Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 57043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
"I don't know, is it? You haven't started eating."
A smile pulls my lips up. "I'm just taking it all in." And that’s the truth. There’s no pretending anymore with us.
Griffin puts his fork down, and my face gets red as he looks me up and down, taking his time to apparently memorize my dark green velvet dress.
"You're staring," I whisper. "If you keep doing that, you're going to get caught." My cheeks heat from the rise of my blush. This man still gets to me. He always will. I love him more than I knew I was capable of loving.
"Then the entire town would know how much I like staring at you."
I let out a laugh at his joke, the entire town already knows that. "Is that all you like?" I give him a look. "Staring at me?"
"And touching you," he says, running his fingers along the outside of my arm, causing goosebumps in the wake of his touch. My smile widens as he adds, "And kissing you. I wouldn't mind—"
"Hey!"
He cuts himself off, laughing.
I tell him, "You can't be dirty at the dinner table." All flushed and flustered, I tuck my hair behind my ear and peek up at our mothers, neither of them seem to be watching. Thank goodness.
"You shouldn't look so hot at the table, then,” he says. Shrugging, he adds, “I can't be blamed."
I pick up my fork again, the smile stuck on my face. I couldn't stop it if I tried. I'm too happy. I remember back to before that first kiss and murmur the nostalgia, "You used to look at me the same way in the bar."
"I used to feel the same way about you in the bar."
"I used to feel the same way too," I admit, although he already knows. I think our souls loved each other before we ever kissed. But when our lips touched, it lit everything on fire that made us what we are. He was always my person. Always. I've told him that many times before, but Griffin grins. He never gets tired of hearing it.
"So," he says, after we've both been quiet for a few minutes, concentrating on our food. It’s freaking delicious. His mother knows how to express her love in constant texts and warm food. "Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?"
"Of course I did. You shouldn't have gotten me so many presents. You're going to make everybody else jealous."
"Like who, Mags? I happen to know Brody got Bridget and Braden a truck full of gifts. I bet it was more toys than they have at the North Pole."
"Just…" I say with a shrug. "You spoil me." I knew Griffin wanted some machine for his gym, so I got him that. He’s hard to buy for in general, and that piece of equipment was pricey, but I saved up half the year and surprised him with it. I thought I would be the one to overspend on Christmas, but oh, no, Griffin went all out. Sometimes I still think I don’t deserve him, but I promise to love him through everything forever and ever and he says that’s more than enough. It’s all he wants. I can give him that. I can love this man until the day I die. I think even if he left me, I’d still have done that. He’s my soulmate. I didn’t believe in them or true love until I met him. But he made me believe and he says I made him believe in it, too.
"I gave you what you deserved. But...there is one more thing."
"Griffin!" I scold. "You can't give me anything else. You already gave me too much. I'm going to spend the rest of the year trying to find ways to make up for it."
"How about this," he says. "How about instead, you spend the rest of the year being my fiancé?"
My heart stops and the room seems to go quiet. “What did you say?” I ask him, not believing my ears.
I meet his steely gaze, twinkling with a hint of mischief, as he repeats, clearly and confidently, “How about you spend the rest of the year being my fiancé?"
I turn fully toward him, realizing at the last second that everybody around the table really had gone quiet. They were all listening in. I don't have to look to know that they're all watching us. If I know my mom and my aunt and Griffin's parents, they're not even trying to hide it. They're just openly staring.
I'm staring, too, but at the ring box in Griffin's hand. My heart races knowing what he’s asking and not believing it.
I look up into his eyes. "Are you serious?"
"I want you to be my real wife," he says with a grin. "No pretending."
I take a second just to look at him. This man is something out of a movie. He's something out of a dream come true. Who meets a girl in a bar and then hires her to work at that bar and then falls in love in that same bar? Who proposes on Christmas Day in front of both their families?