by Lizzie Shane
She’d never seen him spaz out like this. It was kind of adorable. Her big strong fire-fighter completely losing his shit. “So you forgive me?” she interrupted, needing to hear him say those words.
“God, yes! Nothing to forgive, but I would forgive you anything.”
She almost laughed at his colorful choice of words, but didn’t want him to think she was laughing at him. Not when he was so adorably earnest. And completely unraveled.
“Shit. I’m not doing this right.” He dropped to one knee—and her urge to laugh evaporated as her heart swelled in her chest. Wow. Just seeing him down there… that had to be one of the hottest sights on earth.
“Will…”
“I know I’m screwing this up. I had this whole speech planned and then I got distracted and I don’t know which parts I said, so let me just repeat. I love you. Please marry me. Or tell me you’re not ready to answer yet because it’s too soon, I get that, I’m rushing it, I always rush things, but I mean every word. And I’m so sorry. I could cut off my tongue for making you cry.”
“Don’t. I like your tongue.”
His eyes filled with fragile hope. “I don’t want to pressure you. I don’t want you saying yes when you aren’t sure, because we’ve both been bitten by that before—”
“Will.” She bent and pressed a palm to his cheek. “You can stop talking now.”
“Caitlyn…”
She set her lips over his, shutting the poor man up with a kiss. When she pulled back, she lingered to whisper the word against his lips. “Yes.”
He sucked in a breath. “Are you sure? Because I know it’s fast—”
“It’s perfect,” she whispered, looking into those gorgeous eyes with their sinner lashes. “I think I needed something fake so I would know the real deal when it came along. You’re it, Will. You’re my fairy tale. I don’t know when I fell in love with you—though I suspect it probably had something to do with all the chocolate you kept feeding me.” He chuckled and she grinned. “I came home with a whole elaborate plan to woo you and propose to you, so you’d know for sure I wasn’t saying yes for the wrong reasons like last time.”
“Oh. We can do that too. I’m very open to being wooed.”
She laughed, feeling the fizzy champagne delight in her blood that only ever seemed to happen when she was with him. “I love you. Now get up here and kiss me properly.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He stood, bent her over the piano, and kissed her—very improperly indeed.
Her hands were shaking when he slipped the ring on—and it was perfect.
Epilogue
Caitlyn lay on the couch in the circle of her fiancé’s arms, twisting her hand from side to side to admire her ring—his grandmother’s, which he had never given to Tria—from every possible angle.
Her fiancé. It sounded… heavenly. The rightness of it settled around her as perfectly as his arms.
They lay in the shadow of their mountain and she wondered how soon she could broach the idea of buying the chalet. They could remodel it—combine the two apartments, turn the downstairs into guest rooms and a storage area, though they’d have to keep the bathroom down there since it was so much bigger than the one upstairs and she had a real affection for that spacious shower of his. Very fond memories.
She bit her lip. And his thumb immediately reached up to rub the spot.
“What?” His voice rumbled through his chest against her back.
After what he’d gone through with Tria, she couldn’t ask him to buy a house with another fiancé, but she’d promised no more lies. She shrugged, settling for the middle ground. “I like it here. Of course I’ll like it anywhere with you.”
“If I ever get that money back from Andy and Tria, we should put in an offer on this place,” he said—just like that. So easy and casual. And Caitlyn about melted. He trusted her. That was so freaking hot.
“I actually have a little nest egg put by,” she suggested tentatively. “From my performing days. If we wanted to put in an offer on this place, we could.”
“How big a nest egg?” he asked, his hands sneaking under the hem of her shirt. “Am I about to become a kept man? Used shamelessly for my sexual prowess?”
“Maybe,” she purred, shifting to give him better access, the better to show off his sexual prowess. “I was thinking I might do the occasional performance too.”
“I thought you hated that life,” he murmured, his mouth finding the good spots on the side of her neck.
“I wouldn’t be touring. Just the occasional thing—Colorado Symphony, if they’ll have me. Maybe see if there are community orchestras in the area. I don’t miss the life, but I do sometimes miss playing with other musicians. Would you mind?”
“I suppose it would be greedy to keep all your music to myself,” he said, against her collarbone as he slid her shirt aside. “I guess I can share you with your adoring fans. As long as I get you all to myself every night.”
She turned in his arms so she could kiss him. “Deal.”
It was some time later, both of them sprawled on the floor with Caitlyn wearing only the ring when they spoke again.
“My mom will want to plan the wedding.” She traced a pattern across the muscles of his chest. The man was a freaking work of art.
“My sisters might give her a run for her money.” He smoothed a hand down the length of her flank.
“I suppose we should tell people now,” she murmured, strangely reluctant to share their little bubble of happiness with anyone else.
“Not just yet.” Will spoke against her skin, waking up her utterly satisfied body for more. “You’ll meet my family and I’ll meet yours, but tonight… you’re mine.”
“Every night. And every day. Every song and every breath and all the moments in between.”
She’d found her happily ever after, and she wasn’t letting go.
THE END
About the Author
Winner of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart Award, Lizzie Shane lives in Alaska where she uses the long winter months to cook up happily-ever-afters (and indulge her fascination with the world of reality television). She also writes paranormal romance under the pen name Vivi Andrews. Find more about Lizzie at her website or follow her on Facebook. And sign up now to receive Lizzie’s New Release Newsletter for updates on upcoming releases and exclusive content including second epilogues for each of the Reality Romance novels.
Want more Reality Romance? Check out the rest of the series, Marrying Mister Perfect (RR#1) and Romancing Miss Right (RR#2). And look for Planning on Prince Charming (RR#4) and Courting Trouble (RR#5), coming soon.
And if you liked Falling For Mister Wrong you might also enjoy…
LOVE & OREOS
A Sudden Falls Romance
By Elizabeth Bemis
Katherine Mendoza is a curvy PR exec whose passion for Oreos is tempered only by her workaholic lifestyle. But when an invitation to her high school reunion lands on her doorstep the same day she takes on the obscenely attractive owner of a chain of fitness centers as a client, she decides it's a sign from the gods. Who better to get her backside into shape than the guy whose backside she's about to save?
Fitness-master Quinn Mitchell is more than happy to help Katherine slim down, but keeping his hands off her curves is proving to be the bigger challenge. Unfortunately, he's got oversized problems of his own: his fitness centers are coming under fire from a reporter with a vendetta, he's behind schedule and losing backers, and his business partner insists that being seen with anyone who's not model-thin is bad for business.
In an epic clash of wits, wagers--and Oreos, Katherine and Quinn put everything on the line to succeed… but can they win it all without losing their hearts?
LOVE & OREOS—Now Available.
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