She Loves Me (Harmony Pointe #3) - Melissa Foster Page 0,145
the other guys who worked for Piper. Louie skidded to a stop beside Jiggs. Jiggs leapt up to lick his face, and Louie tumbled down in a fit of giggles as Jiggs smothered him with sloppy kisses. Bea wiggled from Ben’s arms and held his hand as she toddled across the yard.
“Marshall?” Ben extended his hand. “Good to see you, man. Derek, Mason, get over here and meet Harley’s brother.”
“Are you freaking kidding me?” Piper said, exasperated. “I’m kind of in the middle of something here!” She looked like she was chewing on nails as everyone gathered around them, murmuring behind their hands.
Roxie linked arms with Harley’s mother and said, “We did good, Mama.”
Harley arched a brow in his mother’s direction. She and Roxie mimed zipping their lips and throwing away the key.
“I don’t know who spilled the beans about this, but somebody’s head is going to roll,” Piper said with a scowl. She looked around, and pain rose in her eyes. Her shoulders slumped. “Jolie and Sophie should be here. It’s practically their fault I’m doing this, and Sophie knew about the nachos . . .”
“Nachos?” Harley asked, earning an adorable eye roll from a very flustered and injured beauty.
“I’ve got this,” Delaney exclaimed, and she whipped out her phone. “Thank goodness for videos.”
Piper sighed with relief. “Thank you. Willow, can you help me down, please.”
“Down?” Harley watched as Willow helped Piper down to her knees, her injured foot dangling a few inches off the ground. Harley followed suit and started to get down on his knees.
Piper gave him a deadpan look and said, “You’re supposed to stand.”
He straightened up. He’d stand on his head spitting wooden nickels if she asked him to.
She took his hand in hers and said, “Harley, I love you with every ounce of my stubborn soul. I know that when you proposed, you were speaking from the heart, and now I’m speaking from mine.”
His heart filled to near bursting as the pieces fell into place, and he got all choked up.
“Harley, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, every free minute. I want to hang out at the pub while you work, watching sports and watching my man. I want to go on moonlight boat rides and take Jiggsy for walks.”
He heard sniffles behind him and noticed Bridgette wiping her eyes. Would they think he was lame if the tears he was holding back fell?
Piper squeezed his hand and said, “The truth is, I don’t care what we’re doing as long as at the end of the day, it’s you that I get to come home to. I love you, Harley, and I know you want marriage, but I’m hoping you’re willing to meet me in the middle and accept me as I am, quirks and all.” She inhaled a loud breath and blew it out fast. “Will you do me the honor of being my partner in life, forever and always, without a contract saying we have to?”
Harley dropped to his knees as “Hell yes” fell from his lips. He swept his arms around Piper and kissed her.
Cheers and applause rang out, causing Jiggs to bark and run around them.
Harley lifted Piper onto his lap. He gazed into her teary eyes and said, “I love you so damn much. You’ve always been my forever, but it took Marshall to get me out of my own way and show me that. I promise to never ask you to change or to marry me again.”
Piper laughed and wound her arms around his neck. “Never is a long time.”
“So is forever and always, and I’m in, baby. I’m so in.” He pressed his lips to hers, earning more cheers and whoops.
Willow yelled, “Wait!” The cheers quieted to murmurs as she crouched beside them. Ignoring Piper’s death stare, she said, “This girl is one hot mess, Harley. She broke into my bakery and ate everything without caring about the damage she caused. She forced me to help her wake up Heaven Love at an ungodly hour, and—”
Piper gasped and thrust out her hand. “Give them to me! I almost forgot!”
Willow reached into the pocket of her pajamas and set something in Piper’s hand. Piper turned to him, clearly elated. Her eyes were brighter than the sun. “I know you wanted rings, so I had them made for us.” She handed him a thick silver band and said, “Read the inscription.”
He needed someone to pinch him to be sure he hadn’t keeled over and