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.”