Page 126 of Runaway Bride's Guide to Love

“Can I have balloon?”

“Of course,” I say. I grab one off the ground for him, and just as I’m about to stand up, I feel a hand on my shoulder.

“You have a habit of stealing my girl,” Emmett says.

Jack takes the balloon, looks Emmett dead in the eyes, and presses a kiss to my cheek.

Oh, this boy is something else…

“Did he just?—?”

I laugh at Emmett and give him his own kiss. “He did.”

My family starts gathering around me, wishing me happy birthdays and asking if I had any idea.

Which I did not.

“Everyone? Can you please grab a drink?” Emmett announces as everyone gathers around. Ainsley hands me a glass of champagne with a wink. “Thank you to everyone for coming. And a special thanks to Ainsley and Maeve who I couldn’t have pulled this off without.”

“Hey!” Simon interrupts. “I helped too.”

“Of course,” Emmett says. “You did a great job rigging the balloon net.”

“Damn right I did.”

Everyone laughs before Emmett continues. “I wanted to gather everyone here to celebrate Stella, because in light of things that have happened over the last few months, I thoughther birthday was the perfect day to truly applaud her for everything she’s been through.”

Oh hell, I’m going to cry…

“I know most by now have heard how we first met, but I’ve never told anyone my vantage point. I was just sitting at a bar. Having a drink and people watching. Obviously the woman sitting in a wedding dress caught my eye.”

“God that thing was ugly,” Mom says, which makes everyone in the room crack up laughing.

“It wasn’t the best,” Emmett couches, which makes everyone laugh even more. “But Stella was still the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen.”

A chorus of “awws” go around the room as Emmett turns to look at me. “Some guy came over and started hitting on her. My instincts immediately went onto high alert. I walked around the bar, ready to pummel him, but I stopped and we locked eyes. Somehow, in that moment, I knew she had it handled. That if I needed to step in, and she wanted me to, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But in that moment is when I knew how strong Stella Banks was.”

Emmett takes my hand. “Since then, I’ve been in constant awe of her strength. Of her resilience. Of how she’s kept clawing back and facing every obstacle thrown at her. And because of some happenstance, or because of Simon Banks, I get to stand here next to her and celebrate her.”

Dad claps Simon on the back as he holds his drink to Emmett. Smart of him just to include Simon in the speech.

“So yes, this party today is to celebrate another year for Stella. But I wanted to also celebrate her and everything she’s overcome these past few months. So if everyone could raise their glasses, and let’s make a toast to Stella Banks. To strength and beauty.”

“To Stella!”

I push away the tears as I take a sip of my champagne. I quickly put it down so I can quickly bring Emmett’s lips to mine.

“That was beautiful,” I say. “Thank you for all of this. I had no idea.”

He smiles and places another kiss on my forehead. “I have another surprise for you. Do you want to see it now or later?”

“Gee, let me think about it. Now!”

Emmett laughs and excuses us as he takes my hand and walks me toward our bedroom. Except instead of turning left toward the master, he turns me to the guest bedroom—with a shut door and a pink bow on the front.

“What’s going on? And is this why you had it locked all week?”

Emmett’s infectious smile is warming me all over. “When I built this house, I thought it was complete. There was not one more thing I thought I needed. Then you moved in, and I realized there was something very big that was missing.”

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