Page 146 of Spring Break Fling
I screamed like someone had just told me Franklin had been eaten by a shark. Tara was doubled over laughing, and Rachel and Maddie weren’t much better.
“What the hell?” I stammered, clutching my chest.
But then I saw Nikko standing in the center of the room, dressed in his usual black jeans and a fitted T-shirt but with an extra glint in his eyes. And he was down on one knee.
My heart stopped.
“Nikko… what?” I whispered, my hands flying to my mouth.
One of my friends shoved me. I turned to scowl at them as I stepped closer to Nikko.
“Hannah,” he said, his voice steady but his smile soft. “You’ve turned my world upside down since the day you walked into it. You’ve shown me what it means to live, to love, and to laugh so hard I choke on my coffee.”
I smiled, my eyes already misting.
“You’re my best friend, my partner, and the only person I’d ever trust to nag me about getting a puppy,” he continued, pulling out a small velvet box. “You are easily one of the worst singers I’ve ever met but by far the most beautiful woman on this planet. Sorry, ladies.”
There were soft giggles from behind me, but I didn’t turn to look at them. I could barely see anything. There were tears in my eyes as I looked at the man I loved.
“I love the way you challenge me and constantly push me,” he went on. “Before you walked into my life, I just assumed I was destined to end up like my old man. You changed that. You changed me. I want to spend every day of the rest of my life letting you make me even better. I’m putty in your hands. Mold me. Marry me.”
I nodded furiously, the words catching in my throat. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes!”
The room erupted in cheers. He slipped the ring onto my finger and stood, pulling me into a kiss.
When I pulled back, I finally noticed the crowd around us—my parents, my sister, Nikko’s friends from the shop and some of the people we had met over the last few months.
“What are you guys doing here?” I gasped.
My parents looked at Nikko. “We were invited,” Mom said.
“You planned this?” I asked Nikko.
“Not alone,” he said with a laugh. “She helped.”
He pointed to Rachel, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“Rachel!”
“They helped,” Rachel said.
“Surprise!” Tara said, throwing her hands in the air.
“This is too perfect,” I whispered, looking around at everyone.
Nikko wrapped an arm around my waist, leaning in close. “Nothing’s too perfect for you, babe.”
“Bust out the champagne!” Tara exclaimed.
The sound of popping corks and laughter filled the air as champagne was poured and glasses were handed out. Everyone congregated around us, offering their heartfelt congratulations and cheers.
As the glasses clinked, Nikko leaned close. “I love you.”
“I love you,” I said. “I can’t believe you managed to pull this off. I was wondering why my friends kept stalling for this visit.”
The celebration rolled on into the night. Rachel snagged me by the arm, pulling me away for a moment. “You should have seen your face when you walked in!”
“I thought something terrible had happened,” I admitted, shaking my head at the memory. “You guys really got me good.”
“We figured it was about time you had a surprise as big as your heart.” Rachel winked. “Nikko has been planning this for months. He wanted everything to be perfect.”
Maddie joined us, her eyes gleaming mischievously. “Plus, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see you totally blindsided. Honestly, I never thought I’d see the day.”
I held out my hand and looked at the ring. I knew it set him back quite a bit. I wasn’t thrilled with the expense, but it was special. And that was all that mattered.
Tara nudged me, bringing me back to the moment. “Hey, let’s get some music going. It’s not a celebration without some good tunes!”
Rachel darted over to the shop’s sound system and quickly put on our favorite playlist, a mix of upbeat tracks and love songs that we’d danced to countless times in our college days.
Nikko grabbed my hand, pulling me close for a dance. I could feel all eyes on us. It was overwhelming but in the most beautiful way imaginable.
***
