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Lavender Ring

Ripley

 

“And do you, William O’Connor, take Haven Addison to be your wife?”

The officiant—Cyrus—asks the question in the middle of the lavender fields, just outside of the maze.

My sister’s groom gives what sounds like the easiest answer ever: “I do.”

My heart swells, and I steal a glance at the man standing mere feet from me. My guy. His gaze holds mine with so much love and affection that another tear slips down my cheek.

Grandma’s crying too. She stands on Banks’s other side. There are no chairs since the ceremony is short and sweet and will lead to a party right here on the lawn, like Haven wanted.

“Now, you may kiss the bride,” Cyrus says.

When William leans in to kiss my sister, my heart thunders, but this time it’s not for her sake. It’s for the man who can’t stop looking at me.

I swear, ever since the night in the maze, Banks has been unable to take his eyes off me. But I don’t think it’s fear of loss. I think it’s just what he said that night—when you know, you know.

That’s how I feel about him too.

Later, once the ceremony ends and everyone’s dancing at the reception, he takes me in his arms and spins me around.

“Do you want to get married here?” he asks when I stop in front of him.

I’m startled, but not for long. “No.”

“But you love it.”

“I do. But I work here, so I want to get married someplace else. The beach, a restaurant, a coffee shop. Paris. Anyplace.”

He laughs. “Anyplace but here.”

Well, it’s the groom I care about most. But I’m pretty sure he knows that.

“Yes,” I say. “Anyplace but here.”

He hasn’t asked me yet, but I’m very, very patient.

* * *

The next day, we take off to San Francisco for a date. Just like we talked about when he first suggested we see each other beyond the assignment, we escape to the city now and then for dates. He mentioned it one day in my truck, and I said I think San Francisco has some nice cafés, restaurants, nail salons, and yoga places.

I give my pup a goodbye kiss, and then Banks and I get into my truck. He drives, and on the way, we stop in Sausalito for a quick cup of coffee with his mom and Emily.

I adore them, their love of books, and his mom’s love of cooking, which reminds me of Grandma. I love, too, the way they tease Banks. No one is better at teasing him than I am, but Emily is a close second.

We say goodbyes and cruise over the Golden Gate Bridge, and Banks drives me to Hayes Valley.

We spend the day ducking in and out of cute shops, checking out tulips blooming in the park, and popping into a record store where I find some vinyl, one of his favorite Mozart symphonies, for his collection.

He clutches it to his chest. “Can’t wait to blast it.”

“I know,” I say. The day unwinds, and we head to The Resort, a five-star hotel near Yerba Buena Gardens.

We check in and Banks suggests a drink, so we head to the lobby bar. After we order, the bartender sets down a canvas bag next to Banks.

That’s odd. I tilt my head. “Why is he giving you a bag?”

Banks’s brow furrows. “Good question. Let me see what’s in it.”

He fishes around in the canvas, then pulls out…an origami bird. It’s lavender and sturdy, with bigger wings than the first one he gave me.

Before I can even ask who made it, Banks is down on one knee, holding the bird in his hand. “Ripley Addison, I’ve said it before, and I won’t ever stop saying it. You’re the love of my life, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of mine with you. Will you marry me?”

He lifts the bird higher, and I gasp. It’s no ordinary origami animal. Inside is a ring crowned with a sparkling diamond, brighter than a star. It’s surrounded by amethyst stones, the shade of…lavender.

My eyes well with tears as joy floods my entire heart and soul. “I would love to be your wife.”

He stands and slides the ring on my finger, then he kisses me like I’m worth everything.

Just like he is to me.

 

Want more unputdownable forbidden romance?

You’ll love The Boyfriend Goal, a spicy forbidden sports romance where the new guy on the team falls for his team captain’s sister! Download now for FREE in KU!

 

While you wait for Chloe and Sawyer’s spicy, mistaken identity workplace romance to come to KU in I’ve Got A Crush On You, you can escape into Darling Springs where the town’s first introduced in the brother’s best friend/fake dating romance The Accidental Dating Experiment, available to download now in KU!