Page 239 of Spicy Ever After
The truth in her words settles over me like a weighted blanket. Reassuring. Right.
It reaffirms my decision.
I’m going to ask Hattie to marry me.
But not today.
Her family knows my intentions. Margaret begged me to do it today, saying it would be perfect. Her birthday. Her opening day. The day she got engaged.
If I’m the only one who knows that would be too much for Hattie, it’s a good thing I’m the only one who gets to ask.
And after reading about a hundred contradictory Reddit posts about sensory-friendly engagement rings, I decided Hattie should absolutely pick or design her own.
If she wants a ring at all.
So when I ask, it’ll just be me down on one knee.
And it’ll just be us.
Because I know down to my bones that Hattie won’t enjoy a crowd. Not even the small crowd of just our families.
No excited shrieks. No flurry of hugs. No barrage of questions ten seconds after she accepts my hand.
Just the two of us. My question. Her answer. And a kiss that rivals heaven.
Not today.
But maybe tomorrow if she’s not too tired.
I lean over and press a kiss to her lips. Not one that rivals heaven, but hopefully one that whispers that she owns me, body and soul.
“You ready to go back inside? Pop and the guys are here.”
She sits up, eyes eager. “Are they looking at layette patterns?”
“Yep.”
“Come on!” She scrambles to her feet, tugging me by the hand. “This’ll be so fun!”
Her excitement about making baby clothes for our future niece floods my chest with warmth. I plant my feet and stop her. Hattie wheels around, flushed and impatient.
And wholly beautiful.
“What?”
“Gimme a second. Before I have to share you with everyone else.”
Her expression softens and she steps toward me, closing the distance between us. “Yeah?”
I swallow hard. “You’re crazy good at it too, you know.”
Her brows cinch in confusion. “At sewing?”
“That too,” I say with a shrug. “But I meant knowing what I need.”
Her brow smooths and one corner of her mouth curls up.
“Better than anyone else.” I echo the words she gave me. “And, yes, I mean helping me save the farm and expand the distillery. But I also mean drawing me a hot bath when I’ve been sitting on a tractor all day. Making my dad laugh when his hands are shaking so bad he wants to crawl in a hole. Keeping me in bed when you know better than I do that the world won’t end if I’m not in the fields at first light.”
