Page 41 of Her Surprise Vacation Date

“Is something wrong, Shaney? Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Hope places her palm on my forehead. “You don’t have a fever, but maybe we should head back to the inn early.”

“No!” My reply comes out louder than necessary, causing her brows to furrow. I do my best to rein in my emotions, so I don’t make Hope more suspicious than she already is. “I mean, let’s not go just yet. I heard there’s going to be a special performance here tonight. We should stay for that. It’s supposed to be really good.”

“Oh, like a Christmas performance?” She glances around to check out the large grassy lawn in front of us that’s currently empty. “I hope it starts soon before I turn into a popsicle.”

With a green knit hat and matching scarf on and the tip of her nose pink from the cold, she looks like she’s in the middle of a blizzard, but the truth is that she’s still acclimating to the coastal temperatures. Putting my arm around her shoulders, I tuck her close to my side. Hopefully the layers of clothing I’m wearing under my jacket can provide some warmth and comfort for her, if not now, at least later. “It should be starting any minute now.”

As if on cue, an upbeat song begins playing from an outdoor speaker hanging from a lamppost. A young man appears at the edge of the grass and moves in time to the beat while a young woman walks toward him from the opposite side. They meet in the middle of the lawn where he takes her hand, spins her around, then dips her. Another couple joins them on the makeshift dance floor, linking their hands andkicking their feet. Soon, they all form a dance line and start showing off their choreographed moves to the song “This Will Be” by Natalie Cole. The scene unfolds before us exactly like the flash mob rental website said it would as more and more dancers join the show.

“This is so fun!” Hope tugs on my sleeve in excitement. It’s a relief to see her taking it all in with a huge grin on her face. “I love this song! It’s from one of my favorite movies?—”

“While You Were Sleeping,” I finish for her. “I know.”

She gives me a curious look. “Did you have something to do with this?”

Before I can answer, two of the dancers tap us on the shoulders and motion for us to join them. “Come on, lovebirds!” they call out. “You’re up!”

“Wait, what?” Hope laughs as she takes the hand I offer her. “What’s going on?”

I pull her over to the middle of the grassy lawn. Off to the side of the makeshift stage, I see a couple of familiar faces. My sister, our parents, and Hope’s mom have taken their places to witness this special event. Amelia gives me a teary and proud thumbs-up. She was the first person I told about this idea, and while she hadn’t vetoed it, her exact words had been,Good luck, little bro.That could be the reason why I’ve been second-guessing this plan this whole day, but now that we’re in the thick of it, there’s no turning back.

Literally.

The dancers are holding hands and forming a circle around us, their smiles expectant and hopeful. There’s utter silence now that the music has stopped. It’s just me and Hope at the center of attention, standing face to face. I take a deep, long breath and say a prayer for the strength to open my mouth and say the words on my heart without keeling over—thatwould not be a good look for an EMT, although I wouldn’t mind receiving some mouth-to-mouth from Hope.

“Shaney?” she asks. “What’s all this for?”

With my gaze focused solely on Hope, I gather up the courage to drop down on one knee. Holding onto her hands, I look up and declare, “It’s for you, my love. This is my attempt at a grand gesture. I know it’s not as romantic as the ones you read about in your books. You don’t have a flight to catch that I need to stop—at least I hope you don’t. I’m also not going to break out in song because I want to wow you, not scare you away. And there’s no chance of me declaring my love in the rain—this is California, after all. But what I can do is tell you how much you’ve changed my life since we met again.

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been, and it’s all because of you, Hope. You know I’m not much of a reader and especially not a romance reader, but you make me believe in HEAs. You took me, a man who is very much a WIP, and made me the MMC of your story. Some people might wonder at our insta-love, but I believe we are meant to be because God arranged our OTP.

“I have been shipping us since I was in middle school, and I can’t wait to see what our story holds. I’m committed to giving you all the feels each and every day, free from reading slumps and book hangovers. I want to be on your CR list for the rest of your life if you’ll let me. Hope O’Connor, there’s a question I want to ask you.”

I pause to unzip my jacket, ready for the big moment. Taking off the first layer, I toss it aside. Then I point to the large painted letters on my white T-shirt that sayWILL. That shirt comes off to reveal another one with the wordYOUon it. Hope claps a hand over her mouth as I take off the second shirt to show her the one underneath that saysMARRY. Shebounces on her heels when I present the last and final shirt with the wordME?on it.

With my heartbeat pounding in my ears, I pull a black velvet ring box from my jean pocket and open it up. Inside is a vintage engagement ring that Hope had been eyeing in one of the town’s antiques stores. Six emeralds surround a single diamond to make up a floral design. I hold the ring up and ask once again, “Will you marry me?”

Hope throws her hands up in the air and does a little dance of her own, but she doesn’t say a word. Instead, she leans down, unzips her right boot, and slips it off. Then she raises her foot high enough for me to see the sole of her sock, which has one word on it:YES.

My mouth falls open as Hope pulls me to my feet. In my shock I somehow manage to slip the ring onto her finger before we share our first sweet and tender kiss as an engaged couple. Hoots and hollers go up around us as the dancers, then our family, rush over to congratulate us. There’s plenty of hugs exchanged and happy tears shed as we all catch up.

About half an hour later when Hope and I get a moment alone, I finally get a chance to ask her the question that’s been burning on my mind. “How did you know I was going to propose?”

She grins. “I had a hunch. You haven’t been yourself all day, so I thought you either had to be sick or you were nervous about something. Turns out I was right.”

“But when did you buy the socks? We didn’t go to the sock store today.”

“I got them online when I moved back to California.”

“Five months ago? You were ready to marry me way back then?”

She nods with a cheeky smile. “Why else would I haveuprooted my whole life? I bought a dozen of these socks and have been wearing them every day since.”

“And here I was feeling nervous for nothing!” I pull her in my arms for the first time as her fiancé. “Way to make me sweat, especially with all those layers on!”

“That was the most perfect proposal, Shaney! Seriously. No romance book is ever going to top that one. And this ring! I love it so much.” She reaches up to hug my neck. “And I love you. Thank you for the best grand gesture ever.”

“Even though you weren’t all that surprised?”

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