smile lit up. “You think so?”
“I know so, babe.” After pressing a kiss to her forehead, I pulled back, pleading in my eyes. “No hometown hero involvement. Pretty please.”
Stevie’s head fell back and she laughed. Even though I loved the sound, it gave me no comfort until she nodded and waited for her laughter to die down. “No heroes needed, I promise.” Another chuckle shot out and she shrugged. “But if they decide to recruit you as helpers, that’s out of my hands. Just stay away from town for a while. Far, far away.”
“That’s not funny,” I told her, a frown on my face.
“It is kind of funny,” she insisted and took a step back, escaping to the bedroom to get dressed. “But it wasn’t a joke. You know how they are—if you’re in their line of sight, then you’re at risk. Minimize the risk.”
Again, I was only half listening, watching her shimmy into a pair of new jeans that had no holes and molded to every curve of her hips, her ass, and her legs. Mayor Leland didn’t mind her love of jeans as long as Stevie looked respectable, and it was a win for me as well. “What?”
She rolled her eyes, but the smile she sent me was pure affection. “Never mind. I guess I won’t help minimize your exposure by doing the shopping. And errands.” Stevie shrugged, her smile mischievous as she gave Hershey a rub before rushing out of the house. “Love you!”
The door slammed and I hurried to get dressed, but it wasn’t quick enough. Two minutes later, a knock sounded on the door and Nate’s familiar grumpy voice tore through the silence. “The coast is clear,” he called out.
Thank goodness. Being sneaky wasn’t my strong suit and Stevie could pick up on any hint of something being wrong, so I’d been as careful as I could with all my defenses down. “Good. You ready?”
“Hell, no, I’m not ready,” he grumbled. “Picking out the ring was almost as hard as asking the damn question.”
“Comforting. Thanks.” I wasn’t worried about picking the ring. I knew Stevie and I knew what she liked, not to mention I’d done some recon to get an idea of what kind of ring she’d favor.
“Wasn’t meant to be comforting. If you’re not scared, then you’re not doing it right.”
I shook my head. “You sound like Eddy.” The last thing I wanted was advice from my grandma, leader of the meddlers.
“Just because she’s crazy doesn’t make her wrong.” He hopped in the passenger seat of my truck and we made the thirty-minute drive to a mall far enough away from Tulip that Stevie wouldn’t know about the proposal before it happened.
At the jewelry store, I was instantly overwhelmed. “This is impossible.”
Nate laughed and clapped my back. “What happened to my confident friend back in Tulip?”
“Why are there so many?”
“Women are complex. Just take a breath and tell me what you’re looking for. Keep it simple.”
I nodded and sucked in a breath. I could do this. “I want something simple enough that it won’t scare Stevie off, but spectacular enough that she’ll know it’s only small because that’s what she wants.”
Nate sighed and shook his head. “Small but spectacular. We can do this.” His confidence was short-lived, though, and by the third case we were both ready to give up.
“That’s it.” It was small and antique, shaped like a flower with small embellishments that crawled up and down the finger. “It’s perfect. That’s the one,” I told the sales clerk, who’d been following us with an amused smirk throughout the store.
“You sure?”
I looked at the ring once again. It was beautiful and feminine but not overly so, just like Stevie. “Absolutely.”
“Good. Awesome,” Nate grunted. “I’m starved, and you’re buying.”
“Fine,” I told him easily, happy to pay for lunch since buying a ring wasn’t the torture I’d imagined it would be. “Reese’s BBQ, or someplace else?”
He arched a brow at me as if there was any other option. “Now you just have to find the perfect time and place to pop the question.” He flashed an evil smile, only shrugging with acceptance when I slugged his arm. “Worth it.”
I held up the bag and thanked the clerk. “Damn worth it. Thanks, man.”
He grunted his acceptance, in typical Nate fashion.
Stevie
“The mayor’s on board, and I’ll love seeing those old girls competing against each other for real.” Nina flashed a wicked smile and shook her head, as if she could already see my vision coming together.