Page 163 of Love Sick

At home, the truck rolls to a stop on our deserted neighborhood street. I slip out and head toward the house while he locks up. My phone buzzes in my bra on my way to the door. I pull it out and chuckle at the classic text from Julian:Found this. Made me think of you.

I anticipate an unflattering photo he captured at the party, but Face ID unlocks my phone, and the attached picture pops up. In Julian’s wildly sexy hand sits a black velvet box filled with a rose gold princess cut engagement ring.

My heart thumps as my steps slow and I stare, unblinking, at that picture. He took it outdoors during the day, so sunlight strikes the diamond and casts rainbows through the stone.

Skin prickling, I spin in place, expecting to face him, but he’s not standing behind me.

He’s down on one knee.

Julian Santini gazes up at me, one hand supporting his opposite elbow so his fingers rest over his cheek. A diamond ring is looped around his pinky. The no-smile is firmly in place.

“So.” He taps a finger against his cheekbone. “I was at the jewelry store the other day for no particular reason. I passed by a glass case full of sparkly objects, and I thought to myself, hey, I know a girl who really likes sparkly things.”

Nerves alight, a tiny laugh escapes me. “Julian—”

He clears his throat meaningfully, the no-smile mutating into a real smile. “I’m telling a story, Grace. It’s rude to interrupt.”

“All right. Fine. Continue.” I clasp my hands before me, barely resisting the urge to swipe that ring off his finger and put it on mine. My blood flitters through my veins, tingles spreading.

He’s proposing.

This wonderful man wants to marry me.

“Okay. Like I was saying, this girl really likes sparkly objects, and I really like this girl, so I was hoping that if I bought her one that was really, really sparkly, she might want to wear it for me.”

I grin. “Sound logic, Dr. Santini.”

His eyes flash. “Oh, but there’s more to it.”

“I thought there might be.” I step closer to him.

“See, if she chooses to wear the sparkly thing, then she has to promise she won’t take it off.” He slips the diamond off his pinky and holds it between his thumb and forefinger, lifting it toward me.

My smile is uncontainable. “Ever? What if she’s doing dishes, or gains weight, or is performing surgery?”

He shakes his head, laughing. “Metaphorically. See, this is me promising forever. Wearing it is her promise to be mine.”

Close enough to touch him, I draw one finger down the sharp line of his jaw. “That seems like a fair trade.”

“I love you, Grace.”

“I love you too, Julian.”

He looks at the diamond in his hand. “Before you, everything was just…quiet. Then you came along and suddenly there was music. Like…a love song. The kind you want to listen to over and over. It’s stuck on repeat in my head and synced to your heartbeat.”

My breath catches. God, could he be any sweeter?

His dark gaze lifts, starlight sparkling in his eyes. “It’s become the rhythm of my life. I’d be completely lost without you, so I’d really like it if you wanted to wear this, Grace.”

My voice drops to a whisper as I say the stupidest thing on earth. “Okay.”

Okay?

Okay?!

He says you’re the rhythm of his life and you sayokay?

How dare you?

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