was my turn to freeze. "What?"
He released my hand where it rested against his chest and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a box.
My heart stopped. Okay, so not really, but if it could have, it would have.
When he opened it, I gasped. Inside was a gorgeous ruby ring, the oval stone a deep blood red and surrounded by a halo of tiny diamonds set in curved filigree that resembled vines. I wasn't well-versed enough in fine jewelry to be able to tell if it was set in white gold or platinum, but the silvery metal gleamed beneath the dim lights.
"Are you seriously proposing to me at your brother's wedding?" I whispered.
"It was the first time you essentially agreed to marry me, so I wanted to get it locked down before you had a chance to change your mind," he murmured back.
I glanced around quickly but Ben had swayed us into a darker corner and no one was paying attention.
"So, next weekend?" he asked.
I huffed out a laugh. "Not next weekend. But maybe the next if everyone is free. But I want the barbeque catered. Neither of us should have to cook or clean up on our wedding day."
Ben released my waist and pulled the ring out of the box. He slipped it onto the ring finger of my left hand then kissed my knuckles.
"I love you," he murmured as he tugged me back into his embrace.
"I love you, too."
In the shadowed side of the dance floor, it felt like just the two of us, surrounded by music and love.
"Did this just happen?" I asked, leaning my head against his chest.
"Did what just happen?"
"Are we really getting married?" I lifted my head and looked up at him.
His arms tightened around me. "Definitely. It's too late to change your mind. There's no escape."
I laughed a little. "That sounds like a threat."
"Never. But I can't promise I won't hold on to your pant leg and cry and beg if you try to leave me."
"Never." I wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled his head down toward mine so I could kiss him. "I can't imagine life without you and I don't want to."
What was supposed to be a sweet kiss quickly became something more. We separated, both of us breathing hard.
"How much longer do you think we have to stay?" Ben asked.
"At least another hour," I said. "You're the best man and I'm the maid of honor. We can't leave before they cut the cake."
"Damn, I was afraid you'd say that." He relaxed his hold on me just a bit. "Think we could sneak off into the field for a quickie?"
I laughed and smacked his shoulder. "Behave yourself, Benjamin Sebastian Murphy."
Furtive movement caught my eye and I turned my head toward the back door of the party barn. My mouth fell open when I saw who was sneaking out the exit.
"Besides, it might be too crowded in that field. J.J. just escaped out the back door with someone we both know," I said.
Ben's head swiveled around but he was too late. "Damn, I missed it. Who?"
"Lee."
"Lee?" he asked, a blank expression on his face.
Seriously? "Lee, the assistant manager of Crave," I explained.
His eyes widened. "Oh, shit."
I nodded, mirroring his expression.
Then, he grinned, his hazel eyes sparkling with humor. "J.J. is toast."
"What do you mean? Do you think he's going to hurt Lee? Because that's not cool."
Ben shook his head. "Oh, no way. He's not going to hurt her. He's going down. Hard."
I frowned at him, not understanding what he meant.
He laughed. "I guarantee you that we'll be going to their wedding by the end of next year."
"Oh." I considered it. J.J. had come into the shop a few times since we hired Lee and I hadn't noticed anything at the time. But looking back on it, there was definitely something to his words. The way J.J. looked at Lee. The way he talked to her.
"I'm not sure if I'm excited to see how this plays out or worried that it's going to be a drama fest," I said.
"J.J. is a good guy. I think it'll work out fine."
"Why?"
"If I could get you to fall in love with me, then he could do the same with Lee."
Okay, first of all, that was an incredibly sweet thing to say, but that wasn't what I was concerned about.
"I'm more worried about him not returning Lee's feelings."
"I don't think that'll be an issue."
I shrugged. "Then again, weddings make people horny. Maybe they're just going