by Karen Booth
I dropped down to one knee. The look of shock on his face was totally worth whatever embarrassment I might suffer if he said no. “I love you, Eamon. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don't ever want to let you go. I want us to get married. If you still want to.”
“Katherine, are you proposing?” He stooped lower and looked me right in the eye. “Do you realize what your sister will do to you if you get your dress dirty before the pictures?”
Was he stalling? Why wasn’t he blurting out an enthusiastic yes? “I don't care about the dress. If it gets dirty, I'll stand behind one of the other bridesmaids. And yes, I'm proposing. I’m asking you to marry me.” The full realization of what I was doing hit me. It stuck in my throat and practically turned sideways. “I asked Fiona's permission. I wanted to know she was okay with it and I knew that would be important to you.”
He shook his head and smiled. “You are unbelievable.”
“Is that a yes or a no? Because right now, this feels a bit like a no. And I need you to know that I understand why you might want to get even with me, but it would really make me feel a lot better if you didn’t.”
He tugged on my hands. “Stand up, so I can kiss you.”
I obliged, mostly because my knee was killing me and as Amy and I had once discussed, no one would turn down a kiss from Eamon. He reined me in with his arms, warm and comforting. Secure. “That was the most romantic thing ever. Thank you.” He pressed a soft but oddly chaste kiss to my lips.
“You already asked me three times. Well, two and a half. That time at my office wasn't really a proposal so much as you were pointing out the solution to a problem. I figured it was my turn.”
“Are you ever going to stop talking?”
“Are you ever going to answer me?” Voices came from the other side of the room. Guests were filtering in and finding their seats. “We're kind of operating on borrowed time here. There's no telling how long it'll be before people start trying to make conversation with us.”
Eamon grinned. “I’d love to make you wait, but I don't have it in me. I will marry you, Katherine. It's all I've wanted. Truly.”
If there was an Olympic event for smiling, I could have not only competed for the gold right then and there, there would have been no beating me. “Perfect.” We fell into the most amazing kiss, the sort of kiss that makes everything else around you go warm and fuzzy. Only Eamon could do that to me. Only he could blur out the rest of the world until all I could see was him.
“Ahem,” a familiar girlish voice said.
We let go of our kiss and Fiona was standing right there, rolling her eyes. “Guys. You're embarrassing me.”
Eamon scooped her into his arms. “Sorry, darling. Katherine and I are going to get married. That's why we were kissing.”
She pushed on his chest until he had no choice but to set her down. “I already knew all about it.”
“And are you happy?” he asked.
“Of course. Nobody reads to me like Katherine and she always has the best snacks around the house, like those cheese crackers I love.” She turned and looked up at me. “Plus, I love her. So that’s good.”
Both Eamon and I got a little choked up at that. We put her in the middle of a hug to mark what felt like the true beginning of our little family.
Amy and I made eye contact and she said something to the person she was speaking to then wound her way through the crowd. “What the heck, Katherine? Two minutes after I get married and you're making out with your boyfriend in the middle of the reception?”
“Fiancé.” Eamon corrected her and took my hand.
“We just got engaged.”
I expected the ultimate look of surprise, but she simply looked pleased. Her eyes were content; cheeks flush with the blush of true love. “Engaged to be married?”
Of course she’d asked that. Amy would never give up a chance to give me crap, not even on her wedding day. Not even when we were all nothing but giddy fools. “What other kind of engaged is there?”
“Daddy,” Fiona said. “Can you take me to get a glass of lemonade?”
“Of course.” He kissed me quickly on the cheek. “Be right back.”
Amy and I watched as they wandered off. “God, you're a lucky bitch,” she said.
“Thanks. I know.” I slung my arm around her. I didn’t want to rub it in, but she wasn’t wrong. I was really lucky. “Congratulations. You did it.”
“Yes, I did. And now it looks like you're next.”
* * *
THE END
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For more information about Karen Booth,
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Acknowledgments
It takes a village to raise a child, and this book was my baby for two years. I couldn’t have done it without the support, time, and thoughtful following people: Melissa Jeglinski, Patience Bloom, Margaret Ethridge, Piper Trace, Karen Stivali, Val Skorup, Jo Ann Gagnier, Sheli Dile, and Donna Soluri. At some stage of this book, you all had your hand in it. I couldn’t be more thankful for my first-line feedback squad.
Thanks to author friends who get me, encourage me, work with me, and bitch with me: Joanne Rock, Sarah M. Anderson, Kat Cantrell, Reese Ryan, Catherine Mann, Louise Bay, Serena Bell, Jenny Holiday, Tiffany Reisz, Elisa Lorello, Jennifer Gracen, and Sasha Devlin. Also a huge shout-out to the Backstage Antics and Seasoned Romance groups on Facebook.
My best gal pals: Sara, Evette, Ashley, Lisa, Stephanie, Frine, Cara, Donna, and Jennifer.
Much love to my family. My husband, Steve, who is endlessly patient and encouraging. My kids, Emily and Ryan, who still think I’m cool and and want to hang out with me. Ella, our cat, who spends many hours curled at my hip while I write.
Lastly, thanks to my readers. I do this because I want to create a world for you to get lost in. I do this because I believe in love. Reach out any time. [email protected].
xoxo
Karen
About Karen Booth
Karen Booth is a Midwestern girl transplanted in the South, raised on ‘80s music and repeated readings of “Forever” by Judy Blume. An early preoccupation with rock ’n’ roll led her to spend her twenties working her way from intern to executive in the music industry. Now she’s a married mom of two and instead of staying up late in rock clubs, she gets up before dawn to write sexy contemporary romance and women’s fiction.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review with your favorite online retailer or on Goodreads. Even if it’s only a few words, it means so much!
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Also by Karen Booth
Bring Me Back
Back Forever, the sequel to Bring Me Back
Hiding in the Spotlight
Save a Prayer, a prequel to Bring Me Back
Claire’s Diary, a prequel to Bring Me Back
The KISS Principle
Rock Starred
The Langford Family series:
That Night with the CEO
Pregnant by the Rival CEO
The Ten-Day Baby Takeover
The Locke Legacy series:
Pregnant by the Billionaire
Holiday Baby Bombshell
Between Marriage and Merger
The Eden Empire series:
A Christmas Temptation
A Cinderella Seduction
A Bet with Benefits
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