Page 77 of Bite Your Tongue

He cranes his neck down, kissing the tip of my nose. “Merry Christmas, beautiful. I love you.” He nods toward the thermos. “I even made you some gourmet hot chocolate. Right out of those packets you love so much.”

My smile widens. “You, Mr. Cambridge, are definitely getting special treatment tonight after doing this,” I say with a giggle. “Think … last night, but even better.”

His eyes widen. “Does that mean … butt stuff too?” he says in my ear before wiggling his eyebrows.

“Oh, definitely.” I nod quickly. “A horse-drawn sleigh on Christmas. And I didn’t have to shovel snow? Butt stuff for days, handsome.”

He bobs his head up and down with a goofy grin on his lips. “All right, all right.”

We both laugh, and I settle against him once more as we veer toward a small pull-off that looks out at the harbor.

The sleigh comes to a stop, and the driver stands. “Just have to check something on one of the horse’s bridles,” he says and climbs down.

Once he’s gone, Ryder slides his arm out from behind me and positions his body toward mine so that his knees are pushing against my own.

“So, I have a few things I want to say to you, if that’s okay?” he asks, his blue eyes cutting into mine. “I know it’s cold out, so I won’t take too long.”

Nervousness fills my body, and he flashes me a grin.

“Nothing bad, babe, I promise.”

I sigh in relief, nodding swiftly. “Okay, good.”

He inhales sharply, like he’s trying to gather himself before letting it out. “It’s crazy to think that a year ago, I took a chance on getting punched in the face by showing up at your work in Charleston and asking you to spend Christmas with me.” He puts his hands on my legs, giving them the slightestsqueeze. “When you walked out of the hospital on Christmas Eve, completely lost in your own world and not at all moping that you had to work the holiday, I was in complete awe of you. It’s never been lost on me how big your heart is, Saylor, but in that moment, when I saw you so clearly for the woman you were, I knew I could never just be your friend.” He breathes out a laugh. “I also knew that the fact that I’d gotten on a plane on Christmas Eve to surprise you meant I was in much deeper than I’d thought.”

Tears fill my eyes from his words, not because he’s never told me things like this—he has, a lot—but because right now, it just feels different. This day, Christmas Day—it connects us. It’s the day I knew that I was in love with my brother’s best friend, even though I continued to fight it.

“You are the funniest person I know. You’re also the kindest and most hardworking. Coming home to you after a hard day at the arena feels like winning the lottery, and I don’t care how cheesy that sounds.”

I couldn’t form a word if I wanted to. I just sit here in this sleigh, not feeling the least bit cold because I’m too distracted by his words.

“But before you start telling me everything that’s wrong with you, I’ll do it for you. You’re a mess. You are loud. You hate silence. You’re the most indecisive person I know, and you’re unorganized as hell. I’m scared to talk to you before you drink your morning coffee, and even though you always talk a big game that we’re going to stay up and watch TV together, you end up asleep and snoring beside me within ten minutes.” He smiles. “You don’t really like compliments even though you enter a room, making everyone stop and stare at you because you’re so fucking beautiful. You complain about your job even though you love what you do.”

As more tears spill from my eyes, Ryder takes his gloved hand from my leg and swipes them away. “All those things, the good and the bad … I love them. I love that you don’t know where your cell phone is a lot of the time. And I adore that you’re grumpy as hell in the morning when you first wake up—I find it cute. When you fall asleep, watching TV? You snuggle against me. And the look on your face? Pure peace.” He stops, swallowing.

“I guess what I’m saying is, whatever version of you I get to be around? I want it. And I’ve known for a while now that my purpose on this earth was to love you, Saylor. One day, my time on the ice is going to run out. Hockey will become my past, and this life of extravagance may change. But as long as I have you, I’ll be the richest motherfucker on the planet.”

He reaches in the pocket of his snow pants, and when he pulls out a small box, my tears become a steady stream, and a cry escapes my throat.

“Oh my God,” I whimper as he slides off the bench and onto a knee.

Opening the box, he looks up at me through his own tear-soaked lashes and bright blue eyes. “I love you so much, baby. I’ve liked you for a long damn time, but I never in my wildest dreams thought a knucklehead like me would have a chance with my dream girl—you. And before you figure out that you could have anyone on the planet, I’d love to make you my wife.” He sniffles. “What do you say, Saylor Sawyer? Will you marry me?”

I barely even look at the ring before I throw my arms around him and pull him up onto the bench. My lips attack his, and I cry harder as I kiss him.

“Yes.” I practically squeal out the word. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

He grips my nape, kissing me roughly. There’s a hint of possessiveness in the way his lips capture mine, and I’m totallyhere for it because I want to be his and only his from now until forever. In fact, there’s nothing more I want than that.

He pulls back. Yanking my mitten off, he slides the ring onto my finger. “I’ve wanted to do that for so fucking long,” he rasps, wiping his eyes with his glove. “Damn it, Saylor, you just went and made me the happiest motherfucker in the world, baby.”

He’s crying. I’m crying. We’re both blubbering messes on the side of the road. I understand why I’m so emotional. Never in my life did I think I’d be loved in the way that this man loves me. And loving someone so deeply is something I could only dream of. But watching Ryder Cambridge fall apart because he’s so happy that I said yes? There are not enough words to explain how surreal that feels.

I hold my hand out, staring down at a ring that is the most beautiful piece of jewelry I have ever seen. “It’s so perfect,” I whisper, slapping my other hand over my mouth. “I can’t believe this is happening.” I drop my hand before cupping his cheeks and dragging his mouth to mine.

“I love you so fucking much, Ryder,” I cry into his mouth. “I can’t lie though—I’m not sure how you’ll top Christmas next year.”

“You probably said that last year too.” His lips grin against mine. “Can we go home now? I want to make love to my fiancée.”

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