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TOM PULLED UP TO THE cabin and set the car in park. His hands shook as he glanced at Raven and offered a nervous smile. He’d planned this entire trip and prayed the flowers around the cove were in full bloom now that graduation was over, and spring was on the cusp of summer. He jogged around to her side of the car and opened the door, helping her out onto the gravel.
“This is absolutely lovely,” she said, looking over the lakefront view with awe.
He just nodded and opened the trunk, pulling out the picnic basket and blanket. He cursed under his breath at the shakes gripping his form, and the nerves getting the best of him. With a deep breath, he closed the trunk and smiled. He headed toward the path in the woods, taking her hand as he passed her.
“Where are we going?”
He shook his head and when he got to the path, he stopped and put the basket down.
“It’s a surprise. Just wait here, I’ll be right back for you in a minute,” he signed.
Her dimples appeared, and she met his gaze. “Okay,” she said and turned toward the lake view once more, heading toward the little gazebo and the glider inside.
Tom took off down the winding path with the basket and blanket, his heart hammering harder than when he saw the Windwalker, but this time it was anxiety and not fear that drove it to pump in triple time. His conversation on the beach with Steve popped into his head as he spread the blanket over the soft moss of the cove, setting up the items from the basket and praying Steve was wrong, otherwise, this would be a very quick picnic.
He stood back and surveyed the presentation. Satisfied, he wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and headed back to collect his date.
Raven turned when he stepped out of the woods and he waved her over.
“Ready?” he signed, shifting from foot to foot with the excess energy flooding his body.
“Sure,” she said and took his hand.
He rounded the corner and smiled at her gasp. Stepping onto the moss, he turned to face her and took a deep breath. “Welcome to Paradise Cove,” he said with perfect enunciation.
Raven’s gaze snapped from the array of colorful wildflowers to his face, her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open.
“It’s the only place on earth that I can speak the way God intended me to,” he said and pulled her into his arms. “And the only place that I can do this.” He kissed her and nearly dropped to his knees at the sensation of her tongue dancing with his in slow seductive circles.
When he pulled away, he opened his eyes, taking in the shocked excitement in her eyes and the slow smile that surfaced on her face.
“Wow. And I thought you were good before,” she said, her voice had that breathless quality, making it husky and sexy beyond his wildest expectations.
He took her hand and led her to the blanket and she went to sit down.
“No, not yet,” he said putting his hands up to stop her. He turned, rummaging through the basket until his hand closed on the little velvet box. He stood with his back to her and took a deep breath before facing her.
“I can’t begin to tell you how much you mean to me,” he said and wiped a stray hair out of her face. “If it wasn’t for you, I’m not sure I would have gotten through everything that happened this year.”
“Tom,” she started.
“Just let me finish and then you can have your say,” he said. “All right?”
Raven looked at the ground and nodded, he could tell from her expression that she was expecting an entirely different conversation.
He dropped to one knee, looking up at her and brought the box into her field of view. “This is the ring my biological father gave my mother when he asked her to marry him. I’d like you to accept this as my promise for a lifetime of laughter and steam,” he said and took a shaky breath, opening the blue velvet box. “Raven Adams, will you marry me?”
She blinked, and her mouth dropped open at the exquisite diamond sitting on the velvet platform. Her gaze jumped to his and her hand flew over her open mouth.
“I wanted to do this where you could hear the words,” he said and every second she stared at him brought forth a bigger lump in his throat and increased panic in his heart. “I love you, Raven,” he whispered.
Her hand dropped from her mouth and she threw her arms around his neck, tackling him to the ground with a kiss that made him forget to breathe. When she broke the kiss, he looked up at her.
“Does that mean yes?”
“Yes, you idiot, that means I’ll marry you,” she grinned.
The End
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Follow Steve Williams and the Ryan boys in TRINITY RISING, the third book in the Night Hawk series.
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