Once I’m inside and crank the engine, I reach inside my jacket pocket and pull out the black velvet box. Popping open the lid, I look at the ring that I’ll hopefully be slipping on her finger the next time she’s in town.
While I have some planning to do to make sure she gets the proposal she’s always deserved, I can’t wait. Sarah Rose will eventually be my wife, and I can’t wait to start my forever with her. I have no doubt she’ll say yes.
About the Author
Brooke Cumberland and Lyra Parish are a duo of romance authors who teamed up under the USA Today pseudonym, Kennedy Fox. They share a love of Hallmark movies, overpriced coffee, and making TikToks. When they aren’t bonding over romantic comedies, they like to brainstorm new book ideas. One day in 2016, they decided to collaborate under a pseudonym and have some fun creating new characters that’ll make you blush and your heart melt. Happily ever afters guaranteed! View our full reading order here.
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Prologue
THREE YEARS EARLIER
I clutch a glass of water in my hand, hitting the switch to the light, engulfing me in darkness again. It takes a second for my eyes to adjust before I pad back to my bedroom.
Aside from the subtle creaks in the floor with each step I take, the house is silent.
I’ve hardly slept a wink all night. After tossing and turning, I had ambled out of bed for a quick drink. Anything to take my mind off the weight of this weekend.
Anything to get my mind off Merric.
I sigh, setting down the glass on my nightstand and pull back the comforter. My knee is pressed against the soft pillow top mattress, about to dive back in, when the sound of glass shattering forces my body to freeze.
I half-expect to look down to find my glass of water broken, spilled at my feet, but the sound is too far away for it to be the case.
My breath catches tight in my throat, waiting for another sound to break the stillness. My eyes dart over to the nightstand, seeing the glass of water gleaming like crystals in the moonlight. I wrap my arms around my body, my heart beating frantically while I try to piece together what I should do.
The sound of a man groaning follows. It’s a deep, throaty noise, and it sends shivers down my spine. Only this time, the sound isn’t too far away.
I tiptoe over to the window, pulling back the curtains a sliver, to spot my stepbrother Merric lying on his side in the middle of the sidewalk. After he presses his palms against the cement to push to sit, he brushes his hands off.
I drop the curtain, letting it fall back against the window as I race down the hallway. Turning the deadbolt on the front door, I quickly pull it open to find him still seated on the ground. He shakes his head, looking disoriented at the realization he just fell.
“Are you okay?” I whisper-shout.
He winces when his head snaps up to look at me. His hand reaches for his neck, letting out a deep moan.
Merric’s been distant from me the entire weekend. We’ve hardly said two words together since I got into town. Although, it’s not anything new from how he’s treated me in the past.
I don’t blame him for not being up for conversation. When we had gotten word his father had a heart attack and wouldn’t make it, we both flew back home to Richmond.
Although my dad hasn’t been around much since my parents divorced, I couldn’t imagine ever losing him. I can’t even say how I’d react to the news, especially so suddenly.
My eyes focus back in on Merric, to where his large frame nearly takes up all of the sidewalk.
“You should go back inside,” he grumbles under his breath.
My heart aches for him. I wish I could crack this shell he keeps up, closing himself off from everyone around him.
Broken glass covers the ground between us. Judging from the wet asphalt and the strong stench of liquor, I’m going to make a wild guess he tripped and went down with a bottle of vodka.
My stomach rolls at the smell. My mind flashes back to the night I got hammered drunk with a group of my friends at a party. I woke up the next day with the hangover of a lifetime. Karma came back to haunt me when I started my first shift at