by Cindi Madsen
As her parents, Maya, and Steven started up the porch steps, Quinn opened the door. She invited them inside and greeted Chichi and Haha with a kiss on the cheek and then hugged Maya—she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed her sister, and when she pulled back, she noticed she wasn’t the only one blinking away tears.
Then she moved to Heath’s side and introduced him, even though everyone but Haha had met him before. With that out of the way, she invited them to sit down at the large dining room table she’d already set.
“You look well,” Chichi said and the compliment nearly blew her over. “You look happy.”
Tears rose, dangerously close to breaking free. “Domo arigato.”
“Do itashimashte.”
Haha smiled at her, and then they all grinned and the tight knot between her shoulder blades loosened.
Quinn reached under the table and grabbed Heath’s hand. He squeezed back, a silent I told you it’d all be okay.
They kept to polite small talk over dinner, but every minute things got easier. Her father asked Heath about the renovations and the cabins, and while most people wouldn’t have seen any change in his expression, she noticed the slight twitches in his features that made it clear he was impressed. Heath even got a full nod—that was like a high five in Chichi land.
After dinner, Quinn got up to get dessert from the kitchen. She hoped they wouldn’t all attack Heath in her absence, but she knew he could take care of himself. She brought out the cake she’d made, dished out pieces, and then settled back in her seat.
The slight knocking against her chair made her look down. Heath’s knee was bouncing up and down—he must be more nervous than he claimed to be. She placed her hand on his shaking knee and he shot her a tight smile.
Uh-oh. Something’s…well, I’m not sure what’s going on.
Heath turned to Chichi, his nerves transferring from his bouncing knee to his expression. Then he cleared his throat. “Excuse me in advance, because I’ll probably butcher this, and who knows if it’s even the correct way to say it, but it took forever to memorize it, so I’m just going to say it anyway.” He cleared his throat again. “Musume-san to kekkon sasete kudasai.”
“Holy shit,” Maya said through a bite of cake. “Did he just ask for Chichi’s permission to marry Quinn?”
Chichi and Haha both glared at Maya—about time someone else got in trouble for cussing. Honestly, though, replace “shit” with “shitballs,” and Quinn had been thinking the exact same thing.
She tightened her grip on Heath’s knee. “Do you know what you said?” Maybe he’d meant “someday.” Or maybe Google Translate was playing a huge prank on them both.
“Yes, and I meant it.” Heath looked across the table at Chichi again. “I know your traditions are important, and I’m trying to do it the right way. I promise you, I’ll take care of your daughter. I’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy. I love her. I want to marry her.”
Silence hung in the air for one heartbeat. Two. Three…
Chichi wiped his mouth with a napkin, his expression betraying nothing. He looked at Quinn, and her rapid pulse throbbed through her ears. She couldn’t move. Blink. Breathe.
Then her father turned back to Heath. “Quinn-chan ga iito iunara, idarou.”
The tears were coming now, no chance at stopping them. Heath glanced at her, eyebrows raised, probably wanting to know if her tears were sad or happy ones.
“He said that you have his permission if it’s what I want.”
Heath withdrew a black box from his pocket, opened it, and dropped to one knee. “Quinn Sakata, I love you and I want to marry you.” He shot her a nervous smile. “Remember we now own property together, so it’s going to be super awkward if you say no.”
She laughed and nodded her head. “I want. I absolutely want.”
Heath slid the ring on her finger, and then he stood, scooping her into his arms as he did. He kissed her—a more chaste kiss than usual with her family as witnesses. Then he moved his lips to her ear and whispered, “I can’t wait to officially make you mine. And in case I haven’t made it clear, you babe, are definitely worth the wait.”
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Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank my cousin Mary Lo Thomas, for answering a ton of questions about her culture, and for being excited about the concept of the book and Quinn’s background. I’d also like to thank Clinton Thomas for his input and for always being supportive about my writing. You two rock!
Thanks to Donald Kim Norman, MaryAnn Price, and her friend Asuka-san, for helping me with the Japanese. (And Erin Poehlman for getting me in touch with MaryAnn). Domo arigato!
Shout-out to my brother, Tod, for answering all of my mechanic questions, and thanks to my dad for explaining hunting zones and licenses, as well as always checking up on me to see how my writing’s going. Thanks to my mom, who sometimes gets spoiled on scenes because I ramble on and on about them.
When I asked for names for the band, I got a ton of great options, but Rebekah Millet came up with Dixie Rush, and it fit so perfectly I knew I had to use it—thanks, girl! And thanks to my followers for answering my random questions and helping me through the editing process. During the writing and editing of every book, I end up sending dozens—cough, hundreds—of emails to Rachel Harris and Melissa West, and they never fail to help and make me laugh. Love you girls! Big hugs to the CKM and the Colorado Indie Authors for your support, and same to my TZWNDUBC girls.
Of course I can’t go without thanking my fabulous editor, Stacy Abrams, who’s edited book after book with me and always makes my stories shine. You are a lovely person and friend and I’m so glad I know you! Thanks to the rest of the Bliss team, including Alycia Tornetta, Tara Quigley, and Debbie Suzuki. Oh, and Jessica Cantor for all the awesome covers that fit my characters so perfectly. Entangled Publishing has been so great to me and I’m so lucky to have a home there.
I also have to give a shout-out to Gina Maxwell for pushing me through writing sprints and for all her texts, emails, and tweets that make me laugh and keep me sane. My wonderful kids and husband also keep me laughing, and they never fail to support and encourage me, and I love them like crazy. I’m so lucky you all are in my life.
Lastly, big thanks to my awesome readers! You guys are the best, and I appreciate every single one of you.
About the Author
Cindi Madsen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and young adult novels. She sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting, revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a pretty new pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music and dancing and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children.
You can visit Cindi at: www.cindimadsen.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter to get all the up-to-date information on her books.
Follow her on Twitter @cindimadsen.
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Also by Cindi Madsen
the Hope Springs series
Second Chance Ranch
the Accidentally in Love series
Falling for Her Fiancé
Act Like You Love Me
Resisting the Hero
<
br /> An Officer and a Rebel
for adult readers
Cinderella Screwed Me Over
Ready to Wed
for new adult readers
Getting Lucky Number Seven
for teen readers
All the Broken Pieces
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