She peeped cautiously into the bag and something glittered at the bottom.
“A ring?” Hand shaking, she pulled it out. Why had he left it loose?
“Last time I gave you jewelry in a box you thought it might be a ring and it wasn’t. I saw the disappointment on your face. This time I didn’t want you to be in any doubt about what it was. The box is in my apartment if you want it. Marry me—” his voice was husky “—and I promise to keep you in lipstick for the rest of your life.”
She shifted her gaze from the gleaming diamond to his face. “Marry you?”
“Yes. I love you. You’re the only woman I want. The only woman I’ll ever want. And I’d take any risk to be with you.”
The silence around her was broken only by the distant sound of traffic.
Frankie was silent.
Matt didn’t move.
Even Eva had nothing to say.
Paige swallowed. “Jake—”
“It’s only ever been you, Paige. And I know I’m going to need more than words to convince you, so I designed something to help you make up your mind.” He reached into his other pocket and pulled out his phone. “I made an app for you. It’s called Should Paige Marry Jake. It’s pretty self-explanatory so you, being Geek Girl, probably won’t have any issues with it but I can walk you through it if you like.”
“Are you calling me Geek Girl?” But happiness bubbled up inside her. “You’ve designed a proposal app?”
“No, but now you mention it, it’s an interesting idea because trust me, proposing is a terrifying thing. One knee, both knees, no knees? Shirt on, shirt off. The options are limitless.”
“Definitely shirt off,” Eva breathed, and Paige gave a weak laugh.
“I don’t care if you’re on your knees or naked—the only thing I care about is that you love me.” Emotion overwhelmed her. How did a person go from such misery to such happiness and survive it? “You’re asking me to marry you? Are you sure?”
“Yes, and I want you to be sure, too, so before you answer me you’d better check the app. You said you wanted to make your own choices, so I designed something to help you. This choice is important. You don’t want to make the wrong decision.”
Frankie stood up and leaned over her shoulder, fascinated. “That’s pretty cool. Answer the questions, Paige.”
“You can swipe for yes or no.” Jake showed her. “What’s your favorite drink in the morning. Coffee. Mine, too. See? We’re perfectly matched.”
“Wait a minute—” She swiped one answer, then changed her mind and tried a different answer. And frowned. “Doesn’t matter what answer I give, it’s still telling me we’re perfectly matched.”
Jake gave a sheepish smile. “I wasn’t taking any chances.”
“You fixed it?” Her eyes gleamed. “I thought you were a risk taker.”
“There are some things I’m not prepared to risk, and you’re one of them.”
She knew she’d never forget the look in his eyes right at that moment.
It was all she needed to see.
“I don’t need this to help me make my choice.” She slid the phone back into his pocket and he pulled her closer, his expression serious.
“Before you give me your answer, I should warn you that I’m never going to stop protecting you. I love you and care about you, and protecting you is part of that.” He smoothed her hair back from her face with a gentle hand. “I do promise not to make your choices for you. Whatever you decide, I’ll respect that choice.”
Her vision was misty and she blinked several times to clear it.
She slid the ring onto her finger and looked up at him, knowing that everything she was feeling was in her eyes. “I love you, too. You know I always have. You’re all I’ve ever wanted. And I’ll marry you whether the app says I should or not. And you can protect me, as long as you don’t mind that I’ll be protecting you right back.”
Jake lowered his
head and kissed her.