I huffed and threw my hands on my hips.
“This would be a really good time to answer your door, Luke!” I said aloud and then I heard a loud noise from the direction of my house.
Coming from my porch.
I stepped back and peered around the tree—there was Luke, staring directly at me.
I yelled, “What the hell are you doing?!”
“Waiting for you…” His voice held laughter but something else was lingering, too; I just couldn’t pinpoint it.
“Oh.”
I walked slowly, trying to control my hammering pulse. Should I just blurt it out? Just tell him that I wanted to throw my rules out the window and give in to him? Maybe I should go with the punch-line, “I love you?”
Eek. Maybe that was too strong. He did say he wanted to marry me…but let’s face it, that was a total exaggeration. Right?
“What…” I cleared my throat. “What are you doing?”
“Well,” he said and he laughed.
“Why are you laughing?”
He smiled widely and looked away. “I came over here to see your reaction.”
My shoulders fell but my heart rose. “Reaction to what?”
He fanned his arms out toward my door and I held my breath. I was beyond excited that he had taken the time to prank me. I was right after all. Things were getting better. He and I were getting better.
When I pushed open my door, my mouth fell to the fucking ground.
I didn’t know if I should cry, laugh, kiss him, or punch him.
Then it hit me.
The memory came at me fast, the words burning in my brain.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Thinking about it
Body:
I want some flowers or something romantic…and a ring. Then MAYBE I’ll consider being your wife… ; )
P.S. Sunflowers are my favorite.
What filled my entire house, every inch of it…were beaming yellow sunflowers. There were so many, I couldn’t even walk inside my door. They were all over the floor, in bouquets and vases, some even propped up on my entryway table and all the way onto my barely visible kitchen island.
When I spun around and looked at Luke, he was biting his lower lip. Teetering it back and forth between his white teeth.
I whispered, “This is the ultimate prank, Lucas Wells.” Then JoJo’s words finally made sense: “Just remember to fall.” That was what she’d said to me when I first started to fall for this perfect, steady, strong-willed man.
I didn’t know it then, but nothing could keep me from falling for him.
Not his bantering personality, his lewd comments, the pranks, the insults, nothing. Because Lucas Wells, Marine or not, was worth falling for. Every. Single. Time.