We carefully traversed the trail in the dark. It was slow going, and my ankles faltered a time or two when I landed wrong on a rock, but they were so used to my clumsiness by now we kept on going with barely a wince. Though I couldn’t see well, I loved listening to the sound of the rushing water and the leaves rustling in the light breeze. It was the perfect mood music.
When the trail ended at our destination, the moon and cloudless night gave us a lovely view of the river.
Kane reached into the basket and pulled out a blanket, spreading it out near the water’s edge. He helped me sit down before joining me. I snuggled up close to him, and he wrapped me in his arms. Looking out into the water, I was able to make out the rock that I had taken solace on the day Kane had said goodbye. I wished I could tell that girl that it was all going to work out. And even that she would appreciate the time she had to grow, to know without a doubt that the man who held her now was the one. It was something she couldn’t have known then or even fully appreciated. More than anything, though, I wished I could have told her it was okay to go for her dreams. That she didn’t need to wait to follow them.
Kane kissed my cheek. “Tonight, we get to check off the last item on our list.”
“Finally.” I sighed a happy sigh.
“I want to make a new list with you.”
“Okay. An autumn list?”
He turned me toward him and tipped my chin with his finger. “No. A lifelong list. And I know what I want number one to be.” He reached into the basket and pulled out a little white box.
My hand flew to my mouth as I gasped. Was this really happening?
He opened the box to reveal a stunning halo ring that shimmered in the moonlight. “Scarlett Armstrong, please marry me,” his voice choked, full of emotion.
I was so overcome, I couldn’t speak. I hadn’t been expecting this. At. All. Not to say I wasn’t happy about it. I was ridiculously happy.
Kane tilted his head, worried when I didn’t answer. “Are you going to say something?”
Leave it to me to make our proposal awkward. “Yes.”
“Yes, you’re going to say something, or yes, you’ll marry me?”
“Yes.” It was all I could think to say.
“Scarlett, I’m going to need some clarification. What are you saying yes to?” He seemed desperate.
Finally, my brain kicked in. “Yes, I will marry you.” I wanted to shout it out to the world.
He let out a huge breath of relief. “You had me worried there for a second.” He slipped the ring onto my finger while we both laughed. That was, until he took my face in his hands and captured me with his soulful eyes. “I love you, Scarlett.”
“I love you too. So much.”
He leaned in and gently pressed a kiss to my mouth. It was a forever kind of kiss. But, as with all of our kisses these days, his tongue parted my lips, and we were all hands on deck—touching, feeling, and trying to close any distance between us. We could never get close enough. Sharing the same breaths and hearts somehow didn’t seem enough. When the kiss slowed, he gently laid me next to him while I held up my ring and stared at it. “It’s beautiful. How long have you been planning this?”
“Since the moment we first touched,” he whispered.
My eyes welled with tears, so overcome by him and his love for me. No words could express how much he meant to me. All I could do was turn into him and brush his lips with my own.
“We need to take a picture to document this.” He pulled out his phone and held it above us. I put my head next to his and turned my hand, ring up, for the world to see that I was his. After Kane took the picture, he flipped his camera around to show me. If there ever was a picture to capture pure bliss, this one was it.
“What should the caption be?” he asked.
That was an easy one. “She said yes.”
The Ever After
Five Years Later
So not only did Kane end up stealing my heart and company, but he steals kisses whenever he can, and my breath on a daily basis. Oh, he also steals the covers. Basically, he’s a sexy thief. But there is no one else I would rather share a bed or a life with. Well . . . there is one more person. There’s another boy who has stolen my heart—Gregory, all of two years old, who has his daddy’s caramel eyes, his dark hair, and his olive skin. He, too, frequently steals kisses and the covers. He’s as charming as his daddy. Neither Kane nor I can get enough of him. And we aren’t the only ones taken in by his charm. He has all of his grandparents wrapped around his cute chubby finger.
My dad is especially smitten by the boy who calls him Papa and loves to swing a golf club. He’s already better than me at playing the game. Of course, Naomi can’t get enough of him either—him being Gregory, and my father. Yes, those two kids decided to give it another whirl last year, before they had to walk down the aisle using wheelchairs, as my dad put it. It had only taken him four years to convince her. It had been the only wedding of my father’s that I was happy to attend. And, thankfully, Kane had been there to save the day when those pesky cake crumbs fell into my bra. Fine, I might have purposefully shoved a few down there. I loved watching him in action. His PhD in unzipping was well earned, and it’s always a nice trip down memory lane for us.
Who would have ever known what possibilities had lain before us long ago, on the day our parents got married? Now, thirteen years later, here we were, checking off each item on our lifelong list: marriage, baby, Armstrong Labs becoming an industry leader not only in plasma collection and therapies but forensic pathology advances as well. Our new division had opened two years ago. Just call me President Armstrong-Hudson. I loved my job. Not only were we working with crime scene units and law enforcement agencies around the country, but I’d been able to travel the world and present the new technologies our company had helped develop that were aimed at advancing the accuracy and efficiency of DNA results. I probably still giggled too much when presenting and, unfortunately, have told one too many bad jokes. Although Kane says it’s part of my charm. He also says some other things about me that make me blush and I shouldn’t repeat. But what he says the most is that he loves me. And I always say it back because truer words have never been spoken.
This doesn’t mean our lives are perfect, and we aren’t living in a fairy tale. However, we do believe in dreams and making them come true for each other. And, most importantly, that you can make your Ever After as happy as you want it to be.
THE END
Do you want to read more about Kane and Scarlett? Subscribe to my newsletter for giveaways and book news, and you will receive a BONUS CHAPTER of All’s Fair in Love and Blood, plus a SNEAK PEEK chapter of my new rom-com, Love the One You’re With.
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If you enjoyed All’s Fair in Love and Blood, here are some other books by Jennifer Peel that you may enjoy:
My Not So Wicked Stepbrother
My Not So Wicked Ex-Fiancé
The Sidelined Wife
How to Get Over Your Ex in Ninety Days
Narcissistic Tendencies
Honeymoon for One - A Christmas at the Falls Romance
Trouble in Loveland
Paige’s Turn
Best of My Love
Facial Recognition
For a complete list of all her books, click here.
About the Author
Jennifer Peel is a USA TODAY best-selling author who didn’t grow up wanting to be a writer—she was aiming for something more realistic, like being the first female president. When that didn’t work out, she started writing just before her fortieth birthday. Now, after publishing several award-winning and best-selling novels, she’s addicted to typing and chocolate. When she’s not glued to her laptop and a bag of Dove dark chocolates, she loves spending time with her family, making daily Target runs, reading, and pretending she can do Zumba.
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All's Fair in Love and Blood: A Romantic Comedy Novel Page 31
