by Cora Brent
Kellan Gentry, the love of my life, stood behind Derek with his hands on his brother’s shoulders in the midst of an earnest pep talk that seemed to be annoying Derek more by the second.
“You’ve got this, dude,” Kellan promised.
Derek scowled. “Knock it off. I’m not being sent in to kick a field goal.”
“Just stay calm.”
“I am calm. Just don’t fucking touch me again.”
“Oh no,” said Kellan, covering his mouth in mock horror. “What if she doesn’t say yes?”
Derek glared but he also paled a little.
“Of course she’ll say yes,” Thomas said and offered his oldest brother an encouraging poke on the arm.
“Do you have the ring?” Kellan demanded. “Crap, you forgot the ring, didn’t you?”
“Shut up. Of course I have the ring,” Derek muttered but he felt around in his front pocket before relaxing.
I grabbed an empty chair and dragged it over before sitting down and trying to haul Kellan away before Derek strangled him. Kellan was reluctant to be distracted from what he viewed as his fraternal duty to irritate his brother to pieces.
“You just have a box,” Kellan insisted. “Are you sure the ring is in there? Imagine the humiliation if you open up the box and there’s no ring inside?”
I smacked my boyfriend on the thigh. “Don’t tease him right now.”
Kellan pouted. “But it’s what I do.”
“Well, do something else.”
“Okay,” he said and immediately dove in for an extended kiss that made my heart race and left me panting.
I heard Derek direct an annoyed question to Thomas.
“Don’t they ever stop?”
“Never,” laughed Thomas.
I forced Kellan into the chair and sat in his lap, partially to stop him from causing any more trouble. He was happy with the arrangement, clasping his hands around my waist and kissing my neck.
“What’s going on?” Paige had walked in and was utterly perplexed to see us all sitting here. She wandered around in her Esposito’s polo shirt, searching our faces for an explanation because she assumed she’d just arrived for a regular shift at work.
“We were all in the mood for pizza,” Kellan said. “Simultaneously.”
“Hush,” I hissed.
“Make me,” he hissed back. “Use force if you have to.”
Derek wasn’t paying attention to either of us. He’d dressed up in a shirt and tie for the occasion and Paige watched him open-mouthed as he approached.
“Paige,” he said before dropping down to one knee. “You make me happier than I ever thought I could be. I would be honored to spend every day for the rest of my life trying to be the man you deserve. I love you.”
Derek fumbled with his pocket and withdrew the ring box. He pried it open.
“Will you marry-“
“YES!” screamed Paige and threw her arms around his neck. “YESYESYESYES! I WILL MARRY YOU, DEREK! YES!”
“I think she might have said yes,” Kellan announced to everyone in a stage whisper. I pinched him.
Paige was shaking as Derek placed the ring on her finger.
“I love you,” she said through her joyous tears.
“I love you too, baby,” he answered and kissed her, lifting her high. Her legs went around his waist and they made out for so long that even Kellan might have blushed.
“This is still a family place, right?” he complained.
“Congratulations you two!” Samantha shouted and then led a round of applause.
I noticed Kellan’s mother wiping tears away as she watched her eldest child find his happily ever after. Her husband wrapped his arms around her and they pressed their heads together, sharing a private moment in the midst of this collective bliss.
All kinds of food poured out from the kitchen as Paige made the rounds and showed everyone her engagement ring. I told her she would be a gorgeous bride. Kellan requested a position as her maid of honor.
The place was still open for regular business and the patrons seemed charmed to be witnessing such a romantic event. The music was cranked up and Derek and Paige swayed together in the middle of the floor.
Not to be outdone, Kellan decided we needed to join them. An intimate thrill rolled over me as I slid my arms around his shoulders and pressed into his hard chest.
We looked over at the happy couple.
“They’re cute,” Kellan observed.
“They certainly are.”
“You think we’ll be as cute someday?” He was being serious now. He took my left hand and kissed the finger where a ring usually landed. And all the butterflies in my belly woke up and began to dance with abandon.
“I think that finale is highly likely,” I told him.
“Really?” He hugged me closer. “I think it’s definitely likely.”
“Definitely and likely have two different meanings.”
“Then it’s definite.” He kissed me softly, then pulled back and arched an eyebrow. “Don’t you think so, Taylor?”
I tightened my arms around him and held on as hard I could. I never wanted to let go.
“I do think so, Kellan. I really do.”
Thank you!!!
Thank you, my dear reader, for taking a chance on Kellan and Taylor!
I hope you enjoyed their story and I would be so very grateful if you would leave a review.
Stay tuned for Thomas’s book, coming in early 2020!
In the meantime, be sure to check out the rest of the Gentry Boys and Gentry Generations stories, all available now:
Gentry Boys Box Set Books 1-4
GENTRY BOYS (Books 1-4)
Gentry Boys Series
DRAW (Saylor and Cord)
RISK (Creed and Truly)
GAME (Chase and Stephanie)
FALL (Deck and Jenny)
HOLD
CROSS (A Novella)
WALK (Stone and Evie)
EDGE (Conway and Roslyn)
SNOW (A Christmas Story)
Gentry Generations
STRIKE (Cami and Dalton)
TURN (Cassie and Curtis)
KEEP (A Novella)
TEST (Derek and Paige)
The Ruins of Emblem
TRISTAN (Cadence and Tristan)
JEDSON (Ryan and Leah)
LANDON (TBR 2020)
Also by Cora:
Worked Up
FIRED
NAILED
Stand Alones
UNRULY
IN THIS LIFE
HICKEY
THE HERMIT
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