Southern Seducer (North Carolina Highlands 1)

He nods, reaching out and thumbing a tear off my cheek. “I’ve decided that instead of moping about my future, I’m going to be open about it. Samuel and I are working on putting together a foundation that supports research and provides resources for former athletes like myself. We’ve hired a PR company to help us brainstorm how to market it. Make the biggest impact. We’re excited.”

“You’ve been mobilized,” I breathe.

“That a good thing?”

“Yeah.” I’m choking on my words now. Too much happiness. “I kinda love it.”

He looks me in the eye. “I love you, Bel. I should’ve said it the night we first kissed at the dock house. Hell, I should’ve said it the night we met back in college. I’ve been in love with you since day one.” My heart nearly leaps out of my mouth when he gets on one knee. A velvet box has magically appeared in his hands. “Which is why I’d like to ask y’all a question.”

As if she knows something big’s about to go down, Maisie lets out a high-pitched squeal. I laugh. Beau smiles.

“Annabel and Maisie Rhodes, I can’t predict the future. But with all my heart, as long as I live, I’ll love you both, honor you, support you in everything and anything. Will you be mine? Walk with me into tomorrow and face whatever it brings together? Will you marry me?”

He opens the box. When I see what’s inside, I start to cry all over again. Pure happiness this time.

It’s a silicon teething toy, shaped like a diamond ring.

Beau takes it out of the box and holds it up to Maisie, who promptly takes it in both her hands and shoves it inside her mouth.

I look at him. “I’d say that’s a yes from Maisie.”

“And from you?” He reaches behind him. “Be my wife, Bel.”

He holds out a book, and the breath leaves my lungs when I see the title.

“You mentioned Sarah Dunant’s Borgias. So I bought a copy. Loved it. It’s signed, see, by the author”—he opens it to the title page—“and it’s yours if you want it. So is this.”

He flips to the middle of the book, where a diamond ring is settled into the binding. The ring is so sparkly and so gorgeous, I’m almost blinded. The large oval center diamond is set on a band of rose gold that’s studded with more tiny diamonds.

It’s perfect. But it’s not the ring I’m after.

It’s Beau.

Crying, laughing, I take his face in my free hand and lean down and kiss the shit out of him.

“Yes,” I breathe. “I’m so in love with you, Beau.”

“Bel,” he says, climbing to his feet with his lips still on mine. “Honey. Annabel. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, honey.”

Shouts and whistles sound from the house. I break the kiss long enough to see our families plus Larry on the back porch, watching with big smiles on their faces.

Mom and Mrs. B. are hugging.

They’re both crying.

I turn to Beau and hold out my hand. “Should we put on a show?”

“I was hoping you’d ask that.” He slides the ring onto my fourth finger. “I didn’t have time to get it sized,” he says when he sees it’s a little small. “We’ll have to take a drive into Asheville this week.”

“It’s perfect. Really.” I meet his eyes. “Ready?”

Beau leans down to plant a noisy smooch on Maisie’s cheek.

“Ready.”

I hold up my hand so everyone can see the ring.

Then Beau cups the back of my head with his hand and glides the other around my nape.

It’s his turn to kiss the shit out of me.

I hear Samuel say aw, yeah.

Get a room, someone else says. Rhett, I think.

“Y’all are so hot together!” Milly calls.

I melt into Beau’s kiss.

The kiss I get to taste for the rest of my life.

When I’m dizzy, and my legs feel like rubber, I pull back to rest my forehead against his.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he murmurs. Breathless, like me.

“What’s that?”

“You’re wondering where we’re going to live. And what you’re going to do about your job.”

I pull back and look up at him.

I let him take the baby. She snuggles into his chest. Maisie on Beau’s hip just looks right.

So very right.

“I’d be lying if I said those thoughts hadn’t crossed my mind, yeah.”

“I can kill both those birds with one stone.” Beau loops his finger through Maisie’s toy ring, holding it up to her mouth. “How’s about y’all come live with me on Blue Mountain? That way, your commute will be very short to the job I’d like to offer you. We’re looking for a strategic partner. Someone with brains and guts and ideas. Someone who knows the finance side of things but is also creative and great to work with. The family and I, we’ve decided to develop this part of the mountain.” He gestures to the yard around us. “Any interest?”