Page 117 of Hidden Fears

And then something pokes into my butt. I wiggle, thinking it might be the belt, but no, it’s something bigger.

“Seriously? Already good to go for another round?” I giggle, lifting my ass and pushing my hand into his pocket, trying to tickle his unregistered weapon. But I discover something entirely different.

Pulling out a small, velvet box of a super-bright pink color, I stare at it like it’s a snake.

“What is this, Ken?” I whisper in fear.

He exhales loudly. “This is the reason I might have been a bit edgy this week.”

“What?” I look into his eyes. “I don’t understand.”

His brows are pinched together in concentration. He’s chewing on the side of his cheek, contemplating if he should tell me what’s going on. He’d better since I’m holding a huge fucking rock in my hands. When he finally makes a decision, he moves his hand to my waist, holding me still.

“I’m ready for the next step, Joz. I know what I want, and it’s you. But I don’t know what you want, and it makes me jumpy.”

“Grumpy, you mean?” I ask with a lopsided smile.

“That too.” He nods with a chuckle. “I’ve recently discovered that I can’t bear the idea of you leaving Little Hope. Or me. Ever. But I don’t know where you stand with all of it. I know we discussed that you might be staying, but I don’t know if you’ve maybe changed your mind.”

“Why didn’t you ask then?” My voice is barely above a whisper.

“I don’t know.” He shrugs those massive shoulders of his.

“Maybe you weren’t ready?” I ask, suddenly realizing that the idea of him popping the question a few months ago would have scared me to the hills. But today, I’m more scared of the idea that he won’t ask.

“I am, Josie.” He tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “But I’m not sure if you are.”

I swallow a sudden huge lump in my throat. “I am,” I whisper back.

His face instantly brightens. “Yeah?”

I nod. “Very much. I thought you’d never ask.”

He lets out a husky laugh and pulls me into him. “You have no idea how much I’ve been rehearsing this moment, trying to come up with the right way to propose. And now I totally butchered it.”

“You haven’t. Ask me.”

“Now?”

I shrug. “I think it’s perfect timing.”

His neck moves with a rough swallow as his eyes dart between mine. Finally, he takes a deep breath. “Josephina Monroe, will you make an honorable man out of me and give me your hand and heart?” His voice is throaty.

I start giggling before I lift my hand to his face. “Yes, Kenneth Benson, I will make an honorable man out of you and marry you.”

“Thank fuck!” Jennica cries out from the other room, making us both laugh.

“Nothing is sacred in this town?” I ask quietly as I touch my forehead to his. “Nothing but our sex swing apparently. How did they find out by the way?”

He chuckles. “The Bird must have spread the rumors.”

“We should reconsider the parrot soup,” I say with a sigh.

“We totally should.” He laughs and presses his lips to mine.