All or nothing (Love in chaos #1) - Missy Johnson Page 0,71
whirlwind of kissing, hugs and congratulations. Mom beams as she wraps her arms around me, and then Ben.
“Welcome to the family,” she whispers to him. “We’re honored to have you be a part of it.”
“That means a lot,” Ben says to my mom. He takes her hand and gives it a kiss. “And I’m sorry if I upstaged your party.”
Mom laughs. “I think I’ll cope. I’ll see you both later,” she adds, glancing at Mason, who is approaching us nervously.
“Congratulations, guys.” Mason smiles at us. He gives me, then Ben a hug, then he clears his throat. “There’s someone I’d love for you both to meet.” He thrusts forward a very cute guy, their hands so tightly entwined Mason’s knuckles are white. “This is Steve.”
“Lovely to meet you,” I gush.
I exchange a smile with Ben, who looks thrilled for his friend. This is the first time we’ve met Steve, even though they’d been dating for over two years. Mason finally found the courage to tell his family last month that he was gay. While they didn’t take it well, they were slowly coming around. I’m proud of Mason for standing up for who he is, and I know Ben is too.
“It’s really great to meet you,” Ben agrees, giving Steve a hug. “I’ve heard so many things about you.”
“All good, I hope?” Steve asks nervously.
“All wonderful,” Ben confirms. “You make my friend here very happy.”
“Not as happy as he makes me,” Steve murmurs, looking at Mason, who’s going red. Then he turns back to us. “Congratulations again to the both of you.”
Ben leans in to kiss me on the cheek. I smile shyly, loving the feel of his touch. Mason and Steve take the hint and move on, giving us a rare moment alone.
“So, you really had no idea I was going to propose?” Ben teases, snaking his arm around my waist.
I shake my head. “None at all,” I say honestly. “And here I was thinking you were incapable of keeping secrets from me.”
“Liv?”
I look up, shocked to see my father standing there.
“Dad?” I glance at Ben, who’s smiling, and then I rush to embrace my father. “What are you doing here?” I ask, bewildered.
“Ben flew me over. He thought you’d want me here for such a momentous occasion. I’m glad I got here just in time.” He takes my hand to examine the ring. “It’s beautiful, Liv, just like you.”
“How long are you here for?” I ask, feeling overwhelmed.
“Two weeks, so we have plenty of time to catch up,” he assures me with a wink. “Go celebrate with your friends.”
I hug him again, and then I join Ben as we go back inside.
We spend the next few hours celebrating with everyone, but as the night begins to wind down, all I really want to do is go home with my fiancé. Ben’s arm curls around my waist. I smile as he pulls me close enough to whisper in my ear.
“Wanna sneak off?” he murmurs. “I’m sure everyone will understand.”
I nod. “You know me too well already.”
BEN
The drive home feels like torture. My hands burn, my heart races, because all I want to do is show my new fiancé just how much she means to me.
I pull into the parking lot of my–our apartment, because she's practically living with me already, anyway. She kisses me as we ride up the elevator, and as we pass through the front door of the penthouse, I lift her up, holding her tightly in my arms.
“Best two years of my life,” I whisper, carrying her towards our room, ignoring the mess.
She grins. “You mean it?”
“Of course I do. You’re pretty amazing, you know that?” I wink at her, shouldering the door open. “And you’re marrying me.”
“Well.” Her lips purse as she pretends to think. “It is kind of convenient. Since you live so close to college and all that.”
“Glad to be of convenience,” I drone, rolling my eyes. Her face lights up as she giggles. If I can make her laugh every day, that'll be enough for me.
I approach the bed and toss her onto it, prepared to ravish her… when I see it. It's glimmering on the floor, just behind the leg of the bed. I must have dropped when I thought I'd slid it into my pocket. Chuckling, I lean down to pick it up and then I get down on one knee again.
Liv sits up, her eyes widening when she sees me clutching the ring.