"They gave me their blessing last night."
"You told them?"
"I wanted them to know that I love you and that I wasn't willing to waste another day without you in my life. We've lost too much time as it is."
She touched his face in a tender gesture. "We weren't ready before, Cole, neither one of us."
"But we are now. Emily brought us back together."
"I think that was the professor," she said with a smile.
"No, it was Em. Somewhere up there, she's watching. I know it."
Natalie looked up at the sky where the lettering from Cole's declaration of love had faded into wisps of white. "I hope she approves."
"I know she does. She'd want us both to be happy, and frankly, I don't think we can be happy without each other." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box.
Natalie's heart stopped. "You're not going to..." She couldn't even say the word much less believe what was happening. This was Cole, the man of her dreams, the man she'd loved forever, but she'd never really believed she could have him—until this moment.
"Propose?" he asked, as he opened the box and showed her a beautiful diamond ring. "That's exactly what I'm going to do. Will you marry me, Natalie? Will you make me the happiest man in the world?"
She stared at his face, at his strong, handsome face, and knew without a doubt that this was the one and only man she'd ever wanted to spend her life with. "This can't be happening."
"It's definitely happening. We just need an answer to make it really good."
"Yes," she said. "Yes."
Cole slipped the ring on her finger, then pulled her up against his chest and kissed her as if he never intended to stop. The sound of applause brought their kiss to an abrupt end, as they realized they'd become the center of attention.
"She finally said ‘yes,’ " Cole told the crowd.
"You finally asked," she retorted, and despite their audience, she couldn't stop herself from kissing him again. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Cole."
"Let's start right now."
"Or maybe somewhere more private," she suggested.
He laughed. "I can't make any promises, unless you run really fast."
"I will," she promised, as they took off down the path.
They were breathless by the time they reached her apartment. Cole slammed the door shut and reached for her. "Someday we're going to do this slow."
"But not this day," she said, pulling his shirt up and over his head. "Because I've waited long enough to have you, and I don't intend to wait another second."
"I like the way you think." He stopped her as she reached for his pants. "One second."
"What now?" she asked with a groan.
"I want you to know, really know, that this is it for me. I'm not going to leave you, ever. You're my family now, Natalie. You and me, and whatever kids we decide to have. The past is gone. The future is ours."
Her eyes blurred with tears. "Boy, when you finally start talking, you do it right."
"Love me?"
"Forever," she said, sealing her promise with a long, passionate kiss.
Epilogue
Natalie and Cole snuck into the back of the Atherton Community Center just as the orchestra began to warm up at seven o'clock Sunday evening. Madison, who was sitting with Dylan, waved them over to two empty seats beside her.
"I didn't think you were going to make it, Natalie," Madison said with an arch to her eyebrow. "And look who you've brought. Isn't that interesting? I guess the skywriting worked."
"You saw that?" Natalie asked.
"I think all of San Francisco saw it. So are you happy?"
"Ecstatic. We're engaged," Natalie said, flashing her ring.
"Nice," Madison said to Natalie, then nodded approval at Cole. "You finally did the right thing."
"I finally did," Cole agreed. He sent Madison and Dylan a curious look. "I'm surprised to see you two together. What have I missed?"
"I was going to ask the same question," Natalie said. Not that she really needed an answer. She could see the happiness in Madison's eyes.
"We're on our first date," Madison said with a grin. "He finally asked. It took him only ten years. The men in San Francisco are a little slow."
"But we're worth the wait," Dylan drawled.
"Damn right," Cole added, giving Natalie a delicious smile. "I can prove it later."
"I might take you up on that," she murmured. As she sat back in her chair, she felt ridiculously happy. She had a feeling Dylan and Madison were going to find their way to a good place—which only left Laura. Laura looked gorgeous in the front row of the orchestra, wearing a pretty black dress and holding her flute. She saw Natalie and waved, her smile proud and confident. Then she tipped her head toward the front row where Drew and two adorable little girls, who looked exactly like their mother, were sitting. Drew turned and nodded in their direction. His expression was cool but not filled with the animosity it had once held. He'd changed, too. They all had.
The lights dimmed, and the conductor motioned for the orchestra to begin.
The music was beautiful, emotional, haunting, and when the flutes played, Natalie thought she could hear the angels singing. Maybe they were.
Emily had always liked to sing. And all she had ever wanted was for her friends to be happy.
Natalie slipped her hand into Cole's and knew that the Fabulous Four had never been more fabulous.
# # #
I hope you enjoyed these three novels! If you’d like more summer reads, grab the Summer Reads Series, all of which can be purchased or read in Kindle Unlimited:
SUMMER READS - Books 1-3, Vol. 1
Summer Secrets
Golden Lies
Don’t Say A Word
SUMMER READS - Books 4-6, Vol. 2
One True Love
Just The Way You Are
All She Ever Wanted
SUMMER READS - Books 7-9, Vol. 3
Almost Home
Some Kind of Wonderful
Love Will Find A Way
SUMMER READS - Books 10-12, Vol. 4
Daniel's Gift
Ryan's Return
Ask Mariah
The Sweetest Thing
For a complete list of my books, visit my website!
Access MEMBERS ONLY Page!
Would you like to have access to special deals, giveaways and sneak peeks at upcoming books?
Sign up for my newsletter here and then visit my Members Only Page!
About the Author
Barbara Freethy is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of 68 novels ranging from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and women's fiction. With over 12 million copies sold, twenty-three of Barbara’s books have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists, including SUMMER SECRETS which hit #1 on the New York Times!
Known for her emotional and compelling stories of love, family, mystery and romance, Barbara enjoys writing about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary adventures.
Sign up for Barbara’s Newsletter
Summer Reads Box Set, Books 4-6 Page 86
