Max and I sliced through the ribbon like butter. It fell apart, the two ends fluttering gently to the sides of the door. Then we threw our arms up in the air as the crowd continued to cheer. Ella ran up the stairs and gave us both a big hug, and she and I fell apart in a mess of tears and joyful laughter.
At nine that night, Max and I were still at The Miller House. I was sitting at the desk in my personal office sorting through all the donations while he organized my filing cabinets.
“Max,” I called him over. He came and looked over my shoulder as I showed him the total we had raised in donations over the last couple of months and today. “I think we have enough to cover operation costs for the first year. At least, I’m pretty sure this is enough.”
“If it’s not we’ll dip into my account,” he said simply.
“Have I told you today how amazing you are?” I asked.
He smiled sheepishly. “A few times, but I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”
I stood up and looped my arms around his neck. “Then I’ll keep saying it. Because you are amazing, Max Miller. How did I get so lucky? I have everything I could ever want.”
“Everything, huh?” He asked, giving me a sweet peck on the tip of my nose.
I nodded.
“You’re sure?”
Suddenly suspicious, I narrowed my eyes. “Why do I feel like you’re up to something?”
Max’s smile gave him away. He was definitely hiding something. He ducked out from under my arms.
“I thought there was something else that would make today just a little bit better.”
“We’ve set the bar pretty high as far as great days go. How could it possibly get any better?”
Max took my hand in his, then dropped to one knee.
I clapped my free hand over my mouth. “Oh my God.”
“Laura Marie Wessex,” Max said, running his thumb over my knuckles as he knelt before me, “I have a question I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time.”
Tears burned the corners of my eyes and I blinked them away furiously so I could see the man I loved on his knees before me. I wanted to capture this moment in my memory forever.
“This past year has been the best of my life. And that’s saying a lot, because I didn’t think I could ever feel real happiness again. I didn’t believe I deserved it. But you lit a fire in me that had burned out a long time ago. You made me a better man—the man I was too weak to be on my own. I love you so much it makes me dizzy. I wake up in the mornings and watch you sleep and wonder how the hell I ever got so lucky. All I want, Laura, is to spend the rest of my life making you smile. And laugh. I want to remind you every day how special you are. I want to give you everything in this world and more. And I want to grow old with you. So, with all that being said,” he paused and reached his free hand into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a purple velvet box. He extended it to me and with a flick of his thumb popped it open.
The ring inside was stunning. The main diamond was set in a halo of smaller diamond and cut in a circle. The white gold band was encrusted with diamonds that stretched all the way around. It was so bright, I believed it would sparkle in the dark.
“Oh Max,” I whispered. My whole body was shaking.
He took the ring out of the box and lifted my left hand. “Laura Wessex, will you marry me?”
I nodded. “Yes. Yes. Absolutely. Yes!”
Max slid the ring on my finger.
Shrieking with joy, I dropped to my knees in front of him and threw my arms around him, planting wet kisses all over his face. “I love you.”
“I love you too, pretty girl,” he said, before holding me tight and burying his face in my shoulder.
I squeezed my eyes closed and committed the moment to memory.
The way he held me so tightly and how strong his arms were. The way he smelled, like pine and sandalwood. The way he took a deep shuddering breath trying to keep his own emotions in check and stroked my hair with one hand.
The way he pulled back just long enough to kiss my cheek before hugging me tightly again.
The boy I’d loved when I was just a girl had become the brand new man I loved now that I was a woman. And soon, he would become my husband.
I nuzzled my cheek against his neck and whispered, “We have to go home. No sex in the children’s home.”
Max threw his head back and laughed. I laughed too, but mostly I just watched him. Because there was no better sight in the world.
The End
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About the Author
Hey there. I'm Weston.
I'm a former firefighter/EMS guy who's picked up the proverbial pen and started writing bad boy romance stories. I co-write with my sister, Ali Parker as we travel the United States for the next two years.
You're going to find Billionaires, Bad Boys, Mafia and loads of sexiness. Something for everyone, hopefully. I'd love to connect with you. Check out the links below and come find me.
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The Parker’s Wicked Playground
Brand New Man
Copyright © 2019 by Weston & Ali Parker
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
First Edition.
Editor: Lori Hawkins
Cover Designer: Ryn Katryn Digital Art
Brand New Man Page 25
