Chapter 35
thirty-five
Killian
“You think this is a good idea?” Lachlan asks.
“Of course he does, he’s not going to get any better than Tessa,” Miles tacks on.
Everett snorts. “He couldn’t get a woman to even look at him before Tessa. Lord knows how he was able to win her over.”
I often wonder about some of my choices and letting these assholes tag along with me while I went ring shopping is one of those.
“Shut up, all of you. Each one of you married out of your league.”
“Won’t argue with that,” Miles says.
“I’m not married yet,” Everett notes.
“You’re engaged, and Violet is way better than you deserve,” I remind him.
Today is really the only day I could sneak off, since I plan to propose before the derby this weekend. We had our Ultimate Frisbee tournament out of state this weekend and Tessa is swamped with work, so she thankfully couldn’t come.
I would have asked for the girls’ opinions, but Ainsley said she’d rather chew nails than come, Violet is definitely not traveling with a newborn, and Penelope was all too happy to stay back since none of the other girls were going.
So I’m stuck with these morons since we carpooled.
“I’m very aware, which is why I love her to the point of madness and treat her like a damn queen,” Everett acknowledges.
Lachlan snorts. “We all got lucky.”
“We did,” I agree.
No one more than me. I never thought at my age I’d find someone I wanted to settle down with. I was resigned to living alone, being the eternal bachelor because it just made sense. I had loved, lost, and then just got so set in my ways that it wasn’t even something I gave a shit about.
Until Tessa.
The sales attendant returns to the case where I’ve been eyeing this one ring. It’s a pear shaped, two-and-a- half carat diamond solitaire with peridots lining the band. It’s different, beautiful, and it just so happens that peridots are her birthstone.
More than that, it seems perfectly Tessa.
“Is there one you like?”
“Yes, that one.” I point to the ring that I keep going back to.
“This is a special piece,” she says. “It was designed by our in-house jeweler whose favorite color is green. It’s one of a kind.”
“Just like the girl I hope will accept it.”
She smiles, and the guys make a variety of noises from laughs to gagging sounds.
“I apologize for them—they’re all infants.”
“He’d know since he could be our dad,” Lachlan, I think, says from behind me.
“Fuck off,” I mutter and return to the saleswoman. “This one will be perfect.”
I pay for it and then the four of us head out. Miles drives the three hours it takes to get back to Ember Falls, and we drop off Everett and Lachlan. When it’s just the two of us, Miles clears this throat.
“Did you know, I always thought the two of us were the most likely to be bachelors out of the group?”
I turn my head to look at him. “You thought Everett would find someone?”
He chuckles. “He was a wild card, but he at least seemed to want a family at some point. Lachlan was a goner from the beginning, but you and I, we were different. Well, that was until I met Penny. Everything changed after that.”
The fact that the man who hates coffee went to Prose & Perk every single day just to see her said it all. Penelope and Miles are truly perfect for each other, and I’m so glad they battled their demons and found a way together.
“I get that. It’s like the two of us found our person and knew pretty quick.”
Tessa rocked my world the moment she came into my life. I didn’t have any idea she’d completely become it though.
My life is infinitely better with her in it and I hope to make her my wife.
“I think the right person shows up at the right time. We just have to pray we’re smart enough to know it’s her. Anyway, all of this is to say, I’m really happy for you.”
“Thank-you.”
“Good luck. Do you have anything special planned for asking her?”
I grin. “I sure do.”
“Did you know that the Kentucky Derby has never been canceled?” Tessa asks as we’re walking back to one of the owners’ suites at the race.
“I did.”
“Did you know the Garland of Roses blanket weighs around forty pounds?”
I laugh softly. “I didn’t.”
She sighs and walks over to the seats that are reserved for us. “This book has a ton of facts. It’s really interesting.”
I walk over and pluck the race book out of her hand. “Tessa, you’re rambling.”
“I’m nervous.”
“About?”
“What if we lose?”
I shrug. “We probably will.”
Honestly, our chances aren’t that great, but just being here is a dream come true. The accolades and the fact that we’ll be able to use this for marketing and building a strong program are going to help the ranch for years to come.
She slaps my chest. “Killian!”
“Tessa.”
“You can’t say that.”
“I can because it’s true, but also because it doesn’t matter. I’m proud of our team, the horse, the program, the fact that I’m here with you, and we’re going to enjoy the race. That’s what I care about. Not if he wins, which would be great, but also unlikely.”
Her hands move to my chest where she rests them. “I guess, but I just want this day to be perfect. I want him to win. I want to scream and cry and be so happy I can’t stop smiling.”
“You do, huh?” I ask.
“Yes. Don’t you?” she sounds perplexed.
Of course I want the same, but I really want to see her that way—and not because of the horse, but because of us.
Because…
Fuck it.
I step back and then drop to one knee in front of her.
She moves her hand to her mouth as I reach into my pocket.
“I had this entire thing planned and how it would go, but we’ve never been ones to follow any kind of rules or plans.
You’ve been the one person in my life who has managed to knock it off its axis, but at the same time, right it.
In my dreams, I couldn’t have envisioned a better partner.
I couldn’t make you any more perfect than you are because you are my other half.
You’re the key to my heart and the woman I want beside me every moment for the rest of my life.
So, I ask you Tessa Rivers, will you let me make you the happiest woman in the world? ”
She nods, tears running down her beautiful face. “Yes! Yes, of course!”
I get to my feet and take the ring out of the box, slip it onto her left ring finger, and then kiss it as cheers and applause erupts all around us.
“I’m going to make you smile every day for the rest of my life.”
She lifts up on her toes, taking my face in her hands. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
Then the gunshot goes off, and we watch Midnight Valor take second place—and neither of us cares that we lost because we’ve won something so much better.