"I know," I groan and sigh. "It's just, you know how I feel about making any costly mistakes that might ruin your reputation. And the last thing I want to do is cause a weird divide between you and another person because of my different background and upbringing. Not to mention, it feels like people are just constantly watching and waiting for me to screw up in hopes that we end up breaking up or something."
The man heartily laughs out loud at my remark. "You know, that definitely sounds plausible," he agrees with a chuckling nod. “Some of the ladies that have shown up and said hello tonight have really stepped up their game from the last time I saw them. I must say, they know how to make a good impression.”
I cross my arms and throw daggers at Rylan who simply chuckles at the blatant appearance of my annoyed reaction and expression. He has clearly gotten way too comfortable with me ever since we began openly and officially dating each other. There is hardly a moment where he doesn’t take the opportunity to make light of any dire situation, his lax attitude doing him more harm than good. Though in spite of his lighthearted and carefree comments which irritate me to no end, he always knows just what to do or say to get back on my good side.
Rylan continues to innocently smile as he places his warm hands around my face. “I’m only joking. Come on, do you really think I have the time to look around at other women when you look so beautiful tonight?”
I bite my lip to suppress the grin that is forming across my face while my heart steadily flutters from the man’s smooth words and flattering compliment.
Always the sweet talker -- especially when he realizes that I’m not in the mood for his jokes.
"Ha-ha, I'm so glad that my worries and concerns are funny to you, Rylan. But I guess it’s great that at least one of us seems to have nothing to worry about," I flatly add.
“Well, how about I make it so you have nothing to worry about either?” he gently asks.
I roll my eyes and scoff. “And how can you possibly manage to do that?”
Before I can probe and question the man’s unusual statement any further, Rylan slowly gets down on one knee with his hand placed inside his jacket pocket. I instantly freeze in place as my stomach begins to drop and flip. Not a single word can be found in my immediate vocabulary to describe the utter shock that I feel in watching the grinning man pull out a small black box from the depths of his pocket. I cover my mouth with a shaky hand as every last muscle in my body tenses and stiffens up from my disbelief.
"What the hell are you doing?" I blurt out in a loud whisper.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Rylan laughs and smirks while he opens up the box in front of me.
Holy shit.
My eyes widen at the sight of the large sparkling diamond ring sitting within the box. The clear gemstone is just so dazzling and enormous that I can only shake my head in dumbfounded awe of it. How unbelievable. I don’t even know what to say or do when something this expensive and extravagant is being shown right before my very eyes nor can I even begin to think about what this whole gesture and display could possibly mean for him.
"You cannot be serious about this. Not right now," I softly gasp.
"But I am serious. Probably the most serious I’ve ever been since we’ve gotten to know each other," Rylan responds in a tender voice. His mesmerizing and penetrative blue stare peers deep into my eyes as he utters the words loud and clear for me: "Will you marry me, Audrey Scott?"
The marriage proposal sends electric tingles rushing down my spine. Emotions of pure joy, excitement, and bliss quickly arrive all at once and overwhelm me until I am left speechless with hot tears in my eyes. I feel completely choked up, my heart pounding so hard and fast that I can barely contain myself. But as much as I want to shout yes at the top of my lungs, I can’t do it without having some reservations.
“Are you sure about this?” I fervently ask. “I mean, have you even told Teagan about this yet-”
“Yes, I’m sure about this,” he insists with a cheerful laugh. “And that kid couldn’t have been happier when I gave her the news, so don’t disappoint her by saying no. Just say yes.”
A single tear runs down my cheek as I gaze into his beautiful blue eyes and eagerly nod my head. “Yes, I would be more than happy to marry you, even if you do drive me insane sometimes.”
Rylan reaches for my hand and places the ring around my finger as soon as I accept his proposal. My adrenaline continues to pump and rush from the sheer excitement and passion of the moment and before I can realize what is happening around me, my lips are already firmly pressed up against his mouth. An invigorating and satisfying sensation sweeps through me from the sweet kiss which instantly enthralls me. The magic motion of his lips draws me in as I kiss him again and again until I gradually end up losing myself in the heat and flow of the moment.
It's almost like we both suddenly disappear into our own little world where we get lost together.
But I’m completely fine with losing myself in the moment if Rylan is the one I’m doing it with. Because nothing feels more natural or perfect when he’s there right beside me with his warm and gentle presence to guide and lead the way. He may be a pain in the ass at times due to that smug and cocky attitude of his, but I know that he's someone I can lean and rely on when I need him most. After all, he's shown me his reliability since day one, the day that he saved me from my blind date gone terribly wrong.
That fateful encounter was the first time I ever tasted his lips -- and it was from that point on that I knew I was hooked on him and the raw emotions that he filled me with. The euphoria that I feel when I'm around Rylan is unlike any other sensation I've ever felt before. It's something rare and something special. And it's a feeling that I won't foolishly let go of so easily, especially not after everything I've gone through to get here.
Although my life will definitely be changing with this shiny and expensive rock around my finger, the one thing that will certainly remain the same is my love and devotion to this small yet demanding family I've gradually become a part of -- official or not. But I do have to say that I really like the sound of it.
Audrey Bennett.
It works.
***
Author's Endnote
Hey there! If you've made it all the way down here after finishing my book, I would love to personally thank you for taking the time to out to read my romance novel, Billionaire Daddy's Contract. Whether you are a new reader of my stories or an old reader who has been following me because you liked one of my previous works, thank you so much for stopping by to check this book out. After seeing how well Daddy's Contract did (which can be found here if you're interested in reading it!), I knew I had to write another heartwarming love story about a hopeless single dad and the strong and feisty nanny whom he happens to fall in love with. Nothing makes the heart melt more than reading about a coldhearted man who slowly warms up to a young woman because of her extreme care and consideration for his child. Hopefully you enjoyed reading about these characters because I definitely had a lot of fun writing about them.
And as I always say at the end of each one of my published novels, I want to, once again, personally thank you for deciding to purchase or download my book. Your support is what motivates me to continue writing these stories, and I wouldn't be able to keep on doing this without you. Please don't forget to leave me an Amazon review - good or bad - for my book because I would love to hear your thoughts! Your comments and criticism will help me improve on my next story. Thank you so much, and I hope to write to you guys soon when my next book comes out!
If you're interested in reading some of my other exciting and dramatic romance novels, please consider checking out some of my best-selling novels: Daddy's Contract, which can be found here, The Bodyguard, which can be found here and His Promised Heir, which can be found here. These stories are sure to get your heart racing if you didn't get enough of it from this book. So what are you waiting for? Click on the links and check th
em out! You absolutely won't regret it.
To keep up with all of my romance releases or to take a look at my book catalog, check me out on Amazon at Melissa Chetley!
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Billionaire Daddy's Contract: A Single Dad and Nanny Romance Page 20