by Flora Burgos
He stared at the two women, perplexed and at a loss for several moments, and then asked dumbly, "What?" Which led to another fit of laughter from them both. It took a solid ten minutes for the two to calm themselves enough that Cole could grab Courtney's hand and lead her over to the blanket that he had stashed in the bed of the truck earlier in the day. Pushing her in front of him on the blanket, he moved to sit, and she followed his lead, settling in between his legs. He kissed the side of her head and whispered in her ear, "Do I even want to know?"
She snorted, so he took that as a no and was pleased that the first boom of light filled the sky, effectively cutting off her next round of mirth. He normally loved to listen to her laugh, but right now, they were on the verge of something huge, even if she didn't know it, and he needed her serious and paying attention.
The bursts of light continued to blast into the air, and the booms reverberated with such strength that he could feel it in his heart.
It had taken them a long time to get here. It was a bent and twisted, sometimes frigid and dark road that they had taken to get to where they were in that moment. He couldn't say that he would take the same path to her over again, but he knew without a doubt that any path he took, be it this lifetime or any other, would lead straight back to her, which was exactly where he belonged.
Without saying a word, he lifted her left hand and leaned forward, brushing his lips against her ring finger. The finger where another ring he had bought had once sat, but this time, he had gone all out. He was no longer a soldier on a limited budget. If nothing else came of their years apart, he had managed to save enough that money would never be a concern again.
The pride he felt when he slipped this ring on her hand, though, was the exact same pride he had felt the first time he had done this. While this ring was bigger, it gave him the exact same satisfaction seeing it on her hand. Regardless of the size, of the color, of anything, he knew that she would feel the exact same way as him, and all that would matter was that the promise and commitment were there.
Later, when they were alone and everything had calmed down, he would tell her how he had this ring made from the original. The symbolism, he knew, would mean everything to her. And when he told her, he was rewarded with her look of awe and the way she reverently brushed her fingers to it.
But when he slipped the ring on her hand on the Fourth of July, under a sky lit with fireworks and surrounded by their closest people, he got a different kind of reward because she turned in his arms and murmured, "Yes," against his lips before sealing the deal with a kiss.
About The Author
FLORA BURGOS IS A ROMANCE author from the great state of Texas. She found reading at a very tender age, devouring the bodice rippers of yore long before she ever even had her first kiss. After an unconventional childhood and tons of travel, she is now a thirty-something woman who steps to her own beat, just that little bit past normal. She sees herself as a modern-day hippie, with the heart of a gypsy, the soul of a dreamer, and a love for animals and words that can never be contained. She has an eclectic playlist containing everything from film scores to hip hop and country to hair bands, with any- and everything in between. She curses like a sailor, is addicted to coffee and diet coke, loves her pit bull, hubby, and preteen son more than anything else in the world, and spends her limited free time, when not reading or writing, in the kitchen with her guys, where they enjoy cooking as a family.
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Acknowledgements
WHEW. THERE WERE TIMES when I wasn’t sure this book would get done on time, yet here I am, typing out my acknowledgements at half past midnight about to wrap this baby up and send it to my amazing editor, Julia Goda.
In the list of acknowledgements, I have to holler at my cover designer, Tracie Douglas, as well. She takes my wacky ideas in stride and rolls with them, and I love her for it.
My assistant, Qubra (if you join my Facebook reader group, you can drool over all the hotties she posts on a regular basis and join in on our antics!), who kept me going and kept demanding more of her Cole.
Shelene for breaking me out of my self-imposed prison and making me relax and have fun. You the real OG, babe! And look! You got your bullwhip scene!
Maegan for listening to my incessant chatter and your constant encouragement, as well as those impromptu HobLob lunch dates.
Rolando and Toby for putting up with me working all day and then coming home to sit in front of my computer all night and all weekend while I chase this dream of mine and loving me anyway!
My Burgos Book Babes and my badass beta readers, who are always down for anything and keep the encouragement coming always. You guys are my backbone!!
And every single person who picks up a book, or an ereader, or whatever device you read on and supports not only me but all authors, you guys are the reason for it all. It makes me unbelievably happy that I can put the stories in my head down, and there are people out there who want to read them. I will forever write with my heart on my sleeve and a fire in my soul, fulfilling this passion.
XOXO,
FLORA BURGOS