Follow Your Heart (Catalina Cove #4) - Brenda Jackson Page 0,104

all right?”

She smiled at him. “I couldn’t be better.” She glanced around. “There are a lot of people here.” And she didn’t want to say it, but it appeared all eyes were on her and Roman.

Surprisingly, The Tattler had done something it had never done before. They had publicly apologized as well as retracted the article and admitted they had used misinformation from an unreliable source.

After Roman’s public declaration of love for her, all the romantics had come out in support of the couple. Twitter had gone crazy, trending that Senator Malone’s words of love had been utterly romantic. That in itself had been a backlash to the tabloid even without a retraction.

Roman strolled Victoria around the room and introduced her to a number of his colleagues, then he asked if she wanted to dance. “Yes, Senator Malone, I would be honored to dance with you,” she said, smiling.

Roman took her into his arms and they danced the night away, one song after another. She also danced with her uncle Jake and her uncle Nedwyn, while Roman danced with her aunts, Diamond and Diana.

During the night, Victoria couldn’t help noticing a very attractive woman who would often stare at her. When she and Roman took a quick break from dancing and went to the buffet table to grab something to eat, she asked him if the woman was Audria Wayfare. He confirmed that it was. In a way, Victoria felt sorry for her. She was attractive on the outside, but was obviously mean-spirited on the inside.

Roman and Victoria were enjoying what she knew would be their last dance of the night when suddenly she noticed they were the only couple on the dance floor. Then the bright lights came on at the exact moment the band stopped playing.

She looked up at Roman. “What in the world is going on?”

Instead of answering her, he smiled and, holding her hand, he lowered to one knee. Gazing up at her, he said, “You are everything I could ever want in a wife, Victoria, and I love you so much. Will you marry me and share my life with me?”

Victoria fought back the tears in her eyes. Several weeks ago he had declared publicly that he loved her, and now tonight, he was proposing in front of everyone present. “Yes, I will marry you. I love you, too.”

Everyone clapped and there were hearty cheers when Roman slid a gorgeous ring on her finger. Victoria held out her hand to look at her engagement ring, a beautiful three-carat French halo diamond on a white band. He then stood, gathered her into his arms and kissed her. Moments later, he pulled back and said, “One more dance before we leave.”

As if on cue, the band began playing a slow number, and he pulled her close and they danced. They were the only couple on the dance floor. It was as if this song, this dance and this moment belonged only to them. Victoria felt totally happy and knew her great-grandmother had known all along that no matter what, she would follow her heart.

When the song ended, she whispered to Roman, “I’m ready to leave. I just need to tell my family good-night.”

Both of her aunts loved her engagement ring and as they headed for the exit, she and Roman received many words of congratulations and well wishes. “Just so you know,” Roman said casually, “I want a Christmas wedding.”

Victoria’s head snapped up to look at him. “A Christmas wedding? That’s barely two months away, Roman. Not enough time to plan.”

He grinned. “I want to start off the New Year with you as my wife. And as for there not being enough time to plan, I know the women in your family will make it happen.”

Victoria threw her head back and laughed because she knew it, too.

* * *

THE FOLLOWING MORNING Victoria woke up in Roman’s bed. She sat up and saw she was in bed alone, then glanced at the ring on her finger to make sure she hadn’t dreamed it.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

She looked up to see Roman, dressed only in pajama bottoms, lounging against the bedroom door. He held a newspaper in his hand.

She smiled over at him. “Good morning, Roman.”

He crossed the room to the bed, leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. “I love you,” he whispered.

“And I love you,” she said.

He pulled back, straightened and said, “I thought you’d like to see this.” He dropped the newspaper in bed with