Bastian says hey to Juno as he grabs the bags and walks towards the porch. “Let’s take these in.”
“You don’t like it?” She winks at me while she fluffs her hair. “It was time for a change, and I was tired of the pink.”
“You know I think you’re always beautiful, no matter what color you are this week,” I say teasingly.
Before we walk into the house, Juno and I turn as we hear a car coming down the driveway. It’s Cooper's patrol car, and I can see my other brother Luca in the passenger seat.
“Are you going to come up to the diner?” Juno asks, still looking at the car. “My shift is over at eight.”
“Yeah, we’ll come up for dessert. But I thought you said you had the night off.”
“Some stuff came up.”
Juno shrugs, and before I can ask her about it, Luca is out of the car and picking me up in his arms. He’s always been so sweet and silly, and so unlike Cooper.
“What the hell did you do to yourself?” Cooper’s voice booms before I hear his car door slam shut.
“Nice to see you too, asshole.” Juno’s voice is ice cold. They always bicker, but this is new, and I’m about to jump in when Luca puts his hand over my mouth.
“Let them do their thing,” he says in my ear before putting me back on my feet.
“That’s not what I meant.” Cooper runs a hand through his short hair, and for the first time I can remember, he actually looks confused.
“Later, Lux.” Juno smiles at me and then looks at Luca. “Come swing by tonight. We’ve got the coconut pie you like.”
“I think I’ll do that,” Luca agrees before Juno gets in her Jeep and takes off.
“Luca.” We both turn around to see Cooper is pissed. “Don’t even think about it.”
“What the hell is going on?” I look between the two of them, and Luca shrugs while Cooper looks ready to throttle him.
“Our older brother can’t get his head out of his ass.” Luca puts his arm around me, guiding me towards the house. “Why don't we go see this Bastian guy?”
“You guys better be nice. I don’t know why you two are pissed at each other, but don’t take it out on Bastian,” I warn them both.
“We’re just gonna rough him up a little.”
I elbow Luca in the side, and he drops his arm, pretending like it actually hurt. I spin around at the door and point my finger at them.
“I’m serious. I love him, and he’s the one,” I say, and after a moment they both nod, understanding.
When I feel satisfied they’re not going to go crazy, I turn toward the house and walk inside.
“Bastian?” I say as I step in the living room and freeze. I hear the door close behind me, and I realize my brothers didn’t follow me in. “What’s happening?” The entire entryway is covered in rose petals and candles, and I’m wondering how the hell this happened so fast.
“I think you know, Bunny.”
He had to have been talking to my brothers all along, knowing what family means to me. There’s no way they’re not in on this. Tears fill my eyes. Bastian walks in front of me and slowly drops to one knee. When he holds up the box in front of me and opens it, I can’t stand it anymore.
“Yes!” I blurt out before he can even ask a question.
He takes the ring out and slides it on my finger. Tears start to roll down my cheeks when I see my grandmother’s ring in the box.
“How?” I manage to ask as I look down at it in surprise.
“A few of my late-night meetings might have been me coming out here to win over those two knuckleheads outside.”
I laugh through the tears, and he wipes them away. “Just when I didn't think you could be any more perfect.”
“I was nowhere near perfect. Not until I found you.”
Epilogue
Bastian
Twelve years later…
“Good evening, Mr. Starnes, will Mrs. Starnes be joining you?” Albert the waiter asks as he holds out the chef’s private menu.
“She is running late, but she’s on the way. We’ll have a bottle of the usual.”
“Of course, sir.” He bows and steps away from the table.
I check my watch, surprised Lux is running late. Normally for date night we meet at the house and drive into the city together, but she had a day at the spa today and wanted to come straight from there. I even offered to have our driver pick her up, but she was insistent.
Our three boys are at a sleepover in the country with their cousins for the whole weekend. I told Cooper and Juno that they were crazy, but they love the boys like their own, and I couldn’t complain about three days alone with my wife.