Page 97 of Next Time We'll Fall

“No way,” Sage screams. “Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. This is so romantic.”

“Are you serious?” Juniper’s eyes widen. “But, Rafe …”

“What?”

“You can’t take me to Paris for the third date. That’s crazy.”

“I don’t think it’s crazy.”

“But that’s, like, something you do for a year anniversary or a five-year anniversary or something further down the road.”

“I don’t think we’re following the usual timeline. Do you? I mean, we made love before we even went on our official first date.”

“No, we didn’t,” she says, giggling.

“Okay, that’s true, but we did do other stuff.”

“Yeah, but …” She touches the side of my face. “Are you going to spoil me our entire relationship?”

“I hope so. Would that be a problem?”

“No,” she says, grinning widely at me. “It would not be a problem whatsoever.”

“I may not be a billionaire, Juniper, but I do okay, and I promise I will take care of you forever if you’ll let me.”

“Oh my gosh, are you proposing?” Rosie screams.

“No, he’s not.” Juniper glares at me. “As much as I have wanted to be in a relationship with you, Rafe Bishop, we are not rushing to get engaged because I want you to treat me and spoil me and do all the things that a boyfriend does before he proposes.”

“I can treat you and spoil you as your fiancé.”

“Yeah, but I want to really enjoy it. Like every moment of it,” she says softly. “And I want the engagement to be really, really special. I don’t want it to be a surprise. It’s something I’ve thought about for a long time.”

“I hope with me and not with August.”

“Really?”

She rolls her eyes, and I laugh.

“Okay, guys, sorry. We were having a little bit of a private conversation on the stage. Would anyone else like to sing?”

“Let’s hear Juniper sing,” Rosie calls out.

I look over at Juniper. “You want to sing something?”

“I don’t think I’m the best singer.” She giggles.

“You were going to be in a singing competition though,” I remind her.

She glares at me. “We both know I would have lost.”

“Yeah, true. But maybe there’s a song you want to sing now.”

“I did sing one to you, but you know I can’t sing.”

“I love your voice though.”

“Fine, I’m going to sing a song to my darling, darling, darling boyfriend.”