Page 97 of Unleashed Holiday
“Set up the tables,” Andrew finished for me. “Yup, I know. I made a checklist.”
I placed my hand over my heart and fanned myself with the other. “Are you trying to seduce me, Andrew Gibson? Because it’s working.”
“Oh, you like that?” he teased. “Hold on, let me read you the rest of it.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen. “Put tablecloths on food tables,” he said, lowering his voice.
“Ooh, yeah.” I let my eyes go half-mast.
He backed up a few steps and urged me to follow him. “Lay out plastic utensils and napkins.”
“Talk to me, baby.”
He continued walking backward. “Put flower arrangement on table.”
I froze. “Wait! Did you remember to pick it up?”
He frowned at me. “Are you seriously asking me that?”
“Sorry, sorry! Of course you did.”
“If I may continue.” He cleared his throat. “Hook up holiday playlist so it’s on both sides of the building.”
I stopped walking again. “Speaking of, you forgot to let me approve it.”
“Trust me, you can’t really screw up a Christmas playlist. There’s, like, fifty songs to choose from and that’s it.”
“Just no ‘Back Door Santa,’ I beg of you.”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” He raised a devilish eyebrow.
He’d led me to the door we’d put in that separated my side of the building from his. Tonight it would be a bridge between our businesses so our clients could mingle together, but normally it stayed closed and we were the only ones who used it. He opened it and walked through it.
“What’s next?” I was still on my side of the building.
Andrew leaned up against the doorframe and checked his phone again, his lips moving as he read through the list. He nodded. “Oh, right. One more thing. Probably the most important item on the checklist.”
He took a half step backward, then dropped to his knee.
“Hold on...” My heart was jackhammering in my chest as Andrew smiled up at me.
He reached into the pocket of his hybrid sweatpants, fished out a small black box, and popped it open. “It took us too long to get to this point, but now we’ve got forever to make up for it.” His eyes locked on to mine. “Chelsea, will you marry me?”
I couldn’t summon any words for a few beats from the shock and I watched his face go white. I finally nodded, big and awkward, as silent tears slid down my cheeks.
Andrew leapt up and pulled me into a hug that lifted my feet off the ground. I was laughing and crying at the same time, and I could tell by the way his breath hitched that he was feeling emotional too.
I wrapped my legs around his body as we kissed, wishing that we could lock the doors and celebrate the milestone on themats in the corner. It finally struck me that I hadn’t even looked at the ring, but it didn’t matter to me. He could’ve given me the plastic band off the neck of a Gatorade bottle, as long as it meant that he’d never leave my side.
We’d been so many different people to each other on the journey to forever. Opposites, to enemies, to neighbors, to clients, to friends, to where we were always meant to be.
Soulmates, leashed together for life.
