Hayes would laugh if he were here, and then he’d remind me that we won’t have kids unless I can promise they’ll be better behaved than Kaitlin. Given that she’s now lying in the aisle and chanting “boring, boring, boring” at the top of her lungs, it feels like a reasonable demand.
Communion begins, and my mother leans over and asks me to go get the car. “It’s been snowing the whole time,” she says. “I’m worried about my leg on the way back.”
I’m not sure why she can’t ask Alex to do this, but with a sigh, I grab my coat and purse and walk outside.
I stop on the top step and take it all in—the lights in the trees, the fresh blanket of snow, the velvet sky, wishing Hayes could see it. It really is beautiful. There will be other years, I tell myself.
“You’re sure you’ll be able to give all this up?” asks a voice from the darkness.
Hayes. Standing just a few feet to my left.
I launch myself at him, my throat swelling with the urge to cry, hugging him, kissing him, inhaling him in a way he’s come to expect. “You’re here?!”
His arms band tight around me. It’s only been a week since I saw him last, but it’s a long time for us. And he knows exactly how unbearable it’s been because I’ve told him so, every single night. “Of course,” he says, burying his face into my hair. “I wasn’t about to miss our first Christmas together.”
“But how? You were still texting me from the airport two hours ago.”
“Yes. I just didn’t mention the airport was in Dallas,” he says, “although I was sure your mother wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret.”
“I missed you,” I tell him, laying my head against his chest. I squeeze him tighter, breathing in the smell of his soap and skin. I want him home and undressed. I wonder how much time we have before my family gets back.
“This is pretty spectacular,” he says, nodding at the street stretched out before us. “A rather nice place to propose, even.”
I freeze and pull back just enough to see if he’s joking. His eyes are earnest, a little worried. And then he reaches into the pocket of his coat and withdraws a black velvet box.
He swallows. “I’ve never done this part before. I’m...surprisingly anxious.”
His hair has fallen over his forehead. I reach up and brush it to the side. “I think you have nothing to worry about.”
He catches my hand. “I’ve been in love with you, I think, since the day I saw you reading in the rain as you walked into work,” he says. He presses the box to my palm and covers it with his own. His eyes hold mine, and there’s urgency there, as if nothing in the world matters more than my answer. He swallows. “Marry me. Please marry me.”
I want to tease him about the fact that he’s finally said please, but I can’t. That he wants something this much, and that the thing is me, is nothing short of a miracle. “Yes,” I finally whisper. His face breaks into a wide, relieved smile, and he tugs me against him.
“You’re sure?” he asks. “You haven’t even seen the ring yet.”
“It doesn’t matter what the ring looks like,” I reply.
“Jonathan said the diamond was too big,” he says. “I suggested you quite like big things.”
I laugh shakily. “Did you really just allude to your dick in a marriage proposal?”
“You already said yes,” he says with a quick grin, as he pulls my mouth to his. “You can’t take it back.”
I don’t plan to.
THE END
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The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
When Drew Wilson’s famous, sort-of boyfriend Joel “Six” Bailey asks her to go on his family trip to Hawaii, she’s certain it means he’s ready for a commitment at last.
Drew is determined to emerge from paradise as Six’s official girlfriend, but Six’s rude older brother Matthew—a hot-nerd doctor who has hated Drew since the moment they met—is making that difficult. Not simply because he’s in her way at every turn, but because—as one tropical adventure leads to the next—she’s beginning to wonder if obnoxious, odious Matthew might be the brother she actually belongs with.
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Acknowledgments
I fell in love with Tali and Hayes from their very first conversation, and I wanted their story to be perfect. In order to get it there, I leaned on a billion people, so bear with me here.
First, the professionals: T Bird London and Silently Correcting Your Grammar read earlier, different versions of this book, followed by Laverne Clark, who edited it. Then I had the good fortune to discover the wonder that is Sali Benbow-Powers and had her give me a developmental edit on what was supposedly a finished product. You’re really not supposed to get a developmental edit AFTER the book is done, but I’m so, so grateful I did because she is amazing, and I will never publish a book without her again. It was then proofread by Julie Deaton, and I had to have my lovely, eagle-eyed friend Janis Ferguson give it a final glance before it went forth into the world. Lori Jackson took care of the gorgeous cover and Valentine PR has done a spectacular job of letting the world know this book exists. Thanks so much to all of you!
A deepest, most heartfelt thank you to my beta readers: Shannon Vick Alley, Kimberly Ann, Tricia Coan, Katie Foster Meyer, Laura Steuart, Jill Sullender, Erin Thompson and Jen Wilson Owens, with a special shout-out to Katie and Jen, who read approximately 10,000 versions of this book and still managed to maintain their enthusiasm for it. Thanks also to author Jami Albright for taking time out of her very busy career to read this and assure me I was on the right track.
Finally, thanks to my friends and family for supporting me during this agonizingly long process. I promise I’ll never waste a full year on a book again, for all our sakes.
About the Author
Elizabeth O'Roark spent many years as a medical writer before publishing her first novel in 2013. She holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and arts from the University of Texas, and a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Notre Dame. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her three children. A Deal With The Devil is her ninth book.
A Deal With The Devil: A Steamy Enemies-to-Lovers Romance Page 26