I freeze on the street and look up at him, not sure how to answer. He said it lightly, but that look in his eyes isn’t flippant.
“Please tell me that wasn’t a proposal,” I try to tease, but my tone is tight.
“That wasn’t.” He turns to face me, his expression enigmatic. He stares at me for the longest time, thinking awfully hard.
“Kyle?”
Slowly, as if coming to a decision, he sinks down on one knee, just like he did all those months ago. “But this is.”
“Kyle,” I hiss, looking around. We’re already drawing a crowd. “What are you doing?”
Smiling as if amused by my reaction, he takes my hand. “What do you think I’m doing?”
I lean down and widen my eyes. “We’ve only been together for a few weeks.”
And for some reason, that makes him laugh. “Kaylee, come on. Name one person alive who knows you better than I do—and vice versa. You think I just fell in love with you? I didn’t. I’ve been in love with you forever, I just didn’t figure it out until recently.”
“This is insane,” I whisper. “You’re insane.”
“Kaylee Cameron…”
Oh my goodness—this is actually happening. That’s my name.
“You are my best friend.” Kyle’s gaze is calm, and his tone is sure. “I trust you, love you, and want to live the rest of my life with you. There is no one else I would rather spend time with…and no one else I would break into a floral conference for. Will you marry me?”
I nod because words are beyond me.
Grinning, Kyle jumps to his feet and kisses me, making a show out of it. The people around us cheer, and he picks me up, making me laugh.
A perfect stranger offers to take a picture of us, and I hand him my phone, smiling like crazy. Soon the people wander away, wishing us well.
“You’re sure about this?” I ask Kyle once we’re alone. “I mean, come on. This is crazy.”
He gives me a confident smile. It goes a long way to easing my fears. “These last two weeks have been amazing.”
“They have,” I agree.
“And I noticed something.”
“What’s that?”
“Our relationship is exactly the same…except I get to kiss you now.” To prove his point, he leans down and brushes his lips against mine. “We just did everything backward. We’re already to the comfortable stage—we’ve been there for years and years. We’re basically a happily married couple already. And, Kaylee, I want to be with you always.”
I smile up at him, so ridiculously happy I could put a cheesy Christmas movie to shame. He kisses me again, and this time we linger.
Eventually, a cold breeze cuts through the air, making me shiver.
“Hey, Kyle,” I say.
“Yeah?”
“You know you have to buy me a ring, right? You’re not getting out of that.”
Laughing, he loops his arm around my back and turns me so we’re facing the hotel. He pulls a card key from his wallet and hands it to me. With a rueful smile, he says, “We’ll go right away. But first, I need my fiancée to get my stuff from my room because I’m not allowed in there anymore.”
Epilogue
“I brought something,” Kaylee says. She hefts her suitcase onto the bed and unzips it. I finish hauling our stuff into the yurt and amble up next to her.
On Monday, we’ll board a plane and fly to England—where Kaylee insisted we spend our honeymoon, though don’t ask me why.
For now, we’re in this surprisingly comfortable yurt for the next two days. I’m not entirely sure how I talked Kaylee into it.
She’s been my wife for twenty-two hours. I certainly waited long enough—a year and two months after I proposed, to be exact.
Her parents, though thrilled, insisted on a long engagement just to make sure we really knew what we were getting ourselves into. Since they paid for the whole affair, it was hard to argue. Kaylee wanted a spring wedding anyway, and there was no way she could throw one together in a month or two…especially when June sold Kaylee her shop last April.
Instead of yanking her granddaughter away from the home she’d shared with her parents, June decided it was best to stay in Sacramento. Kaylee just about had heart failure when June told her she was leaving for good. After dozens of meetings with the bank, and June flying back one last time to take care of the paperwork, the shop was officially Kaylee’s.
“I know it’s in here somewhere,” Kaylee says, peering into the suitcase.
After several moments of shuffling things around, she produces a napkin. Not just any napkin, however, the napkin. It’s over a year old now and wrinkled, worn, and torn around the edges.
She hands it to me, smiling. “You want to cross off the last few items?”
On the way here, we got a wood cutting permit, found a nice dead tree, and I got to make use of my impressive chainsaw skills. Because we’re only here a few days, I only cut one, which is good because I barely got all the wood loaded in the back of my Jeep.
“I can’t believe you still have that thing.” I shake my head, laughing. I set the napkin on the table by the little potbelly stove at the back of the yurt and cross the two items off. Before I’m finished, I add one last thing to the list.
Kaylee stands next to me. “What are you doing?”
I write Number 27: Marry Kaylee. Then, with great satisfaction, I cross it off.
Laughing like I’m ridiculous, Kaylee carefully folds the napkin and puts it back in her suitcase.
“You’re keeping it?” I ask.
She looks at me over her shoulder. “Of course. This list is gold.”
“Why is that?”
“It was my ‘Win Kyle’s Heart’ list.” She holds up her hand, flashing her ring as she gives me a wicked smirk. “See how well it worked?”
“Oh, I see,” I tease, crossing the yurt and catching her around the waist. Together, we topple onto the bed. “I’ve been played.”
“Try not to feel too bad about it.” She laughs and squirms to get away, but we both know she’s not trying that hard.
“Believe me,” I say, leaning down to kiss her, “I don’t feel bad at all.”
Hi there!
Thank you for joining me in Kaylee and Kyle’s story. I had so much fun with those two, and I hope you did too!
News and extras:
I have a 27 Ways Christmas novella planned. More info coming soon.
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Shari
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About the Author
Shari L. Tapscott writes young adult fantasy and humorous contemporary fiction. When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys gardening, making soap, and pretending she can sing. She loves white chocolate mochas, furry animals, spending time with her family, and characters who refuse to behave.
Tapscott lives in western Colorado with her husband, son, daughter, and several extremely spoiled pets.
Shari also writes new adult urban fantasy as Shannon Lynn Cook.
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shariltapscott.com
27 Ways to Mend His Broken Heart Page 17