I’d caught her red-handed, a finger stuck in her mouth while she waited for a batch of cookies to be done. “I’m making sure this batch tastes good,” she had reasoned, her lips smacking as she pulled her finger out.
The kitchen was a mess. Her eyes were round like saucers, a great ol’ sign that she’d had enough sugar in her system to last her a month. I walked up to her, thinking of other ways she could spend all that energy that night. With two fingers, I swiped away the melted chocolate, and wiped it on her apron. She stuck her finger in the bowl filled with cookie dough and offered it to me. How could a man not take it?
“Sweet,” I said, with a wide smile on my face, after licking the cookie dough off her finger.
“Triple chocolate cookie.”
“Hmmm...I like that,” I hummed in her ear. Circling my hands around her waist, bringing her hips flush against mine, I swooped down for a deep, long kiss. She tasted of decadent chocolate and desire. Veronica intertwined her fingers behind the back of my neck during that welcoming, fervent kiss.
A different song played. The ideal romantic ballad. Veronica and I inched our heads away from each other so that we could stare at one another, and both smiled. We knew that we had found the song, “Thinking Out Loud” by a soulful, young talent.
Just like that night, I took Veronica’s hand in mine for our first dance, but instead of the ten-piece band starting the tune, the artist himself walked in front of the microphone, with his guitar slung around his neck. Veronica gasped at the surprise appearance.
“Did you do this?” she asked me.
I shook my head. “I wish I had.” It had occurred to me to contact the singer’s reps, and as much as I’d tried, I was told that he had a previous engagement. So what was he doing here on our wedding? I looked around us and spotted Alex. His focus was on his camera, but for a few seconds, he glanced up and gave me a quick nod.
“I found the culprit,” I told Veronica, and cocked my head to one side.
She placed her head on my shoulder as the song began. “We’ll have to send him a big thank you gift for this.”
“Maybe we can send someone else to thank him.” I angled us to face her maid of honor, Chase.
“I don’t know, babe,” she muttered in my ear, “She said she wasn’t interested.”
“Do you believe that?” Granted Alex and Chase hadn’t been around each other much, and whenever they had been, all they’d done was argue. Yet, I’d thought I’d seen an instant chemistry when they were first introduced. “You didn’t like me much when you met me.”
My wife let out a small chuckle. “Yeah, but that’s because you groped my ass that night.”
“You remember that?”
“How could I forget? You were as handsome as the devil, and smiled like one too. It was the first time, in a long time, that I’d felt a flutter in my belly.”
“You did? Why didn’t you ever tell me? And you acted indifferent toward me.”
“Honestly? I was terrified. Girls like me didn’t get involved with boys like you.”
“Ouch.” I brought our intertwined hands over to my chest, feigning hurt.
“Oh, stop it. You still got the girl at the end.”
I spread my lips into what she’d called a devilish grin. “That I did, darling, that I did. And I don’t intend to ever let you go.”
“Good,” she said, bring her head back onto my shoulder. “This is where I belong...with you.”
While the song continued, Veronica and I swayed with the rhythm, under the thousand miniature lights and the stars. My mind wandered to our future, with her beside me as my wife, and with her as the mother of our children.
Life could not be any better.
Also by Michelle Jo Quinn
HARLEY
A Rockstar romance filled with heart.
WINTER’S KISS
PART OF THE IMAGINES ANTHOLOGY
BLISS SERIES
CONFESSIONS OF A WEDDING PLANNER
THE BACHELOR’S PERFECT PROPOSAL
COMING SOON!
CHASING THE RUNAWAY BRIDE (NOVEMBER)
SANTA BABY (A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL)
NEVER A BRIDESMAID (2017)
The Bachelor’s Perfect Proposal Playlist
Can’t Help Falling In Love – Haley Reinhart
See You Again, Love me Like You Do, Sugar – Megan Davies
Hands to Myself - Barfalk
Nobody But Me – Michael Bublé
Still Falling for You – Ellie Goulding
Fais-moi Tourne Encore – Ariane Brunet
Everything – Michael Bublé
Stay with Me – Angus and Julia Stone
Crazy in Love – Daniela Andrade
Fresh Eyes – Andy Grammer
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
About the Author
Michelle is addicted to romance. She believes in happily ever afters and loves writing about couples who get there.
When not writing, she props her feet up on her favorite lounger and binges on Netflix shows, or reads one or two books at the same time. She enjoys red wine, dark chocolate, cake, and can talk your ears off about delicious food.
Travelling is high on her list, whether alone, with friends or family.
Michelle lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband, two amazing children and a cuddly maltese-yorkie dog named Scarlet.
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Acknowledgments
It takes a modern village to write a book.
I couldn’t have done it without Dayna’s magic and Elizabeth’s keen eye on details.
To Lucy Rhodes, I say again, you make beautiful covers!
I’m grateful for my family and their overflowing support.
To the writing community, writer friends: Trinity, Amie, Liz, Amanda, Gaby, Talia and many more, stay awesome. Your friendship means the world to me.
To friends Cathy, Aline and Brenda, you’re all amazing!
To my children, Ethan and Violet, I love you both.
To my husband, Joe, you’re cool. I think I’ll keep you!
The Bachelor's Perfect Proposal (Bliss Series Book 2) Page 14