Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)(79)

Like Ryan, Fayrene thought, her mind barely able to keep up with what the mayor had told her. She needed him to propose a certain way because that was what she saw in her head. Nothing else would do.

“I... Thank you,” she said as she stood. She tucked Caramel under her arm. “Yes, of course we want her. And you’re right. About all of it.”

She turned and hurried out of the office.

By the time she got to the sidewalk, she was shaking. A thousand thoughts crashed in on her. She saw clearly how much she’d risked with her rigid rules and expectations. Sam had been right. Dellina had been right. Everyone had been right and she’d been too stubborn to listen.

Once outside, she put down Caramel. The little dog seemed to understand her urgency and hurried along beside her. Ryan would be at work, Fayrene thought as she went up to Fifth Street, then turned. She could only hope he was in the offices and not out at the manufacturing facility.

She practically ran through town. As she waited at a light, she picked up Caramel. The little dog was panting from running to keep up. Still holding her new pet, she hurried across the street.

When she reached Hendrix Construction, she paused long enough to catch her breath, then went inside. The receptionist wasn’t at the front desk, so Fayrene went through the swinging half door and back toward Ryan’s office.

He was there! She paused in the doorway, studying him, taking in the familiar, handsome lines of his face. He hadn’t seen her yet—he had his back to the door. As he talked about tolerances and adjustments, he picked up a photo of the two of them and lightly ran his thumb alongside her face.

“Sure, Joe,” he said. “Get the information and give me a call back. I’ll be here all day.”

He hung up, then saw her. He smiled and rose. “This is a nice surprise, Fayrene. What are you—” The smile faded as he moved toward her. “Honey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She flung herself at him. Caramel was between them, but the little dog simply relaxed into the double embrace and gave them both kisses.

Ryan hung on as if he would never let go. Fayrene breathed in the scent of him and knew she’d been a fool for too long.

“I’m sorry,” she said, drawing back enough to see his face. “I’m stubborn, and when I get an idea in my head I won’t let it go. Sometimes that’s a good thing, but sometimes it’s a pain in the butt. Like with my plan. When I said I wanted my business to grow before we got married, I meant it. But now I don’t want to wait. I love you, Ryan. I want to get married now. Only I didn’t know how to say that and I really wanted you to be the one to propose. Now I’m not even sure why. I guess I was telling myself that if you really loved me, you could read my mind. But that’s ridiculous.”

She paused to draw in a breath. “Oh, and Mayor Marsha said Caramel is our dog and I’d really like to keep her.”

Ryan studied her. “Wow. Okay. That’s a lot to take in.” He took the dog from her and set Caramel on a padded chair, then pulled Fayrene into his arms.

“I love you. I want to be with you. I hope you know that.”

She nodded and sniffed. No way she was going to cry and ruin this. “I know.”

“But I can’t read your mind.”

“I know that, too.”

“Is this why you invited Montana and her husband over?”

“Yes. And Pia and Raoul. And why I thought the Score weekend would be so good. I was trying to show you how great it would be to be married.”

“I already know it’s great. Because I get to be with you every day.” He cupped her face in his hands and gently kissed her. “Fayrene, you’re my world. I want to be with you always.”

He released her and walked around to his desk. He pulled open the bottom drawer and reached behind the hanging files. Then he pulled out a box from Jenel’s Gems.

“I bought this the day you told me you loved me,” he said. “I was going to wait for however long you wanted, but I also wanted to make sure I was ready when I finally got to do this.”

He stepped in front of her, then dropped to one knee. “Fayrene Hopkins, will you marry me?”

She nodded. Her throat was tight and the tears were just so close. “Yes,” she managed. “I love you.”

He rose and kissed her. “I love you, too.”

He opened the box. She stared at the most beautiful round solitaire she’d ever seen. The ring was perfect. Simple and elegant. He slid it on her finger and kissed her again.

After a couple of minutes, he drew back and picked up Caramel.

“I’m thinking flower girl,” he said. “Can’t you see her in a little dress with lots of bows?”

“I love it,” Fayrene said. “And you.”

“I love you, too.” He glanced at the dog. “Ready to make us your family?”

Caramel yipped once, then gave them both kisses. Ryan chuckled.

“I have to make a call,” he said. “Then let’s get out of here.”

“Where are we going?”

“Anywhere we can be alone. I just have to phone Joe and tell him I won’t be available for the rest of the day.” Ryan chuckled. “And maybe not tomorrow, either.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“CAN I HELP YOU?” Sam asked as he glanced up and saw a little girl standing in the doorway to his office. She was thin, with bright red hair and pretty green eyes. He would guess she was seven or eight. He remembered he’d seen her before. About painting a box, maybe.