Ready or Not (The Ready Series Book 4)(83)

“Something wrong?” I asked, dipping my fork into my dessert once again.

“Nope. Happy as a clam.”

The champagne was served, and as Jackson held his glass up in the air, his eyes drifted down to my glass.

“Here’s to our happy life,” he said.

I lifted my flute and touched his. Our eyes locked as we tilted the glasses to our lips, and I felt a spark of heat zing down to my core. My eyes looked down at the table as I set my glass on the tabletop.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“No, absolutely not. You?”

“Still happy.”

I covered my laugh with a fake cough, bringing my hand up to my mouth as a diversion.

He thought he’d won this round, but what he didn’t know was that I had been winning all along.

Jackson

Every last detail of my plan had been orchestrated flawlessly.

From the bouquet of flowers I knew she’d hate to the overly fancy restaurant, Liv was having the worst night ever.

And the best part was, she was biting her tongue to stay quiet about it.

When I’d announced the special dessert and champagne, I’d thought her eyes might explode out of her head as she waited for the horribly cheesy moment to come.

The added bonus of the couple next to us getting engaged had been like icing on the cake.

When the ring hadn’t been on the torte or in the champagne, I’d seen her growing restless, waiting for the big flashy moment to come.

She was exactly where I wanted her to be.

“Are you ready to head home?” I asked cheerfully.

“Home?”

“Yep, it is getting late. I figured you’d want to get home and maybe watch a movie.”

“Oh, um…sure,” she answered, a hint of surprise in her voice.

I held out my arm as she rose from her chair, and I took a moment to admire the way the fabric of her dress clung to her breasts. That dress was definitely an extra perk to my plan.

She was quiet as we waited for the car to be pulled around. I could almost see the thoughts swirling around in her head as she wondered what the hell had just happened.

In that one second when Declan had spilled the beans about Liv knowing my intentions to propose, everything had come together for me.

It wasn’t the moment or the place—it was about who would be there to celebrate it with us.

But how could I orchestrate that many people and keep Liv out of it?

Give her the worst almost proposal of her life.

Everything I knew she’d hate, I’d given her tonight. Liv was simple, earthy, and one of the most carefree people I knew. Stuffy restaurants and grand gestures were great and romantic for some, but Liv needed something less grandiose.

That was where our family and friends came into play.

As Liv and I had been away, having dinner and not getting engaged, the gang had been busy setting up a backyard proposal that would blow Liz away.

There would be candlelight, flowers, and not a bit of baby’s breath for miles.

I was the master of proposals. After tonight, even Declan would have to acknowledge it.

Liz and I held hands on our way back to the house, and I brushed my thumb over the spot where her ring would sit in just a few short minutes. I couldn’t wait to place it there and see it exactly where I knew it belonged since the moment I’d seen it.

From the outside of our houses, everything appeared normal and just as boring as any other Saturday night. As I took her hand and pulled her down the path to the fence separating the two houses, she began to see the first flicker of candlelight.

“What is that?” she asked.

“You’ll see.”

We walked farther, and as we rounded the corner to the backyard, it was me who gasped in surprise.

Pink flamingos encompassed nearly every inch of the border of the fence, creating a vibrant pink outline. Big boldly colored balloons were tied to everything, and potted plants were everywhere.

“What the hell?” I said, seeing the faces of our friends and family smiling back at us.

We entered the backyard, and Liv turned to me.

“See, your first mistake was trusting that the blabbermouth over there would keep your secret.” She grinned, pointing at Declan.

He had his arms wrapped around Leah. He gave me an apologetic look and then laughed.

“You mean, you knew that I wasn’t going to propose the entire night?”

“Yep.”

“Damn,” I said. “I’ve been duped.”

“You know how much I like to win.” Her hands rested in mine as she dropped to one knee. “And there is no greater prize than you, Jackson. I never expected that I’d be here, in a moment like this, ready to share my heart and soul with another. You showed me that love isn’t about giving up any part of yourself. It’s about sharing the best and worst of yourself and trusting that the person will love you through it all. Will you share your life with me?”

I kissed her softly, then kneeled down before her, as I reached into my pocket to pull out the ring that I’d been dying to give her for over a month since I’d first laid eyes on it.

“Only if you share yours with me,” I answered, opening the box.

Tears cascaded down her cheeks as her fingers touched the smooth metal.

“Will you marry me, Liv?”