by Layla Hagen
“I highly recommend the cheesecake,” Tess declared. “And the cheeseburger.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The buffet was so vast that the catering team had laid bowls, platters, and chafing dishes in the kitchen, the corridor leading to the back, and the yard itself.
Cole was inside the house, surrounded by Hunter, Josie, Ryker and his wife, Heather, and Rob.
I decided to sneakily surprise him with a smooch. I tiptoed toward the group. Hunter noticed me and said in a whisper I clearly wasn’t meant to hear, “Laney’s coming.”
They all fell silent at once. Hmm... that was suspicious.
“What’s going on?” I asked, wrapping my arms around Cole’s waist from behind.
Everyone remained quiet. I swept my gaze from one to the other. Hunter was looking with suspicious interest at his bottle of beer. Josie was inspecting her nails. Heather flashed me a guilty smile. Rob excused himself, saying he needed to go outside. Ryker was simply grinning.
“Any of you want to fess up?” I asked.
Ryker shook his head. “No, I’m good. I think I’ll leave that honor to Cole.”
Cole glared at him. Ryker clapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder, grinning devilishly.
“Let’s leave these two lovebirds alone,” Ryker said. The group broke up in a matter of seconds, heading outside. Yeah, that wasn’t suspicious or anything.
Cole turned around slowly, eyes full of mischief and heat.
“So,” I said.
“So,” he replied, lips curling into a smile.
“I have no clue how meddling works, but I’m a fast learner. I can tell lots of things just by observing people.”
“Such as?”
“Such as the fact that you were plotting with the group. Don’t think you can distract me from that.”
“Didn’t dream of it, my very observant, hot-as-hell doc.”
Laughing, I pushed him toward the armchair on the other side of the kitchen island. After he sat down, I climbed in his lap.
“And now you’re trying to make me forget by complimenting me.”
“Is it working?”
I laced my arms around his neck. “I’m willing to let this slide.”
“Very generous of you.”
“I do want something in return for my generosity though. A kiss. A super-hot one.”
His lips were on mine the next second, and wow, the kiss was so hot and dirty that I squirmed in his lap. His lips were feverish, his tongue wild. Oh, lord. Life with this man wouldn’t have one dull moment. I just knew it. I clenched my thighs, rocking into him, tugging at his hair. At the back of my mind, I knew we couldn’t kiss like this when anyone could walk in on us, but oh well.
Serves me right for asking for a super-hot kiss. My whole body thrummed when we pulled apart to catch our breath.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked. His eyes were happy. There was plenty of heat in them too, but I was fairly certain he’d never looked at me this way.
“I just like this... That we’re so close to each other. That our lives are so intertwined.” He swallowed hard, kissing one of my hands. “We should go back out before anyone walks in, especially Avery.”
I laughed, climbing out of his lap. I found it incredibly endearing that he worried about Avery. I grabbed a plate and filled it with Caesar salad and pizza bread as well as a cheeseburger before returning to the yard.
Once outside, I split from Cole under the pretense of wanting to catch up with everyone.
The reason I’d let it slide was simple: I just planned to lure the information out of someone else from the group. They were together again outside, and Cole wasn’t with them. He’d gone back inside with Tess.
Hmm... deciding on my victim wasn’t easy though. Tess or Skye would have been my first choice, because I was closest to them. Neither of them had been there, though.
I studied the rest of the group... and zeroed in on Ryker. I obviously couldn’t ask him in front of everyone, but maybe I could find a reason to pull him away. I tiptoed toward the group again and froze when I distinctly heard the words “Cole’s proposal.”
My breath caught. Ryker groaned, dropping his chin to his chest.
“Laney is right behind you, Hunter.”
Hunter turned so quickly that he sent some of his beer flying away. “Oh, shit. Umm... don’t tell Cole.”
I looked from him to the rest, my heart beating so wildly that I couldn’t form words at all. It thumped in my chest, and my throat was closing up. I clasped my hands behind my back, breathing in through my nose, out through my mouth.
Okay, silly heart! Behave.
Smiling brightly, I asked, “Don’t tell him what?”
Hunter nodded, relief obvious on his face.
Ryker grinned. “That’s our girl. Thanks for saving our asses.”
I smiled, ready to take a leaf out of Tess’s detective book and prod them with questions, but I didn’t get the chance because Cole came up to me.
Our gazes locked, and my breath caught as my heart seemed to be in my throat again. I could keep my cool even under extreme conditions during surgery, or generally during emergencies. But pretending that I didn’t know Cole wanted to propose was my biggest test yet.
For the rest of the afternoon, my expression was permanently between a smile and a grin—mostly the latter, especially when I looked his way. I decided not to ask the group for any more intel, because I was having enough trouble playing it cool as it was.
I’d thought about this, for sure. Knew I wanted it, knew I was ready—mentioned the possibility of it all to my mom and dad during a call. But still, knowing it was about to happen made me want to do a happy dance.
Toward the end of the party, we split into groups to help clean up. The caterers were in charge of the food containers, but there were still plenty of decorations and furniture to be taken inside.
I was just unfastening the balloons tied to the top of the swing when Cole slung his hands around my waist from behind. I startled.
“Laney, you’re jumpy. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“But something’s up.”
“Just an exciting day.”
“Turn around.”
“But the balloon—”
“Doc. Turn. Around.”
I turned, slowly, licking my lips. His gaze was searching me, intense and unrelenting. His grip on my waist was tight.
The smell of his cologne was intoxicating.
“Now... I’m glad it’s just the two of us out here.”
Everyone else was busy inside the house. Oh my God. This was it. He was going to ask.
I couldn’t pretend for longer. I just couldn’t.
“YES! I’ll marry you,” I exclaimed, a little breathless.
Cole’s eyes bulged. Frowning, he opened his mouth.
“How did you find out?”
Licking my lips, I bounced up my toes, then back on my heels. “Overheard the group talking earlier.”
Cole skimmed one hand up to my neck, holding the side of my face. “What exactly did you hear?”
“No details, just the words ‘Cole’s proposal.’”
Oh my God. My heart stopped as a thought just slammed into me. What if they’d meant something else? A proposal for a property or something. Holy shit, what if I’d just jumped to conclusions? My entire face was on fire, and so was my neck. And now I’d put him on the spot. I dropped my gaze to my hands. My stomach constricted almost painfully.
I bit my lip, plucking the courage to ask, “Oh, did they mean something else?”
“No, silly. You got it right. Just right.” His voice was a little shaky now. “Except, you caught me off guard now. I had this whole plan, and... right now I don’t even have a ring.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It’s on hold at Tiffany’s. I didn’t want to buy it already so you wouldn’t find it by accident. I’d planned this so well, dam
n... Now I have no ring. And I’d ask you, but you already said yes.”
“Ask me anyway,” I whispered.
Cole took both my hands in his and kissed them, squeezing them as we locked gazes.
“Will—” His voice caught. He cleared his throat, and my whole body warmed up. “Will you be my wife, Laney? I want... I promise to be there for you every single day. I promise to build our life together, every way there is. I promise to fulfill every dream you have. The cute house and big family. All of them.”
“Yes to all that. That’s a beautiful promise, Cole,” I whispered. Excitement was bubbling up inside me, at being a married woman, wanting a family, imagining my life with Cole. Before I met him, I was only seeing my future in broad strokes, and only on the professional side. But now I was seeing everything in vivid detail, and I was looking forward to every second.
“I’ve been thinking about the best way to do this for weeks. I wanted to be sure it was a happy moment, that it was perfect for you.”
“I feel nothing but pure joy,” I assured him. I placed one palm at either side of his face, locking our gazes. I wanted him to know I meant every word.
“I love you. And it’ll be my honor to be your wife, to love and respect you every day. You’re my world, Cole Winchester.”
He kissed my forehead, holding me against him with both hands.
“What exactly did you hear the group say?”
“Nothing else, honestly.”
“Can’t believe they gave me away.”
“Don’t give them a hard time.” I pulled back a little, looking up at him expectantly.
“Course not.” He took a step back, pointing with his head toward the house. “Come on, let’s carry the decorations that are already in boxes inside.”
“Okay.”
Cole lifted one of the heavy ones, and I took a moment to admire all those gorgeous muscles flex. I grabbed a lighter one, walking right in front of him, smiling broadly. The second we entered the living room, all eyes were on us.
“So... which one of you let it slip that I planned to propose?” Cole asked loudly.
Epilogue
Laney
One month later
“The view is gorgeous,” I said, snapping pictures. We were at a lake cabin in Upstate New York along with the whole gang. It had been Isabelle’s idea, and it was just brilliant. The end-of-summer air was crispy but not yet chilly. The view over the lake with mountains in the background just seemed out of this world, especially because the sun was setting and the sky was a rich color between yellow and orange.
“We should do this more often,” Cole said.
“I’m gonna tell the rest of the group that the bonfire’s ready,” Ryker said, heading inside. He’d proclaimed himself the bonfire master, and I had to admit, he was quite good at it.
I had a bag full of marshmallows ready to be roasted next to me. I loved this place. The wooden A-frame cabin was large enough for all of us, and the bonfire space even had benches all around it. I looked over my shoulder when I heard footsteps. Ian and Dylan were approaching us. I was so glad they’d come too. Isabelle was always more cheerful when she was surrounded by all her siblings, and Ian and Dylan were a lot of fun.
Except now they weren’t flashing their fun sides at all. They were silent—almost broody. Cole gave them a curt nod when they sat on the small bench next to ours. Wait a second... what was going on?
“Guys, everything okay?” I asked no one in particular.
“Sure,” Dylan said.
I looked between them, slowly getting suspicious. “Did you give Cole a hard time?”
“No, just had a serious chat,” Ian answered.
Oh, no.
“What? Why now? We’ve been going out for months.”
“We thought you two were just having fun. Now that you’re serious, things have changed. He has to know that we’ve got your back,” Dylan explained.
Cole laughed. “You made that crystal clear.”
I groaned, hiding my face in my palms. “I can’t believe this.”
I felt Cole put an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. “I can. I was expecting this. Actually, I’d expected this since we first started dating. Thought they were just letting me off the hook. Now I find out they just thought you were having fun with me.”
“You’re the one who kept saying you’re a bachelor for life. I just took that at face value,” Dylan said. I lowered my hands.
“Oh, Dylan, I miss the days when you were more romantic and optimistic. What happened to you?” It had been a rhetorical question, but I knew I’d made a mistake the second I finished talking. Dylan’s expression darkened.
“My girlfriend dumped me. Never walking down that road again.”
I felt deeply for Dylan. He’d been like a brother to me growing up. I’d known his girlfriend. I’d liked her a lot. Why she’d decided to break his heart was a mystery to me, and I knew it was going to take a while until he’d piece it back together.
Turning to Cole, I said, “I’ll make up for this.”
“You don’t have to, but I’ll never say no to that.”
Ah, of course he didn’t. He certainly knew how to grab an opportunity when he saw one. We were in the process of moving in together, which meant such opportunities were very frequent. We hadn’t set a date for the wedding yet, but we were going to soon. Not too long ago, I couldn’t even imagine rebuilding my life, and now fuzzy feelings bubbled up inside me every single time I thought about our wedding day. It was going to be huge, and I couldn’t wait for it.
I scooted closer to him on the bench. He threw a cozy fleece blanket over my legs and covered himself too. We’d brought them out just in case it got even chillier out here, but so far it was pleasantly warm. One second later, I realized that Cole hadn’t put the blanket on because he thought I was cold. He’d needed it so no one could see the possessive way he gripped my thigh.
Footsteps sounded behind us again. Hunter, Josie, Isabelle, Heather, and Ryker gathered around the bonfire. I loved being around this group, no matter what we did. I always had a smile on my face when we were all together.
Isabelle and Josie giggled, looking at the bonfire and at the huge bag of marshmallows. Sitting down, Isabelle looked at Ian and Dylan.
“Oh crap, you two gave Cole shit, didn’t you?”
Dylan blinked. “How can you tell?”
“Well, you’re my brothers, and I’m a therapist. I’d be more worried if I couldn’t tell.”
We all burst out laughing,
“Hey, do you think we can convince these two to move to New York too?” Isabelle asked Josie in a conspiratorial voice.
Josie narrowed her eyes. “Well, we could bribe them with all the perks New York has to offer. Or with a potential niece or nephew.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened as she glanced at her sister’s belly.
“What?” Ian asked.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Dylan added.
“No, no. I’m not pregnant. Sorry for the false alarm. But Hunter and I have been talking, and I feel like I’ve finally reached a good place where I don’t have to work every minute I’m awake, so I’d have time for a little nugget.”
Isabelle hugged her sister tightly.
“Hell, yeah! I don’t even have time to breathe right now, but wait until I have a nephew on my hands.”
Hunter kissed his wife’s forehead. “Judging how Jonas is faring, I think our baby will have more family than he needs.”
“There is no such thing as too much family,” Tess said.
Ryker was nudging Heather with his arm, wiggling his eyebrows.
Heather laughed. “Okay, I guess this is the perfect moment to announce it. I am pregnant. We wanted to tell you all this weekend.”
There was a chorus of congratulations right before Tess, Isabelle, and Josie hugged Heather tightly. The guys shook hands with Ryker. After we sat back down, Cole squeezed my hand under the blanket. I squeezed it right
back, smiling.
“One shot was all it took,” Ryker said proudly.
Tess groaned. “Brother, that goes in the too-much-information category.”
“Sorry, you’re right.” Judging by his grin, he wasn’t one bit sorry.
“You said you were thinking about it a few months ago. How is that one shot?” asked Cole.
Ryker’s grin widened. “There’s been a gap between thinking and actively trying.”
“Congratulations. Let’s drink to that,” Tess exclaimed, clapping her hands. Her eyes were misty but also warm with emotions. “Oh, that’s why you insisted we buy champagne,” she told Heather.
“Yes! I mean, of course, it’s for you lot, not for me, but I thought we’d all enjoy it.”
Ryker went inside, returning with an iced bottle and plastic cups, because that was all we had. But we were all so excited that we’d have just shared the bottle otherwise.
“To the new generation,” Ryker said.
“And relaxing weekends with family,” Hunter added.
Tess held her glass a notch higher. “And to all of us remaining singletons finding our matches.”
Ian and Dylan vehemently shook their heads.
“Well, between tours, online sessions, and actual sessions, I don’t even have time to miss dating, and I never thought I’d say that,” Isabelle said. “But as soon as things settle down, I’m back in the game.”
Tess winked at her. “Girl, take it from someone who just went through a few rough years. Starting something takes a lot of time and energy, but it’s going to get better.”
“Definitely,” Josie promised.
“And you can always find time for dating,” Tess said brightly. “I always did. Mostly unsuccessfully, but who cares? You have to keep trying, right?”
“No,” said Dylan in such a serious tone that we all started laughing. Tess was so different from everyone I knew. She was open and optimistic, always wearing her heart on a sleeve.
As we all emptied our glasses and started roasting the marshmallows, I looked at the group intently. Dylan still had some healing to do, and Ian was a confirmed bachelor. I’d known that since we were kids, before I even knew the meaning of the word bachelor. Isabelle was going to need a while until things settled. But there was no doubt in my mind about who would be the next one to find her match. I just knew it would be Tess.
