The Romeo Arrangement

All the fears in every raging beat of my heart.

All the heartbreak if this isn’t the spectacular, miraculous, unbelievable Big Thing coming.

My heart leaps into my throat as he holds out his hand, singing the last few lines with passion gushing out of him.

Everyone is watching, so of course I do, too, trembling from head to toe.

His eyes are locked on mine and they’ve never been so clear, so real, so beautiful.

The spotlight above the floor reflects in his gaze like the Milky Way.

Suddenly, I hear my mom’s voice.

If you’ve got a light, you’ve still got a wish.

Tonight, we both have all the light and—dare I say it?—love we could ever need.

I do wish, Mom.

I wish he’ll love me like this forever.

When it’s over, I’m a teary-eyed, trembling mess. My eyes are so fixed on him that I can’t even worry about the public affection, the crowd erupting, clapping and cheering and yelling out encouragement.

With his gaze still locked on mine, he whispers, “That’s why, darlin’. Didn’t think words could do the heavy lifting for this.”

Stunned, I shake my head.

He can’t mean…

He can’t be saying…

Oh my God.

“Thank you, thank you very much,” he says into the microphone, again sounding exactly like Elvis as he bows to the crowd. Then, in his own voice, he says, “I also want to thank all of you for coming here tonight to our big celebration. One thing I’ve figured out about Dallas, North Dakota, is how this town loves secrets. That’s something you’ve got in common with L.A., and since we’ve got plenty of folks here from both…when Grace and I got engaged, we talked about it, but I never officially asked her. Go ahead, shame on me, but I’d like to remedy that right now.”

Then, to my utter shock and awe, he goes down on one knee.

“W-what are you doing?” I whisper, my lips trembling.

Holding my hand, kneeling before me, he kisses the back while looking up at me. “Grace Sellers, you were the best stray who ever came into my life. I had my own demons when we met. Hell, I’m still working them out, but you showed me I was someone else, too. I love you more than I ever thought I could love, woman. I told you the only thing I ever expected when we took down Clay Grendal was for you to live. Yet you’ve shown me what living actually is. What loving can be. And now I’m just wondering one thing…”

It’s the heaviest silence of my life.

My face becomes a gooey red mess, but I so don’t care.

I’ll never care about anything again except the next words coming out of his mouth.

“Will you do me the honor of being my wife, Grace, so we can live the best way we can—together? Will you marry me?”

No words could ever describe the torrential flood rushing through me.

Happiness. Joy. Glee. Bliss. Nerves. Ecstasy.

Butterflies with teeth.

I don’t release my other hand over my mouth until I feel his lips brush my palm.

Lowering my hand, I press it against the rapid thud of my heart and try to remember how to speak.

“Yes!”

One simple word with more feeling than I’ve ever known.

Then his arms are wrapped around me, his lips attack mine, and my mind keeps shouting, yes, yes, yes until I can’t stop the joyful tears.

24

No Loose Ends (Ridge)

As I hold Grace in my arms, the most beautiful woman ever made, I feel like a volcano.

Even as I’m kissing her face off, there’s a growl in my blood, churning like magma.

Now, it’s with excitement.

Sweet relief.

A moment ago, it was fear. The thought that she might say no scared me worse than anything I’ve encountered in my life.

I think it’s the only thing that could’ve truly broken me.

This heart beats for her. She’s put the love back in it and given me every breath, every beat, every heartfelt word I found the courage to say.

All for a love I never knew I had in me.

I lift her up, twirling her around, and kiss her again. Then I pick up the microphone I’d dropped on the floor.

“Sorry for the mic drop,” I mutter into it. “But you heard what she said!”

The crowd cheers and I kiss her again before taking the microphone back to the band, with Grace at my side, right where she belongs, tonight and forever.

“Now, I can tell you the rest of the story,” I say, leading her to a quiet, somewhat secluded corner of the room.

Her eyes are so bright, so merry, even as she frowns. “The rest?”

I kiss the frown lines between her eyes. “I mentioned you traveling with me when it comes time to shoot those films. You’ll develop an awesome eye for design with the best of the best. Bebe thinks you could even work on the set someday, if you want. I know you’ll like it, and you’re so damn good at those things. It’s a Western, after all.”