Page 171 of Whispers and Wildfire

I lowered the script and met his eyes as he continued.

“Your spirit burns bright, a fire that devours all in its path. It has consumed my heart, melting the ice that once encased it.”

“The girls wrote this?” I asked, totally breaking character.

“Shh.” He put a finger to my lips. “Though we once faced each other as enemies, I see now our mistake. It is not hatred that fills our hearts. It is a love beyond imagining.”

I stared at him. Part of me wondered if I had more lines, but I couldn’t quite make myself break from his gaze to look at the script.

“Melanie,” he said softly, and it occurred to me that he’d used my real name. “I want to be the man who loves you forever. The king to your queen.”

He lowered himself to one knee. The script slipped from my hand and fluttered to the ground as he pulled a ring from his pocket.

My lips parted in shock. My mom was already sobbing while my dad tried to hush her.

Meeting my eyes, Luke lifted the ring. “Will you marry me?”

I started nodding before I regained the use of words. He stood and slipped the ring on my finger.

“Yes,” I said. “Oh, this is happening. Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

My family erupted in applause as Luke scooped me into his arms and held me tight. The kids surrounded us, jumping up and down and cheering.

Tears stung my eyes as Luke pulled away. He swiped a tear from my cheek and placed a knuckle beneath my chin to lift my mouth to his. The kids’ cheering turned to exclamations of disgust as he kissed me.

It was perfect. Absolutely, completely perfect.

He slowly broke the kiss and grinned. “I love you.”

“I love you too. You planned all that?”

“I had a little help. Although Nico wanted you to turn into a dragon.”

I glanced at my mom. She was sobbing into my dad’s shirt. “She didn’t know, did she?”

“Would she have kept it a secret?”

“Oh my goodness, no. Krista Andolini couldn’t keep a secret to save her life.”

Dad met my eyes and winked.

“You talked to him first, didn’t you?” I asked, nodding toward my dad.

“We Havens are a bit old-school like that. I let him know my intentions with his daughter.”

I wound my arms around his neck, and he dipped his head to mine, our mouths meeting in a delicious kiss.

After everything we’d been through, the long road we’d traveled to get there, I was going to be Luke Haven’s girl—forever.

There wasn’t anything in the world I wanted more.

Epilogue

LUKE

The following spring…

Racing muscle cars had nothing on getting married.

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