Page 174 of One Wish in Manhattan
‘This is bullying. We haven’t even opened the chocolates yet,’ Hayley moaned, following him out of the room.
He encouraged her along the corridor towards the back of the house.
‘You do know it’s minus five outside? It’s more likely we’re going to be making an ice man, not a snowman.’
‘We’re not going outside,’ Oliver said, pausing by the door to the sun room.
‘We’re not?’
‘No.’ He pushed open the door and let Hayley be the first to look into the room. He watched her clap her hands to her mouth as she saw the decorations all around. Everything she had used to adorn the ballroom of the Crystalline Hotel was here in Cynthia’s garden room. The turquoise drapes at the windows, the balloons, butterfly-shaped candles flickering on every surface, sparkly foil butterflies on the tiled floor. She stepped into the room, a glowing haven from the flakes of snow flurrying down around the house through the dark of the night.
Oliver pressed a button on the sound system and the sound of Maroon 5 filtered out of the speakers.
Hayley nodded. ‘You got me Adam Levine. Finally, you got me Adam Levine.’
‘That’s not all I got you,’ he said.
He stood in front of her, his eyes matching hers, as he reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a turquoise blue box.
Hayley gasped. ‘That box is too small for a necklace.’
He nodded.
‘And it’s way too tiny for a bracelet, even.’
Oliver opened it up, his eyes on her as he revealed the butterfly-shaped diamond ring. He heard her intake of breath and he moved then, slipping the ring from the box and holding it, his hand shaking.
‘I know you might think this is too soon but I’m still making every moment count.’ He paused. ‘But for all the right reasons this time.’
‘I don’t know what to say,’ she whispered.
‘Say you’ll stay. We’ll work everything out. Angel’s schooling, you becoming an event planner, a designer, whatever you want. I just can’t have you going back to England, not even for a minute. I love you, Hayley.’ He dropped down to his knee, the ring between his fingers. ‘Will you marry me?’
The question hung in the air and he waited, watching every nuance of her breathing, looking for an answer of any form.
‘I have a condition before I answer,’ she finally said.
‘Anything. Anything at all.’
‘No more wishes. Only honest promises and taking each day as it comes.’
‘Absolutely. Hand on my heart,’ Oliver said, putting his left hand to his chest.
Hayley smiled. ‘Then the answer is yes!’
‘Yes!’ he exclaimed. ‘Yes!’
‘Give me the ring then,’ Hayley encouraged, shooting her left hand forward.
Oliver carefully slid the ring into place and admired the stones dazzling against her skin as he got to his feet.
‘I love you, Lois,’ he said, drawing her into his embrace.
‘I love you too, Superman.’ She sighed. ‘So, where are we goingto live? Because Angel isn’t going to like cosying up in the one-bedroom penthouse. And if my mother is going to come and visit, you know, after she’s scolded me about my diary, which she will do even though we had a heart to heart, she’s definitely going to want an en suite.’ She drew her head away from him and gasped. ‘We could get a Red Room.’
He grinned. ‘I don’t know about that, but wherever it is, I’m going to make damn sure it has an elevator.’
‘Mr Drummond!’
He let her have the last word and then, as the snowflakes began to settle on the windows, he pressed his mouth to hers.
