by Jenn Cowan
He shakes it, but nothing rattles. “What is it?”
I smile. “Open it.”
He grins then rips off the paper to reveal a wooden box. He opens it then unties and picks up the golden heart ornament. “What is this, Autumn?”
I take the heart from his hands and point to the date on one side. “This is when we first met.”
He smiles and runs his hand over the date. “The day me and my parents moved in next door to you and your parents.”
“And this…” I flip it over.
He frowns. “Why is this the date of my accident?”
I reach up and stroke his cheek. “Because that’s when I realized I was in love with you.”
He blinks. “Wh-what?”
I place the ornament back in the box. “I’m in love with you, Josh. This heart represents the day we met and became friends. You owned half of my heart. The other half was given away over the years, but you always held half. When you got in the accident, I realized you owned the other half too. This is all of my heart. You have it all. Forever.”
“Forever?”
“Yes.”
He eyes me suspiciously. “Not just as a friend?”
I shake my head. “So much more.”
He strokes my cheek with his thumb and kisses me gently on the lips. “I’ve waited my whole life to hear you say those words.”
“Your whole life?”
“Yes, Autumn. I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you. I knew you were the woman I was going to spend my life with.” He smiles and kisses my forehead then gets on one knee. “Autumn Marie Fisher… will you do me the honor of becoming my business partner?”
My heart is hammering in my chest and blood is rushing to my ears, but when I hear those words everything stops. “Wh-what?”
“Own the spa with me. Let’s run it together.”
“Um…well okay.” My face falls, not because I don’t want to own the spa with Josh, but because I thought he was going to propose.
“Okay? I thought this is what you wanted. It’s our dream.”
I try to smile, but it falls flat. “It was… it is… it’s just...”
“What?”
“Nothing,” I mumble, feeling the tears well up and I blink them back because I should be thankful Josh is alive and we own the spa, but a part of me thought we would get engaged. I know it will happen eventually. “It’s nothing.”
“Oh, well in that case, I guess I won’t be needing this.” He holds up his grandmother’s ideal cut diamond with sapphires surrounding it. It glistens in the glow of the Christmas lights.
“Is that…?”
He grins and takes my left hand. “Autumn Marie Fisher, will you do me the honor of becoming Autumn Marie Parker?”
I tackle him, causing him to fall back while I plant kisses all over his face and shout, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Josh laughs then grabs my hand and slides on the ring. “It’s perfect, just like you.”
I melt, hearing his words then stare down at the ring before looking back up at him.
His eyes glisten with tears. “I wasn’t sure this day would ever come.”
I stroke his cheek, looking into his warm brown eyes. The eyes of my best friend. My soon to be business partner. My future husband. Hopefully, the father to my children…soon. “One question.”
He kisses my hand. “Yes, my fiancée?”
“Can we get married this spring?”
He freezes. “This spring?”
I nod. “A small wedding… well as small as it can be when we have to invite everyone in town.”
He chuckles then asks, “I thought you always wanted a fall wedding?”
I shrug. “Things change. After everything that’s happened over the past few months, I want to start our new life together right away.”
He smiles and gives me a kiss then says, “Let’s get married.”
The End.
A Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading this book. Book 5 was a tough book to write. The characters were in chaos, probably because I was in chaos. We bought a house around the time I started writing this book then started updating it. Who knew picking paint colors, light fixtures, tile and furniture was so time consuming? Anyway, we’re moving in soon and I’ll have a pretty new desk in a bright space to keep writing these characters stories.
In Book 6, Autumn and Josh are planning their wedding while Allison has a visitor from the past who upsets her world. Another murder happens in Daysville and you’ll never guess who is being accused.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review at the end. I love reading them. Whether they’re good or bad, they make me a better writer, so thank you for taking the time to leave one.
Writing a book is a commitment and not something that can be done alone. I have a few people to thank for helping with this book.
Mariah Sinclair is the queen of Cozy Mystery Covers, and I absolutely love this cover. Her work is incredible, and I’m so thankful for her creative vision on this series.
I would also like to thank Kate Farlow from Y’all That Graphic for the excellent social media and logo graphics. If you haven’t seen them, definitely check out my social media pages.
A huge shout out to Gem for being my eyes on this book. She helped me spot plot holes, punctuation errors and made sure this book was flawless for you to enjoy.
My family is also amazing. They are so supportive of my writing. They call out character names when I need one, bring me food and drinks when I’m busy typing away and encourage me to follow my dreams. Without them, I would struggle. They’re my rocks, and I love them dearly.
Another huge thank you to you, my reader, I so appreciate you and your support. If you would like to follow me on social media or check out my blog.
Until next time…
Happy Reading,
Jenn
About the Author
Jenn Cowan is the author of several genres and has pen names under Jenna Richert and J.R. Cowan. When she’s not writing, you can find her in her massage office working on clients, cooking up a storm in her kitchen, hitting her yoga mat, singing and dancing with her hubby at a concert, cheering on the sidelines for her kiddos or cozied up by the fire reading a good book. She loves a good mystery and a happily ever after.
Other Books by the Author:
~A Cozy Spa Mystery Series
Massage & Murder (Book 1)
Hot Stones & Homicides (Book 2)
Reflexology & Revenge (Book 3)
Facials & Fugitives (Book 4)
~Angelica’s Manor of Love Duet
Love at the Manor
Fate at the Manor
~Non-Fiction
Massage Basics: A Step by Step Guide to at Home Massage
