.j-sterling.com
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/AuthorSterling
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/AuthorJSterling
Private Facebook Reader Group:
www.facebook.com/groups/ThePerfectGameChangerGroup/
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/AuthorJSterling
If you enjoyed this book, please consider writing a spoiler-free review on the site from which you purchased it. And thank you so much for helping me spread the word about my books, and for allowing me to continue telling the stories I love to tell. I appreciate you so much. :)
Thank you for downloading this book.