by J. H. Croix
On a more crucial matter, she moved back into the lake house with me. She had the better bedroom, so I stayed up there. My mother was over the moon about us. She even fessed up that Janet had suggested she offer the rental to Paisley because, apparently, Janet thought I had a thing for Paisley. She’d been spot on.
As for me? Tender was the only word I could come up with about my feelings.
I ran into Rowan one day in the parking lot at the station. He cracked a rare grin, commenting, “You seem to be in a better mood.”
“I do?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. You're not being stupid anymore. Now, you better lock her down.”
A full six months after his suggestion, I did. I got a ring and everything, and I made dinner—her favorite mac and cheese. Plus, a raspberry cheesecake. The first time I made it, she ate almost half of it by herself. I had it all planned. I even made it a surprise.
“Why am I wearing a blindfold?” she asked as I held her hand and led her into the kitchen.
“For fun,” I teased.
Her lips were curled in a smile, and I bent low to kiss her when I stopped by the counter. We had already eaten the mac and cheese and gone for a walk. Her eyes flew wide when she saw the raspberry cheesecake. “Ooh! I didn't know if you were ever going to make it again.”
“Of course, I was going to make it again.”
“If you make this all the time, I will turn into a butterball.”
I chuckled. She didn't need to worry about that. Hotshot firefighting was not an easy job and pretty much made it impossible to put on any weight.
“Let’s eat dessert,” I murmured, nudging her in the direction of the table.
She was several bites in when she started to sink her fork in, and it came to an abrupt stop, making a little clicking sound. Her eyes flew wide. “What’s this?”
I waited. She carefully pushed the top layer away to see the small glass box, and nestled inside of it was a ring. I’d cut a hole in the cake from the bottom to hide the box in there. She carefully smoothed her fork over the top. When she looked over at me, her eyes were glistening with tears. “Seriously? Are you asking me to marry you?”
“Yes, I am,” I said flatly.
She sat completely still, long enough that I started to worry. When she lifted her eyes to mine again, she knuckled away the tears slipping down her cheeks.
“Russell. Oh, my God. Are you sure?”
“Am I sure that I love you? Yes. Am I sure that I want to spend the rest of my life with you? Yes, absolutely. Was this too soon?”
She shook her head, her hair swinging around her shoulders with the motion. “I love you.” She leaped out of her chair, raced around the table, and slipped into my lap.
A moment later, she pressed her forehead to mine. “You surprised me,” she whispered.
“You're not easy to surprise. I wanted to make it good.”
I felt the curve of her smile on my cheek. “Maybe you can teach me how to make the cheesecake.”
“No,” I said firmly. Our last episode in cooking lessons for Paisley had not gone so well. She was too impatient and skipped too many steps. “I love you. You're the best roommate I’ve ever had.”
“Am I still just your roommate?” she teased.
“Well, you're my roommate with benefits, and I love you. And now, you're my fiancée, and pretty soon, you'll be my wife. You’re mine.”
“Since when did you become a possessive guy?” she teased.
“Since you,” I said bluntly before sliding my hand into her hair and holding her close.
* * *
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Thank you for reading Paisley & Russell’s story - I hope you loved it!
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Up next in the Light My Fire Series is Only Ever Us. Rowan & Mae were best friends once. Young and reckless, they risked their friendship with a few dates. Just when they almost had it all, Mae cut Rowan out of her life.
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She never told him why, and he never stopped loving her. When he takes a job as a hotshot firefighter in her small hometown in Alaska, he hopes he might finally find the answers.
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Don’t miss Rowan & Mae’s hot, emotional second chance romance!
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Pre-order Only Ever Us - due out Dec 14, 2021!
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For more swoon-worthy small town romance…
* * *
This Crazy Love kicks off the Swoon Series - small town southern romance with enough heat to melt you! Jackson & Shay’s story is epic - swoon-worthy & intensely emotional. Jackson just happens to be Shay’s brother’s best friend. He’s also seriously easy on the eyes. Shay has a past, the kind of past she would most definitely like to forget. Past or not, Jackson is about to rock her world. Don’t miss their story! Free on all retailers!
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Burn For Me is a second chance romance for the ages. Sexy firefighters? Check. Rugged men? Check. Wrapped up together? Check. Brave the fire in this hot, small-town romance. Amelia & Cade were high school sweethearts & then it all fell apart. When they cross paths again, it’s epic - don’t miss Cade’s story!
Free on all retailers!
* * *
For more small town romance, take a visit to Last Frontier Lodge in Diamond Creek. A sexy, alpha SEAL meets his match with a brainy heroine in Take Me Home. Marley is all brains & Gage is all brawn. Sparks fly when their worlds collide. Don’t miss Gage & Marley’s story!
Free on all retailers!
* * *
If sports romance lights your spark, check out The Play. Liam is a British footballer who falls for Olivia, his doctor. A twist of forbidden heats up this swoon-worthy & laugh-out-loud romance. Don’t miss Liam & Olivia’s story.
Free on all retailers!
Find My Books
Thank you for reading Hold Me Now! I hope you enjoyed the story. If so, you can help other readers find my books in a variety of ways.
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Light My Fire Series
Wild With You
Hold Me Now
Only Ever Us - coming December 2021!
Fall For Me - coming February 2022!
Dare With Me Series
Crash Into You
Evers & Afters
Come To Me
Back To Us
Swoon Series
This Crazy Love
Wait For Me
Break My Fall
Truly Madly Mine
Still Go Crazy
If We Dare
Steal My Heart
Into The Fire Series
Burn For Me
Slow Burn
Burn So Bad
Hot Mess
Burn So Good
Sweet Fire
Play With Fire
Melt With You
Burn For You
Crash & Burn
That Snowy Night
Brit Boys Sports Romance
The Play
Big Win
Out Of Bounds
Play Me
Naughty Wish
Diamond Creek Alaska Novels
When Love Comes
Follow Love
Love Unbroken
Love Untamed
; Tumble Into Love
Christmas Nights
Last Frontier Lodge Novels
Take Me Home
Love at Last
Just This Once
Falling Fast
Stay With Me
When We Fall
Hold Me Close
Crazy For You
Just Us
Acknowledgments
I’m so grateful for you, my readers. There are only so many ways to thank you, but it bears repeating. Thank you for giving my books a chance.
My assistant, Erin, is forever managing the details behind the scenes for me. Gracious thanks to my editor for helping me polish Russell & Paisley’s story and to Terri D. for making sure my characters have the same eye color throughout the story and more.
Najla Qamber continues to create stunning covers for me and does so with kindness and patience.
To my early readers who let me know about any stubborn errors, and to the bloggers who shout out my books and so many others - massive thanks!
Of course, thank you to my husband, and to my dogs who only interrupt me a few hundred times a day for pets.
xoxo
J.H. Croix
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author J. H. Croix lives in a small town in Maine with her husband and two spoiled dogs. Croix writes contemporary romance with sassy women and alpha men who aren't afraid to show some emotion. Her love for quirky small-towns and the characters that inhabit them shines through in her writing. Take a walk on the wild side of romance with her bestselling novels!
Places you can find me:
jhcroixauthor.com
[email protected]