by Haley Travis
laughed.
“Seriously, what the hell is going on?” I asked.
The girls all raised their glasses to mine, grinning with an almost manic glee. “To Kim,”
Laura said.
We sipped our champagne as the limo glided smoothly into traffic, heading straight
downtown. “You’re not telling me where we’re going?”
“Nope,” Becca giggled. “And please don’t get mad. We’re just obeying orders.”
Joanna pulled a black eye mask that said “Sweet Dreams” in light pink lettering out of her
purse, slipping it over my eyes. “Sorry, this is all I had.”
Although they were all acting crazy, for once I wasn’t nervous at all. My best friends would
never lead me into a dangerous situation, so whatever they were up to, it was going to be
fun. I finished my glass of champagne, holding it out for someone to take for me.
We were probably only driving for five minutes or so, but I noticed at one point we took
three right turns, as if the driver was trying to throw me off course.
The car stopped, and I was carefully led into a building, through an echoey room that must
have been a lobby, then into an elevator.
There was something slightly familiar about it, as if I recognized the smell of the cleaning
products. But once we got out on the top floor and I smelled the faint whiff of chlorine from
the pool, I knew exactly where we were.
It was very quiet, but there was a slight shifting rustle. Were there more people here? With
a friend at each elbow, they led me to the center of the space, then someone helped me
slip my coat off and took my handbag. Someone else guided me into a chair.
I could sense Devin coming over to kneel in front of me, taking my hands in his. It wasn’t
just his faint masculine scent, it was his warmth, somehow. I could just feel that it was his
body in front of me.
Someone slipped my blindfold off, and smoothed my hair down. I glanced up to see that it
was Laura, who was stepping back beside the rest of the girls. On the other side were their
boyfriends, and some of our other friends.
Looking into Devin’s dark eyes, I couldn’t believe that he looked genuinely terrified. He was
always so confident and self-assured. The only other time I’d ever seen him look nervous
was when I had thought I might be leaving him.
Swallowing hard, it finally dawned on me what was happening, and my fingers began to
twitch.
“Kim, you know I’m not a poet, or creative like your friends. I’m just a straight-up guy who
wants to give you as much of the world as he can.”
He took a breath, squeezing my hands in his as he looked at me so intensely that it made
me jumpy. I gave him a little nod and smile to say that everything was going well. He
instantly looked relieved, nodding back, as he kept going.
“Kim, I never thought I would find a woman half as wonderful as you are. I am the luckiest
man in the world to have you in my life at all, but I’m going to push my luck even further.
Baby, will you be my wife, and let me try to make you happy every single day forever?”
He tried to reach into his pocket, but I threw my arms around him, kissing him hard while
murmuring, “Yes. I would love to be your wife. Yes.”
“I love you so much, Kim,” he murmured against my lips. “I’ll do everything for you, baby.”
He gently pushed me back into my chair. “But first, let me get a ring on your finger to make
it official.”
He pulled out a tiny black box, then held it open so that I could see the ring. But my eyes
were blurry with tears, and honestly, I wouldn’t have cared if it was the tackiest thing I’d
ever seen in my life.
Slipping the ring onto my finger, he held it up and kissed it, then kissed my hand. Pulling him
back against me, I whispered, “I love you, and that was a much bigger proposal than I
would ever have expected.”
“Are you nuts, baby? I’m going to go all out for you, for every occasion. By the way, we’re
spending a long weekend in Miami next month, then we are planning two weeks in Europe
for the summer. Since you didn’t get a real vacation this year, I think we should go crazy.”
“If I had gone away, I wouldn’t have met you,” I laughed.
“Precisely. So now all of your vacations must be taken with me at your side so you don’t
meet anyone new.”
Holding his face in my hands, I kissed his lips gently. “You are amazing,” I smiled.
“So are you. Now let your friends hug you or they’re going to explode.”
We stood up together, and the cheering was deafening. As soon as Devin released me,
four pairs of arms attacked me, hugging me hard enough to bruise.
“He’s so sweet to you.”
“You two are perfect together.”
“I’ve never seen you look this happy.”
“I can’t wait to go wedding dress shopping with you.”
“Guys, let me breathe,” I squeaked.
They finally released me, giggling and grinning. Their boyfriends all came over, hugging
them in this sweetly romantic moment.
Devin’s arm slipped around me, as he murmured, “Your friends are great accomplices, by
the way. I’ve never kidnapped a girl before. It’s actually rather fun.’
Laughing, I wiped my eyes, then finally took a closer look at the ring. It was a large square
diamond, set slightly off-center. Close beside it was a medium-sized deep blue sapphire,
and above it was a smaller deep ruby. With the three square stones in a block pattern, it
was the most modern, stylish, and unusual engagement ring I’d ever seen.
“Do you recognize it?” Devin asked hopefully.
Blinking hard, I stared, my eyes widening. “Is this an interpretation of the Mondrian painting
we saw in the museum a few months ago?”
“Yes. You gushed about it, and said it was the perfect balance of color weights. You also
said something about the structure, and urban minimalism, and modernism, but I didn’t quite
understand everything. I just took a photo and found a custom jeweler to interpret it.”
I looked up to see Laura practically bouncing up and down. “Paul’s uncle is the most
amazing jeweler, don’t you think?”
“I love it,” I whispered. “It’s so unusual, in the most perfect way.”
“Just like us, baby,” Devin said, kissing my cheek as he held me tightly, wiping the tears
from under my eye with his thumb.
I wasn’t even embarrassed about falling apart in front of him. Something about this amazing
tough and sensitive man allowed me to give up my control, and let him take care of me
when I needed him. Which now, was going to be always.
*** *** ***
Don’t miss the rest of the Summer Love Series : Summer Love at the Beach - #4 (August 14th)
Summer Love in the Forest - #5
***
Please stay in touch.
Want a free book? Click here to subscribe to the email newsletter
Or visit haleytravisromance.com
Check out the latest books on Amazon right here .
***
Novels:
Heart Shaped Spotlight: Second Chance Rockstar Romance It’s one thing to pine for the perfect man you lost years ago. It’s another thing to turn on the TV and hear him singing directly to you. NOTE: Link at end of novel for a FREE bonus story about two side characters! (Or visit HaleyTravisRoma
nce.com)
Whispered Curses A shy girl alpha male romance novel Tea time prophesies, accidental insta-love, and dealing with one’s demons.
Love in the Darkness A shy girl alpha male romance novel A week in the dark has them seeing everything in a new light.
Donuts and Handcuffs: A sweet, floury, mixed-up love story. A budding baker. A caring cop. A sweet and spicy romance of opposites.
Owned by Pirates : Sweet Romance on the Sea Selling one’s daughter isn’t as rare as you’d think. But to the Captain of a pirate ship? It’s the best thing that has ever happened to a sheltered young lady with a taste for adventure.
***
Novellas / Short Stories:
Next Guy Through The Door (Short Romance) A personal challenge. Some personal growth. And a hot guy who thinks she’s perfect.
Damn Valentine (Novella) It’s all about timing. Breaking a silly curse with open hearts, a duck, and the right guy.
Click for the “ Up Love - Insta Love Shy Girl Romance ” Series.
(Just 99 cents or available through Kindle Unlimited)
***
About the Author:
Romance author Haley Travis lives in a charming (old and rundown) little house with an old fashioned (overgrown and crazy) garden and just the right amount of books (six overstuffed shelves, the floor is starting to creak). She enjoys writing quirky, sexy modern romance, and loves creating interesting female characters who are at a turning point in their lives. Women who need a life shake up, not a man. But these things never go as planned, do they?
Document Outline
Summer Love in the City #3 *** *** *** Don’t miss the rest of the Summer Love Series:
***
***
Novels: ***
Novellas / Short Stories: ***
