Page 83 of Wish You Faith

Connor

And you’re the diehard romantic.

Am I?Evan wondered.

Sonya and her friends chatted as they watched the movie. Evan laughed along with them at a funny scene before realizing that Rosie wasn’t joining in.

She had dozed off, her head resting on his right shoulder, uninterrupted by the sounds all around her.

While she was sleeping, Evan watched a few more scenes on TV until Sonya called his name.

“Could you take her to her room?” Sonya seemed to be trying to whisper, but it was loud.

Me? Like how? Drag her? Carry her?

Evan wasn’t sure what Sonya was expecting of him.

There, under the watchful eyes of three matronly women, Evan felt pressured to prove—for the first time ever in his adult life—that he could princess carry his future bride from that spot to her bedroom down the hallway past the kitchen.

What if he couldn’t do it? What if she was too heavy for his arms? Or if his arms were too weak to carry her?

What would happen if he dropped her?

This might be yet another test from his future mother-in-law.

Perhaps he hadn’t spent enough time weight-lifting in the gym. He had strong leg muscles because he ran a lot on the treadmill, but what good was that now? He should’ve worked more on his upper body strength.

Slowly, Evan lifted Rosie’s head from his shoulder as he mentally prepared himself for potential embarrassment.

Rosie batted his arm away. Her eyes were still closed.

“Could someone give me a blanket, please?” Evan asked.

Sonya tossed him a fleece throw.

“Thank you.” Evan folded the throw into a rectangle small enough to fit over his lap. He stretched out his legs in front of him. His back was still leaning against the coffee table.

Gently, Evan moved his right arm and held Rosie’s head as it slid off his arm and onto the fleece throw on his lap. Rosie didn’t stir as her head rested sideways.

There, she slept until the credits rolled on TV.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

“Time for dinner!” Rosie’s mom said aloud.

“No need to yell,” Dottie said. “We’re all wearing our hearing aids, Sonya.”

Sonya laughed as her two friends shuffled around her in the kitchen and kept themselves busy. They didn’t bother to speak in hushed tones.

Evan wasn’t sure how to remind them that Rosie was still sleeping. He gazed down at his sleeping beauty. He brushed a couple of locks of hair off her face.

She wasn’t wearing any makeup that he could see. No foundation, no lipstick, no eyeshadow. Her eyelashes were the average length—not too long, not too short. Her face was smooth under the ceiling light. Her lips were full.

So that was how Rosie looked when she was sleeping. Evan wished he could wake up to this pleasant sight every morning.

He was more convinced than ever that he would propose tonight.

His phone buzzed. He reached down to retrieve it from his jean pocket. Connor had left him a message wishing his baby brother a Merry Christmas. Evan replied in kind, then texted him about work.

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