Oh, heaven help, there’s a story there.
Carson squeezes my hand, and my eyes rove over the crowded room, growing a little misty. I love these people. I love this family.
“Jesus, that cake’s big enough to sink a boat,” Carson mutters when the staff brings out the largest cake I’ve ever seen in my life. “Fancy a look, Megan?”
I look at him curiously. I’ve rarely seen sweets pass the man’s lips. He’s rigorous about his diet and doesn’t like cake. But he knows I find chocolate cake nearly on par with a triple orgasm, and you have to love a man for that.
So with a shrug, I take his hand and follow his lead. I wonder why they’ve brought such a big cake out tonight. There is no major celebration yet, only Sunday brunch that Keenan’s called us to.
“Megan, cake!” Breena says, running to take my hand. I squeeze her little dimpled fingers in mine, and we slow our steps so she can keep up.
“Don’t you look lovely today?” I ask her. She’s wearing a light blue dress and matching fairy wings. Her nanny’s braided her hair, and helped her into her little patent leather shoes.
“Special day,” Breena says. “Nessa says.”
Her words have come along quite nicely since she’s been under the tutelage of Nessa, and it’s a joy to see her communicate more and more with every passing day.
“Aye,” Carson says, smiling at his daughter. “’Tis.”
I look at him curiously, but he’s staring at the cake. “Look, Megan,” he says, his voice thickening. “Look at the cake, love.”
I notice the billows of chocolate icing first, the chocolate flowers so pretty they’d almost be a shame to eat. Chocolate swirls decorate the edges, and pretty white swirls and loops make a lovely contrast.
And then I read the letters looped in ivory on the smooth surface of the center, and my heart comes to a stuttering halt. The room seems brighter as my breath escapes me.
Megan, will you marry me?
My hand flies to my mouth, and the room goes suddenly still. I blink back tears, my skin prickling with the awareness of dozens of eyes on me.
Oh my God.
I look sharply at him and the man is down on one knee, his eyes shining at me, and in his hand’s a black velvet box.
“Carson,” I whisper, because a whisper’s all I can muster.
“I’ve asked your cousins for your hand in marriage,” he says. “And they’ve granted their blessing.”
Of course they had to go about it the old-fashioned way. I wouldn’t have expected anything less.
I grin at him.
“Will you marry me, Megan?” he asks. “Spend the rest of your days with me?”
It feels as if everyone in the room holds their breath. I open my mouth to speak, but my tongue is frozen, until I see Breena’s wide eyes looking at me with hope and wonder. I’m not sure she knows what’s going on, but she knows this moment’s special.
“Aye, of course I will,” I say to him. “Yes!”
The room erupts into cheers and claps and catcalls. Carson’s grinning, then slipping a beautiful princess-cut diamond on my finger. And then his hands are cupping my jaw and he’s bending down toward me, and his mouth’s on mine. There are so many people congratulating me, I hardly know what to do. I’m hugging and kissing, swept up in the joy of this moment.
“Alright, you lot,” Carson says, pushing his way through the crowd. I watched as he had his fair share of handshakes and congratulatory smacks on the back. He’s likely had enough, and so have I. He’s got an enormous slab of cake on a plate, and he’s heading my way. “If I know my betrothed, she’ll want a piece of this cake, so part the Red Sea and let us alone for a bit, will you?”
“And this is why I love the man,” I say to the room.
He leads me to a table someone’s set up, with champagne flutes and a pretty white lace tablecloth.
“Was this right under my nose and I never noticed?” I ask, shaking my head.
“Aye,” he says with a chuckle. “Made it easier for us. Ten times I thought you’d figure it out, but you didn’t.”
“I guess I didn’t give it much thought,” I say to him. “Wasn’t it only ten minutes ago I even told you I was warming up to the idea of marriage?” I give him a teasing grin. It was longer than that, and I’m absolutely fine with the idea of marriage.
We stay and feast for a good long while, until Breena yawns widely and I follow suit. “Right, then,” Carson says gently. “Let’s get you two girls upstairs.”
Since we’ve got Breena, Keenan’s given us an entire suite to ourselves. I love that we don’t have to travel to his place. I love that my best friends and my cousins are right here in the family home. I can pad down the hallway to Aileen’s in my jammies or visit Caitlin’s, Breena can play with her cousins, and I only cook when I feel like it.