Bang (Blast Brothers #2) - Sabrina Stark Page 0,98
was with all three of those things, looking so sinfully delicious that I couldn’t help but stare.
And yet, this would surely be a nightmare if he'd come for someone else, especially someone I considered a friend. But that couldn’t be the case, because for one thing, he thought Livia was crazy.
As I stared up at him, those two magical words lingered between us along with the scent of the roses. She's mine.
Somehow, I managed to stammer, "Do you mean me?"
He moved closer, and his eyes filled with something that could only be love. In a voice that was nearly a caress, he said, "Who else?"
And with that, he handed me the roses, along with the balloons, whose strings were tied together by a shiny yellow bow. In that same tender voice, he said, "If you'll have me."
Oh, boy.
The balloons were big and festive, and the roses were the most beautiful of any I'd ever seen. As I clutched them tight against me, I felt my eyes fill with unshed tears.
I wanted to hurtle myself into his arms. And yet, lingering confusion made me pause. What about Livia? When I gave her a quick glance, she looked to Chopped Liver and said, "Sorry, she's taken."
Mason said, "Got that right."
A soft breath escaped my lips. "Oh."
Around us, everyone was staring, even Chopped Liver, who still wasn't leaving. He looked to Mason and said, "Hey, aren't you that guy from the show? You know, with the tools?"
Livia laughed. "Of course he is. This isn't the first time you've seen him, you know."
"Yeah, but…" The guy was still staring. "It's the first time I've seen him do that."
Livia asked, "Do what?"
His eyebrows furrowed in obvious confusion. "He's smiling."
I looked back to Mason. Yup, he was smiling, alright. And it was one of those rare and wonderful smiles that went all the way to his eyes.
As I clutched the roses tight against me and gripped the strings of the balloons, I looked to Livia and said, "But wait, so that engagement thing, it was just a joke?"
She frowned. "Why would you say that?"
"Because you said you were engaged to Mason."
"Oh, that?" she laughed. "No. I was just calling him over."
"Oh." Of course. This should've been obvious. But in my own defense, all this was so very unexpected that my head was still spinning.
Livia gave her fingers another waggle. "I've got a guy of my own." In a much lower voice, she added, "And besides, your guy never offered."
My guy.
Oh, wow. I loved how that sounded.
I looked once again to Mason, and I swear, everything faded into the background as our gazes locked and held. He flicked his head toward the dance floor and said, "So, how about it? You wanna dance?"
At this, I actually giggled. "I'd love to."
Livia spoke up. "I'll find some water for these." And with that, she carefully took the roses from my grip and looked to Chopped Lover. "Hey, find me a big vase of water, will you?"
I didn't catch his reply, because already, Mason was sweeping me into his arms. We never even made it to the dance floor. Instead, I lifted my face to his and kissed him like I meant it.
And he kissed me.
All around us, the crowd broke into raucous applause, punctuated by one long and very loud wolf-whistle. I pulled back, expecting Mason to be irritated, not just by the whistle, but by the all the attention.
But to my surprise, he looked just happy as before. With a tender smile, he gathered me close against his chest and whispered into my hair, "I love you, Cami O'Neal."
My heart swelled with happiness. I knew it.
I mean, I'd seen it in his eyes, but to hear him say it out loud was something else entirely. Maybe this was a dream.
I pulled back to gaze up at him. "You do? But I thought you didn't believe in it."
"I didn't." His voice softened as he added, "Until you."
I was still holding the balloons. And Mason was still holding me. And I was pretty sure that I was once again holding my breath – not because I meant to, but because I was so surprised and happy, I was finding it hard to breathe.
And then, with a soft exhale, I said the thing I'd been wanting to say for longer than I'd ever admit. "I love you, too, Mason Blastoviak."
He grinned. "I know."
Now I couldn't help but laugh. "Wait, how would you know?"