Page 121 of The Opposite of You
And scary as hell!
Killian squeezed through the sea ofsurprise guests so he could stand by me in the middle of everyone. The secondhe walked in the door our gazes locked. I watched him as he moved, reading theexcitement and worry on his face, reaching for him as soon as he was close tome.
God, I loved this man.
“Hey.”
He bent down to drop a quick kiss onmy lips. “Hey.”
“You invited a lot of people to avery small space,” I told him.
“How do you know I invited them?”
I looked at our friends. “Because itwould be weird if they just showed up.”
He smiled at me, his green eyessparking with fire and love. He held up one of my cardboard to go boxes. Iwondered when he’d grabbed that since I’d cleared the excess equipment twoweeks ago. “I made you something.”
I stared at the closed box in hishand. The light glinted off the shiny cardboard. “You made me something?”
He shrugged, that one shoulderlifting and lowering with careless ease. “Kind of a last hoorah in theLiloukitchen.”
A tingle of anticipation zinged upmy spine. “Thank you?”
He held the box out for me to takeit. “I need your advice, though.”
My eyes slid to Molly, but she gavenothing away but a huge, dopey smile. “About what?”
He leaned forward, our foreheadsalmost touching. “The flavor.”
I took the box from him withtrembling hands. My mind couldn’t seem to make coherent thoughts. There was apart of my brain that suspected what was happening, but mostly I was numb withexcitement and hope.
Opening the lid, I gasped, suckingin a sharp, needed breath of air. A glittering diamond ring winked at me fromthe inside, not food. He didn’t need my opinion on salt! That liar!
I looked up at Killian, the boxviolently shaking in my hands now as I tried not to pop.
Killian’s expression was filled withthe kind of hope that cut straight through me, that settled in the air like atangible, permanent thing. “I have another idea of something we can dotogether,” he said.
“Yes,” I whispered, my voice chokedwith emotion. “Yes, to everything.”
He cradled my face in thosefamiliar, strong hands. “And I love you?”
“And I love you,” I whispered, myvoice thick with emotion.
Our friends cheered and clapped, anda champagne cork popped while he swooped down to seal my answer with a kiss.Happy tears tracked down my cheeks as I struggled to kiss him through my smile.
It wasn’t easy! I wanted to do boththings, but the smiling was winning.
He pulled back just enough to takethe ring from inside the box and my trembling left hand. He slid it on my ringfinger, unable to hide the quiver in his own hands. Once it was in place, I staredat it in awe for a long, heart-fluttering minute, then he kissed me again.
“You all knew!” I accused once we’dremembered there were witnesses and we could save the fun stuff for later. Ipointed at Wyatt who was recording us with his phone. “Unbelievable!” I turnedto Molly. “And you! No head’s up? You could have at least warned me to dresscute!” I patted my face. “Or wear makeup!”
“You’re beautiful,” Killianmurmured, his face dipped close to mine as if he couldn’t pull away. “Always.”
I blinked away a fresh wave oftears, repeating, “I love you.”
He smiled, that full smile that wascocky and confident and adoring and everything I loved. “I love you too, chef.”
We celebrated with our loved oneslong into the late hours Killian and I were so comfortable with. We made thetruck home for one last memorable night, laughing and talking and planningfutures that would be spent together.
And when our friends and family wenthome, Killian and I stayed, talking about our future together both as a marriedcouple and as business partners. We shared hopes and fears. We laughed and heldeach other and then we came together on the floor of the truck unable to stayapart for a second longer.
Killian took me home on the back ofhis bike. I wrapped my arms around him, knowing he was everything I didn’t knowI wanted. He was the opposite of my plans. He was the opposite of the kind ofguy I thought I wanted.
But he was everything I needed.
