I bit back a smile. Samson hadn’t been at the house this morning, and I’d figured he’d gone with Daisy and Aaron to the firehouse. And maybe he had, but wherever he’d gone, he’d gotten his little tuft of mohawk dyed a fire engine red.
Tongue lolling, he leapt into my lap and wiggled, licking me on my cheek. I laughed. “Hey, buddy,” I said, trying to calm him down. “Where’ve you been?”
He sat on his haunches for all of a second, but it was enough to let me see the rolled piece of paper that was attached to his collar. I ducked the attack of licking he was determined to give, and pulled the paper off.
Good morning, gorgeous. Come to the firehouse this morning. And don’t worry about being late to school.
I looked at Samson. “What’s he up to?” I asked him.
In response, Samson licked me and scampered off my lap to head to the door. Once there, he looked at me expectantly.
I stood, curiosity getting the better of me.
As soon as I opened the door, Samson bolted outside, then stopped to make sure I followed.
I laughed again. “What is with you? First you get your mohawk dyed red, and now you’re acting like you’re trained for the first time in your life.”
He barked.
I shrugged and followed in the direction of the firehouse. Ahead of me, one of the rigs blocked the sidewalk, its engine running. Samson ran around it and disappeared from view. The truck pulled farther into the bay, and I stopped dead in my tracks.
Oh. My. God. Standing on the sidewalk, hands casually in his pockets as if the very sight of him hadn’t just incinerated my panties, stood Aaron. He was devastatingly handsome, dressed in a navy blue suit with a crisp white button-down and a thin navy tie, his hair slicked into submission. He smiled shyly.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he said.
I swallowed and squeezed the to-go cup in my hand. “Um. Hi.” I remembered I had legs and used them to walk to him. “You look…wow.”
He smiled, the corners of his gray eyes crinkling. “Wanted to increase my odds.”
I tilted my head. “Odds of what?”
He turned and whistled, and Samson came trotting back out, his collar weighted down with a black velvet box.
Oh my god.
Aaron sank to one knee and unhooked the box from Samson.
“Aaron.” My breath caught, and my heart fluttered.
Samson took off and Aaron shifted his attention to me. “Devon.”
I stared at him.
He quirked a smile. “Baby. Breathe for me. I’d hate to see you faint right now.”
I sucked in a breath and exhaled, but I was still light-headed.
He spoke again. “You were the woman of my dreams from the moment I first laid my eyes on you. I was a goner. But it was impossible, so I tried to shove it down. Way down. And when everything happened, something inside of me flared to life. It didn’t matter that you were gone and seemed to have no plans to come back. It refused to go away, and so for five years, I fought. I fought the voice that told me to reach out, and I sure as hell told Gigi where she could put her ridiculous plan.”
I choked out a laugh, tears already streaming down my eyes. “I guess all those romance novels she read were good for something.”
He smiled. “They were.” Then he opened the black velvet box. Nestled inside, catching the sun’s light and sending it back out, was an emerald in a princess-cut solitaire, flanked by triangles of tiny diamonds on either side.
My breath caught again. This time, I remembered to breathe.
“Devon Gillian Rayne, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” I said through my tears. I pulled him up to kiss him.
Cheers went up us as he slid the ring onto my finger. I looked around, and we were surrounded by everyone. Jodi, Ceci and Rick, Miss Betty and Mrs. Withers, Will, Price, Mike, and Chief. And of course, Samson and Daisy, who yipped and pranced around us happily.
Aaron pulled me into a tight hug, lifting me off the ground and squeezing. “Thank god you said yes.”
I laughed against his neck. “Would’ve really disappointed everyone otherwise.”
“Exactly,” he said, letting me slide to the ground. “Kiss me, Devon.”
I lifted my head as he brought his lips to mine, and my heart burst wide open. It’d taken more than one try, and more than one chance with Aaron, but I’d found my forever.
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Turn the page for a sneak peek and first chapter look at The Barista’s Guide to the Perfect Steam!
COMING NEXT IN THE GUIDED TO LOVE SERIES: THE BARISTA’S GUIDE TO THE PERFECT STEAM
Chapter 1: Jodi
