Unlucky Charms
Page 24
We soon reached the parking lot where tour buses stopped, and so did Justin. He parked and dashed around to my side of the car, opening my door. We opened the back door and grabbed our dogs’ leashes before heading toward the railing where we could see a marvelous vista of mountain shadows around us and the lights of Destiny below.
Then Justin stepped back and took my hand.
His voice was a little hoarse and a lot emotional as he said, “I’ve been considering this for a while, Rory. And not being able to spend as much time with you as I wanted only made me feel more determined. Now that we’re together … well … ”
He knelt down, as I’d kind of anticipated—and hoped for. Both dogs flanked him but just stood there, as if they were trained to be part of what was to come.
“Aurora Belinda Chasen,” he said, using my full name, so I knew he was serious. He pulled a small box out of his pocket, opened it to reveal a ring that gleamed in the moonlight, and held it out to me. “Will you marry me?”
Lots of thoughts cascaded through my mind. Oh, yes, I’d been hoping for this, although maybe not this soon. He’d told me he loved me—and I hadn’t yet let him know it was reciprocal.
I’d lost a prior fiancé due to superstitions—but had found Justin as a result of superstitions, too.
And in fact, I’d fallen recently while going upstairs. It had possibly been an omen.
A wedding was to occur in my family—mine!
I took a deep breath, reached down to pull him to his feet, and said, “Yes, Justin Halbertson, I’ll marry you.”
And as we kissed, I thought fleetingly that I’d better start researching more superstitions about engagements, weddings, and marriage.
© Christine Rose Elle
about the author
Linda O. Johnston (Los Angeles, CA) has published forty-four romance and mystery novels, including the Pet Rescue Mystery series and the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime, and the Superstition Mysteries and the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries for Midnight Ink.