Page 102 of Catching the Mistletoe

“Yes.”

“It’s so beautiful.”

“I thought we could hang it near the front door. Make it official.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I looked up at Mack, my eyes wide. I’d stayed over pretty much every night since we got home, but I hadn’t actually moved in. “Oh.”

“If you want.”

Oh god, now he was all unsure when I was so happy I couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat. So I just nodded, my eyes shimmering with tears. When I could talk again, I said, “I would love that. A lot.”

He eased onto the floor next to me and put his arm around me, pressing a kiss into my hair. I traced the outline of the letters, smiling softly. I wanted to hang it straight away, so I flipped it over, expecting to see a hook, or string. Something we could hang it with. But no, attached to the back of the sign was a small velvet box. My heart leaped into my throat, my eyes widening in shock.

“What’s this?” I managed to squeak out, my voice barely above a whisper.

Mack’s eyes were dark and intense on my face. “Open it,” he urged gently, his gaze never leaving mine.

With trembling hands, I detached the box and opened it. Inside was a delicate diamond ring, simple yet stunning. Oh god, oh god, oh god. Tears spilled over, streaming down my cheeks.

Mack crooked his finger under my chin, tilting my face up to his. “Arabella, I love you more than I ever thought possible. You’ve turned my world upside down, in the best possible way. You are my heart, my peace, and my home. My Little Dove. Will you—” he swallowed heavily. “Will you marry me?”

Letting out a sob, I threw myself at him, so he fell back onto the thick rug. “Yes,” I choked out. “Absolutely yes.” He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my hair, drawing in a deep, shuddering breath. “I love you, Mack.”

“I love you, Arabella. So damn much.”

Finally, I pulled back, sniffling a little, and held out my hand. “Put the ring on me.”

He pushed up, so that we were both sitting, and held me in his lap. “Yes, ma’am.” His voice was thick with emotion, and as he took the ring, I could see his hand was shaking. Carefully, he slid it onto my finger.

“It’s beautiful.” I kissed him, a long, lingering kiss, then rested my head on his shoulder. With the way he wrapped his arms around me and just held me, it was like he was breathing me in.

I could have stayed there all day. But no, it was Christmas. “Okay, let’s get dressed and get up to Genevieve and Noah’s. I cannot wait to tell everyone.”

“Okay.”

Within twenty minutes, we were dressed and heading up the snowy path toward Genevieve and Noah’s, hand in hand. We were engaged! I was going to marry the man I loved more than anything. I was the happiest I’d ever been.

As we approached the front door, I could hear voices and laughter and the tantalizing smell of cinnamon and vanilla. Perfect.

Just before we pushed the door open, Mack stopped and kissed me, a long, slow, sweet kiss that curled my toes. “Happy Christmas, Arabella.”

“Happy Christmas, Mack.” As we stepped into the chaos and hugs and noise and love, I looked up at him, a smile curving my lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

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