“Please. You helped with all of it.”
Devyn shook her head. “Not true. I was probably more trouble than I was worth in the kitchen.”
“You often are, but you make me laugh trying.”
“Fair enough.” She turned her attention back to the larger group. “I wanted to say how much I’ve enjoyed my first Thanksgiving back in the Bay. If I’m being honest, this year came with some major changes for me. New home, new job trajectory, new friends and family.” She smiled at Charlie on that one. Elizabeth nodded, waiting for Devyn to wrap up. She had things on her mind, too, and this might be the opportune time to express them. “But nothing changed my life the way this woman next to me has.”
Elizabeth felt the warmth as the blush crept onto her cheeks.
“I want every year to be just like this one.”
“In that case, I have something to say.” Elizabeth stood, seizing the opening. Devyn turned to her with wide eyes.
“You do?”
“Marry me. Those are the only two words that I have in my head these days. I don’t have a speech, because it’s all right here.” She placed a hand over her heart. Instead of getting on one knee, she got on two and took Devyn’s hands. “This year can be every year.”
In her peripheral vision she saw KC cover her mouth. Dexter slid his chair back from the table in happy shock. Jill took Charlie’s hand and waited.
“Oh. I almost forgot.” Elizabeth pulled the ring she’d purchased with pretty much her life’s savings from her pocket, where she’d practically sewed it in place. Her nerves got the best of her, causing her to fumble with it a moment. When she looked up from her hands, she found Devyn on her knees across from her, holding an open ring box of her own. The oxygen left the room. Elizabeth attempted to speak but wasn’t clear on words anymore. She shook her head instead until they returned. “Wait. What? Are you…”
Devyn smiled her killer smile. The one that made Elizabeth’s knees weak. “Marry me right back.”
Dexter stood, hands on his head and turned in a circle. “You guys better stop it right now.”
“I bought the house on Sunset Hill,” Devyn said.
“What?” It didn’t make sense. “The one by the water? It wasn’t on the market.”
“I made them a desirable offer, and they accepted. I want us to live there.”
To her left, Elizabeth saw Jill vibrating with joy. KC covered her mouth, but even that couldn’t hide her grin.
“Yes,” Elizabeth whispered finally, and nodded. “I will marry you. I want to live in that house and wake up to you each and every day.”
“That’s a yes from me, too,” Devyn said to the room, which pulled another laugh in the midst of damp faces.
Then came the emotion that swelled like a giant wave, gaining momentum in the ocean. It crashed and spread, culminating in a reminder of the feelings she had for Devyn that started with a twinge of something important the day they graduated from high school and grew into the greatest love she’d ever known. She reached for Devyn, unable to keep her hands to herself a moment longer, and pulled her face in for a kiss.
“I’m ready for forever,” she whispered.
About the Author
Melissa Brayden (www.melissabrayden.com) is a multi-award-winning romance author, embracing the full-time writer’s life in San Antonio, Texas, and enjoying every minute of it.
Melissa enjoys spending time with her family and working really hard at remembering to do the dishes. For personal enjoyment, she throws realistically shaped toys for her Jack Russell terriers and checks out the NYC theater scene as often as possible. She considers herself a reluctant patron of spin class, but would much rather be sipping merlot and staring off into space. Coffee, wine, and donuts make her world go round.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Beautiful Dreamer by Melissa Brayden. With love on the line, can Devyn Winters find it in her heart to stay in the small town of Dreamer’s Bay, the one place she swore she’d never remain? (978-1-63555-305-5)
Create a Life to Love by Erin Zak. When sixteen-year-old Beth shows up at her birth mother’s door, three lives will change forever. (978-1-63555-425-0)
Deadeye by Meredith Doench. Stranded while hunting the serial predator Deadeye, Special Agent Luce Hansen fights for survival while her lover, forensic pathologist Harper Bennett, hunts for clues to Hansen’s disappearance along the killer’s trail. (978-1-63555-253-9)
Endangered by Michelle Larkin. Shapeshifters Officer Aspen Wolfe and Dr. Tora Madigan fight their growing attraction as they work together to destroy a secret government agency that exterminates their kind. (978-1-63555-377-2)
Incognito by VK Powell. The only thing Evan Spears is focused on is capturing a fleeing murder suspect until wild card Frankie Strong is added to her team and causes chaos on and off the job. (978-1-63555-389-5)
Insult to Injury by Gun Brooke. After losing everything, Gail Owen withdraws to her old farmhouse and finds a destitute young woman, Romi Shepherd, living in a secret room. (978-1-63555-323-9)
Just One Moment by Dena Blake. If you were given the chance to have the love of your life back, could you ignore everything that went wrong and start over again? (978-1-63555-387-1)
Scene of the Crime by MJ Williamz. Cullen Mathew finds herself caught between the woman she thinks she loves but can no longer trust and a beautiful detective she can’t stop thinking about who will stop at nothing to find the truth. (978-1-63555-405-2)
Fear of Falling by Georgia Beers. Singer Sophie James is ready to shake up her career, but her new manager, the gorgeous Dana Landon, has other ideas. (978-1-63555-443-4)
Daughter of No One by Sam Ledel. When their worlds are threatened, a princess and a village outcast must overcome their differences and embrace a budding attraction if they want to survive. (978-1-63555-427-4)
Playing with Fire by Lesley Davis. When Takira Lathan and Dante Groves meet at Takira’s restaurant, love may find its way onto the menu. (978-1-63555-433-5)
Practice Makes Perfect by Carsen Taite. Meet law school friends Campbell, Abby, and Grace, law partners at Austin’s premier boutique legal firm for young, hip entrepreneurs. Legal Affairs: one law firm, three best friends, three chances to fall in love. (978-1-63555-357-4)
The Last Seduction by Ronica Black. When you allow true love to elude you once and you desperately regret it, are you brave enough to grab it when it comes around again? (978-1-63555-211-9)
Wavering Convictions by Erin Dutton. After a traumatic event, Maggie has vowed to regain her strength and independence. So how can Ally be both the woman who makes her feel safe and a constant reminder of the person who took her security away? (978-1-63555-403-8)
A Bird of Sorrow by Shea Godfrey. As Darrius and her lover, Princess Jessa, gather their strength for the coming war, a mysterious spell will reveal the truth of an ancient love. (978-1-63555-009-2)
All the Worlds Between Us by Morgan Lee Miller. High school senior Quinn Hughes discovers that a broken friendship is actually a door propped open for an unexpected romance. (978-1-63555-457-1)
Falling by Kris Bryant. Falling in love isn’t part of the plan, but will Shaylie Beck put her heart first and stick around, or tell the damaging truth? (978-1-63555-373-4)
An Intimate Deception by CJ Birch. Flynn County Sheriff Elle Ashley has spent her adult life atoning for her wild youth, but when she finds her ex, Jessie, murdered two weeks before the small town’s biggest social event, she comes face-to-face with her past and all her well-kept secrets. (978-1-63555-417-5)
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