One Last Call
Page 25
She felt his eyes on her during the recitation of the vows. When they each gave Kenny and Lucy their rings, he flirted with a sexy grin. Sarah held on tighter to her own bouquet and couldn’t help but smile back. Engagement or no engagement, she could see that he loved her.
The wedding was short and sweet, and the reception carried over to an enormous canvas tent set up closer to the tree line. With the shorter autumn days, darkness was falling early, and the tiny lights decorating the tent looked like twinkling stars. As part of the bridal party, Sarah and Josh danced the first set together. Before the end of the song, Josh twirled her out to a pair of folding chairs set next to the woods.
“Where…?”
“Have a seat, sunshine.”
“But…”
“They won’t need us for a while, and I wanted to talk with you in private.”
“Now?”
The golden light from the tent barely lit up his features. He wasn’t smiling.
“Josh, what’s wrong?”
“It’s just that…you see…” He sat in the chair next to her and took both of her hands in his. He fiddled with her fingers and reached into his breast pocket. Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. He was finally going to do it! Josh took out his cell phone. It obviously wasn’t a ring. She tried to mask her disappointment. He thumbed the screen and scrolled until he found what he was looking for, then he handed it to Sarah.
“What’s this?”
“Go on and look at it.”
Sarah peered down, half-hoping it was an ad for a ring. No luck. Instead, it was a real estate listing for a house. The picture was taken from a distance, but she could see the wraparound porch, complete with porch swing and white picket fence.
“You bought your house?”
“No.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair and left a section in front sticking up slightly.
“You didn’t buy a house?”
“No.” He huffed out an exasperated breath. “I’m doin’ it all wrong, damn it.”
She waited patiently for him to continue.
He took the phone back and shoved it in his pocket. “You said to wait until you had a good hair day, and I’ve never seen you look more beautiful. Every time I look at you, the world fades to black and white, and you are the only thing I see in color.” His eyes glittered when he leaned in closer. “You’re everythin’ to me, Sarah. If you’ll marry me, that’s gonna be our house, the one you always talked about. I found it. You can plant those wildflowers you like, and I can complain about mowin’ the grass. I want a life with you. I want little golden-haired babies and maybe a lazy dog who takes up half the bed. I want to make love to you every night and wake up to you every mornin’. I want…”
“You’re forgetting something.”
Josh paused. “Well, I wasn’t done tellin’ you…”
“You need to ask the question.”
“The question.” He closed his eyes. “I was gettin’ there.” Josh reached into his other pocket and pulled out a ring. The sun had set so Sarah had no idea what it looked like. It didn’t matter. She didn’t care if it was tin foil balled up on a twist tie at this point. “Sarah Elise Brandon…”
“Yes!” Sarah interrupted.
“Damn it, let me ask.”
“Yes. My answer is yes.”
“Still, I wanna ask…”
“Yes, Josh.”
“Doin’ it anyway.” Josh got down on one knee amid a pile of crisp fallen leaves. “Sarah…” He narrowed his eyes, waiting for her to interrupt again. When she remained quiet, he continued. “You gonna marry me?”
“I don’t know.” She grinned at the stunned look on his face. “Yes! Yes, of course I’ll marry you! I thought you’d never ask.”
He slipped the ring on her finger and pulled her up and into a kiss that took her breath away and stole her senses. It took her a good few minutes to hear the applause.
They drew apart and peered back over at the tent where the crowd had stopped dancing and were now watching the proposal. Lucy tossed her bouquet to Sarah with a dubious aim. Josh caught it in midair and handed it to her.
“I love you, Sarah.”
She grabbed Josh by the tie and hauled him down for another kiss. The crowd whooped and cheered and the music started up again. “I love you too.”
Sarah laced her fingers with Josh’s and caught the sparkle of the diamond that outshone the twinkling of the stars. “I caught the bouquet.”
“Actually, sunshine, I caught it. Now you have to marry me. Tradition says I’m next.”
“Well, we can’t go against tradition. Especially since fate brought us back together.”
He tugged her closer, and they swayed together to the next slow song. Josh whispered in her ear, “I’m never leaving you ever again, Sarah.”
“Good, because I’m never letting you go.”
The End
Publisher’s Note
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About Susan Behon
Susan Behon, author of the Madison Falls series, enjoys creating a world that brings readers romance, laughter, and a healthy dose of sexiness. Susan graduated summa cum laude with a B. A. in English from Norfolk State University. She currently lives in Ohio with her very own romance hero of a husband and their two wonderful daughters.
Visit Susan at www.susanbehon.com or e-mail her at suebeephile@aol.com.
Other Titles by Susan Behon
The Madison Falls Series
Fall For You
More Than Words
Made For Me